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

These secluded and abandoned anti-aircraft defenses have become one the most scenic viewpoints in Barcelona.

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.

One man's vast collection of artifacts and ephemera from matchbooks and postcards to vintage neon signs and cars.

Shop selling 500 flavors of soda has something for everyone.

This sculpture garden in Death Valley makes you feel like you've slipped into some alternate reality.

Room 32 of the Alta Cienega Motel has grown into a shrine to the Lizard King.

The site of an underground detonation of a megaton nuclear bomb in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

The Japanese mayo factory famous for its cute mascot.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

Giant sand sculptures of famous people and places are on display near the Tottori sand dunes.

Abandoned hotel with adjacent lake and golf course.

The world’s largest concentrated solar plant generates as many problems as megawatts.

An eclectic trailer park retreat in the middle of the California desert.

London's most popular recording studio, located in the capital's East End, runs partly on solar power and has played host to some of the world's biggest acts.

Artists and musicians now rule over this former rail station.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

This mosaic dedicated to John Lennon was tended for years by a Beatles super-fan.

For over 30 years the walls of this Harlem schoolyard have been a gallery of street art by "Kings and better."

A giant open-air sculpture made of over 200 full-sized boats.

This incredible collection of vintage pinball machines can be played at 25 cents a pop.

Brightly colored 30-foot-tall totems light up the desert sky just outside Las Vegas.