A fifth-century temple improbably built into the side of a cliff.

The small cliffside monastery known as the Tiger's Nest is said to be the meditation site of an 8th-century Buddhist master.

A tiny chapel clings to a precipice above Germany’s gemstone capital.

Sleep in a glass pod dangling off a cliff.

This centuries-old Italian chapel hangs midway down a sheer cliffside.

A castle perched precariously over the Crimean Sea.

This precariously perched fortress was once ruled by a crow-worshipping baron.

A historic observatory precariously perched at the "Top of Europe."

An otherworldly restaurant perched on the edge of a jagged cliff next to a medieval holy city.

The hermits of Karoulia protect their asocial lifestyles by living on the vertical face of a treacherous precipice.

This quaint Italian town keeps losing ground as the sides of its plateau slowly erode.

This abandoned, turn-of-the-century astronomy hub is now the subject of more photographs than it ever took.

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.

Established in the '60s, a family-owned tropical drink bar founded by Ray Buhen, bartender to the stars.

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.

This symbol of peace is appropriately positioned overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.

From pre-war whiskey cocktails to prohibition-era speakeasy secrecy, this bar has seen it all.

The final resting place of a space program monolith.

L.A.'s oldest operating bowling alley is a beautifully restored homage to its speakeasy days.

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world.

This “living museum” at UCLA exhibits thousands of plant species from all over the world.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

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.