A brooding mansion of clinker brick stands out among the Victorian houses of Pacific Heights.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

The only visible piece of San Francisco's most famous shipwreck.

Visible below the waves are memorials to the city's Gold Rush dead.

Floating man-made island and upscale restaurant.

A whimsical antique shop with a strong air of mystery, filled with items from ages, and what feels like worlds, past.

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

Gold Rush ship-turned-hotel buried underneath San Francisco's financial district.

A classic advertising icon immortalized in regal bronze.

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

A Barbary Coast watering hole built into a Gold Rush shipwreck.

The largest whiskey stash on the West Coast survived the 1906 fires--but not without heroic effort.

Noble beasts perhaps, but not the Emperor's dogs.

Only hotel where you can legally launder money.

Early prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

A library built during San Francisco's pioneer times is a student's retreat, bibliophile's sanctuary, and chess player's delight.

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

Nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District stands a unique homage to the Mayan and Beaux Arts.

Home of modern dancer famously strangled by her own scarf.

This Swedish automobile graveyard is a beautiful gallery of decay, but woe be to any who would steal a souvenir.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.