This dormant volcanic crater has been converted from a roiling pit of magma to a pleasant hiking spot.

A pair of large white marble lions guard this stretch of the Mojave Desert, and it is utterly mysterious how they got there.

The ghost town that ended up on Ebay.

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

The largest dune field in the Mojave offers a chance of hearing the 'singing sands.'

A lonely Gondola stuck on a traffic circle sits in a spot where it once would have floated down the Grand Canal.

60 feet of towering steel balances gracefully.

This centerpiece of the Hollywood & Highland shopping center is a recreation of a long-lost movie set.

The blinking light atop the iconic landmark has been sending secret messages for decades.

A Cold War site complete with rusty structures, hiking trails, and beautiful views.

Instead of hoofing it up steep stairs, residents can hitch a ride on this private lift.

This peaceful garden is hidden on the grounds of a spiritual organization founded by a pioneer yogi.

These two monoliths have stood at the entrance to the neighborhood since the days it was called "Hollywoodland."

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

Legendary frontman of the Doors looms in this giant mural by famed Venice muralist, Rip Cronk.

The space-age building is home to one of the few remaining rotating restaurants in America, and the only one that inspired a 1980s sitcom.

Hollywood's oldest hotel is the site of the first Academy Awards, the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe's career, and the home of Montgomery Clift's ghost.

A three-story, three-dimensional hobo clown in a tutu welcomes CVS shoppers.

This opulent hotel has been visited by Spider-Man, Charlie's Angels, and the Ghostbusters.

This hilltop park offers magnificent views and a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece.

Her final resting place was intended to be modest and private, but the power of her popularity continues to draw visitors.

In a city filled with Frank Gehry buildings, one stands out as one of the architect's weirder works.

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.