jamesholbrookiv's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
San Francisco, California

Portals of the Past

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.
San Francisco, California

Book Club of California

In this century-old literary safehouse, print is alive and well.
Los Angeles, California

Space Shuttle Endeavour

The final resting place of a space program monolith.
Joshua Tree, California

The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum

Explore 10 acres of environmental sculptures.
San Diego, California

San Diego Museum of Us

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.
Los Angeles, California

Heritage Square Museum

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.
Big Pine, California

Methuselah Tree

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.
Palm Springs, California

Robo Lights

An outdoor sculpture park of giant pink robots and post-apocalyptic Christmas scenes.
Los Angeles, California

Bob Baker Marionette Theater

Historic marionette theater features thousands of handmade puppets and free cups of ice cream.
Los Angeles, California

Idle Hour

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.
San Francisco, California

Long Now Orrery

A modern mechanical planetary system, part of a 10,000 year clock.
Tulelake, California

Lava Beds National Monument

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.
Los Angeles, California

Café Jack

permanently closed
A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.
Los Angeles, California

The Mar Vista Time Travel Mart

Sister store to the Echo Park Time Travel Store.
Los Angeles, California

Angels Flight

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

Musée Mécanique

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

St. Vincent Court

A faux European lane smack dab in downtown L.A.
San Francisco, California

The Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.
Los Angeles, California

Ferndell Nature Museum

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.
Los Angeles, California

Velaslavasay Panorama

Panorama exhibition hall in old silent theater with a beautiful backyard garden.
San Francisco, California

Paxton Gate

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.
Los Angeles, California

Valley Relics Museum

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

Exploratorium

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.
Santa Cruz, California

Santa Cruz Mystery Spot

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.