russellnelson's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Oakland, California
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Places visited in Palo Alto, California
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Mount Hamilton, California

Lick Observatory

The world's first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory continues to report on the stars.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Milpitas, California

Great Mall of Milpitas

This giant shopping mall still holds signs of its automotive past.
Added by Martin
Fremont, California

Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

This quaint archive of the silent era preserves and pays homage to a seminal moment in film history.
Added by meredithea
Newark, California

Salt Ponds of San Francisco Bay

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.
Rachel Added by Rachel
Fremont, California

Berkeley Mystery Walls

Neither Spanish settlers nor anyone since has been able to tell who built these strange California rock walls.
thirdthreshold Added by thirdthreshold
Sunol-Midtown, California

Sunol Water Temple

A Roman-inspired temple once controlled half of San Francisco's waters.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Livermore, California

Centennial Bulb

The longest burning light bulb in the world.
mrobscurity Added by mrobscurity
Rio Vista, California

Foster's Big Horn

Over 300 taxidermied animals in a Californian restaurant make for a taxidermist's dream and an animal lover's nightmare.
Glen Ellen, California

The Wolf House - Jack London State Park

The haunting ruins of Jack London's dream house.
Tre Added by Tre
Vallejo, California

Mare Island

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Vallejo, California

Mare Island Naval Cemetery

The oldest Naval cemetery on the West Coast.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Benicia, California

Suisun Bay Ghost Fleet

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Crockett, California

Wreckage of the S.S. Garden City

The remains of a deserted steamboat sit rusting beside an old ferry pier and an abandoned train platform.
James Gage Added by James Gage
Port Costa, California

The Burlington Hotel

A historic hotel in an old California railroad town with a rowdy reputation.
Shannon Ohaire Added by Shannon Ohaire
Port Costa, California

The Warehouse Cafe

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Oakland, California

Phap Duyen Tu: The Buddha Shrine of Oakland

A hardware store Buddha statue installed to deter vandalism wound up attracting Vietnamese immigrants who came to pray.
leiris Added by leiris
San Francisco, California

Hoppers Hands

At the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, a small sign basically begs for a high-five.
Britta Shoot Added by Britta Shoot
San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.
AllisonEng Added by AllisonEng
Sausalito, California

Marin Headlands

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Sausalito, California

The Bay Model

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.
Added by sarahbenson
Sausalito, California

Gates Co-op Houseboat Community

A living time capsule of the 1960s Richardson Bay water-front.
Tre Added by Tre
Richmond, California

Point Molate

Abandoned landscape once home to "the world's largest winery."
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
Lafayette, California

The Crosses of Lafayette

Thousands of crosses and markers for soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan blanket a California hillside.
leiris Added by leiris
Berkeley, California

UC Berkeley's Nobel Laureate Parking Spaces

The Laureates here get something even more coveted than a Nobel Prize: free parking for life.
hrnick Added by hrnick