Wheels of chrome by the thousands adorn this California Historical Landmark.

Chevron maintains one “Standard” brand station per state so it doesn’t lose the trademark.

The first AIDS memorial chapel in San Francisco and one of only a few in the U.S.

This sun-scorched lakebed contains samples of half the natural elements known to humankind.

Hidden in a hotel parking lot is a strange historical plaque erected by an obscure fraternal society.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

Each summer, the migratory bats living beneath the bypass form "batnadoes" at dusk.

At the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, a small sign basically begs for a high-five.

At this deceptively beautiful beach, nothing is what it seems.

An abandoned 1930s gas station turned bustling neighborhood park.

George Lucas donated this park to honor the birthplace of his two biggest movie franchises.

The sole surviving relic of the San Francisco neighborhood cobbled together from old horsecars and streetcars.

A gap in the concrete has been transformed into a miniature playground for the mind.

This restaurant's marvelous musical machines include a self-playing violin.

This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

This magnificent mausoleum is as much a work of art as it is a historic resting place.

This hidden amusement park is a magical escape for kids and kids-at-heart.

This grinning pup statue is all that's left of what was once a ubiquitous Bay Area diner chain.

This diner's a kitschy dreamland for anyone whose heart is stuck in the 1980s.

A sculpture dedicated to Napa Valley's oldest mineral water company.

This tall and trim architectural oddity is one of the skinniest buildings in San Francisco.

One of Los Angeles's first murals once vibrantly depicted the dangers of United States imperialism.

Blink and you may miss this rustic pioneer cemetery.