San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

The one-time watch house for incoming ships at the Golden Gate now stands abandoned and hidden in trees.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

A favorite haunt of dinosaur loving children and hallucinogen loving hippies alike.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

Get lost in this haunting fairytale art walk through a man-made eucalyptus grove.

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

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.

This eye-popping Icelandic crater lake is surrounded by red volcanic rock.

Condemned US Navy seaplane control tower turned officers’ club sits atop Yerba Buena Island.

Floating man-made island and upscale restaurant.

The longest continuously operating Elk's Lodge in the country.

Sitting atop San Francisco's tallest hill, a cross honors the victims of the Armenian genocide.

This painted marvel is San Francisco's 400-foot ode to urban biking.

Once the site of speeding horses, now home to picnickers and public concerts.

The original place where water met land in the City by the Bay is outlined in brass.

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

Prone to disastrous fires, the city of San Francisco has the Guardian, a fireboat gifted by residents, to watch over them from the bay.

This eatery transports diners to a place that no longer exists: East Germany.

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

A modest reminder of treacherous waters at the Golden Gate.

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

The second building of its name to occupy this location might be the finest flatiron building in San Francisco.

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