The remains of a deserted steamboat sit rusting beside an old ferry pier and an abandoned train platform.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

This graffiti-covered bridge is the quintessential vision of a place for disillusioned youth to escape the complexities of burgeoning adulthood.

The only parking meter in the entire town, it is surrounded by 100 free spaces.

The oldest inn in Kilkenny was established by the first convicted witch in Ireland.

This sandstone mansion was the home of two of Oregon's most important pioneers.

This super-sized skillet is a replica of a usable giant pan where a woman once skated on bacon.

Depicting scenes of everyday life - and specific individuals - in Great Depression era San Francisco.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

A British pub embodies the spirit of a California legend.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

'Cause the fence start shaking, the earth was quaking.

A sliver of nostalgia in Seattle's Viretta Park.

A local dialect born in the late 19th century is only spoken in this isolated California valley.

A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.

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

Making Ice Cream Hip Since 2008.

Hiding amid the largest camellia collection in the country lies a charming children's maze, donated by a secret admirer.

Sports history, made in the Arroyo Seco.

A stellar example of Art & Crafts architecture, and a movie set to boot.

A Masterpiece with a Tragic History.

A hospital closed seemingly in the middle of operations, leaving behind fodder for horror films and ghost hunters.