The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

These delicate buggers are some of the rarest fossils that have bubbled up from the Tar Pits.

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

A pair of slides and a tree-lined stair corridor have been an urban oasis for nearly 40 years.

Olfactory delights in San Francisco's Botanical Gardens.

A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

A prohibition-style speakeasy takes up residence in the last Victorian residence in Hollywood.

Giant Redwood-themed cafeteria operates under the golden rule, "Dine Free Unless Delighted."

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

Hidden in the hills of Hollywood, this secluded Oz-themed garden is dotted with dozens of thrones.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

Resting place of Hollywood's immortals is also site of summer film screenings.

It should come as no surprise that the best view of the Hollywood sign is from Batman's lair.

The abandoned zoo enclosures offer a perfect place to experience the other side of the bars.

High on a hill overlooking Los Angeles lives a world famous, high power conical Tesla Coil.

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.