6 Secrets of San Francisco

Peephole Cinema: A Hole in the Wall

Only a tiny sign with an eyeball dangling from it lets you know when you've arrived at the Peephole Cinema. It plays continuous short silent films for anyone willing to look into this hole in the wall.

You can see another early motion picture device, the Mutoscope, at the Musee Mecanique at Fisherman's Wharf.

Art House: Gregangelo Museum

The Gregangelo Museum isn't your traditional museum. It's a fun house with hidden doors, circus paintings and spinning time capsules. Colorful broken tiles and jewels cover the walls and ceiling of the house. It's as if you're entering a kaleidoscope. Each of the 27 rooms has a theme: Arabian nights, a spaceship, a bathroom under the sea, and a pink stuffed animal cave, to name just a few.

You're required to relinquish your phone during the tour to ensure that you're fully immersing yourself in this unusual world of art. Tickets start at $75 and there are multiple tours to choose from.

Purr-fect Tea Service: KitTea Cat Cafe

It's a very simple concept: drink tea and pet cats for an hour. KitTea Cat Cafe has a cat wheel, toys, and mazes for cats to play with, but the cats seem happiest when purring on a human's lap. In addition to tea, you can sign up for game night with kitties, including the Crazy Cat Lady Game, Mewie (movie) Night, Cat-urday morning cartoons, or reach purr-vana at Yoga with Cats.

A True Sense-ation: Audium

Created by a team of classically trained musicians, Audium is a "theater of sculptured sound." Visitors sit in complete darkness and are treated to a symphony created from everyday noises like wind gusts, horns, and whispers, played through 176 speakers hidden in the walls, ceilings, and floors. It's a surprising and popular way to disconnect in the digital age and let your imagination take hold.

Hot Dog!: Larger-Than-Life Doggie Diner Statues

Mannie, Moe, and Jack are fiberglass statues that live in Golden Gate Park on the now car-free JFK Drive. Built in 1948, these dogs once rotated on poles in front of Doggie Diner, a hot dog chain in San Francisco and Oakland.

When the restaurants closed in 1986, there were about 30 of the dog heads left, most of which were thrown away. San Francisco resident John Law rescued three of the smiling dogs, who are now enjoying retirement posing for Instagram and occasionally appearing at non-profit events. 

How the Bay was Saved: The Bay Model Visitors Center

In the 1950s, actor John Reber came up with the idea of damming San Francisco Bay to form a series of freshwater lakes. Congress took Reber's plan so seriously that it gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers millions of dollars to investigate its feasibility.

The Army created the Bay Model to simulate the region's watersheds in various conditions. Tests proved that the Reber Plan was a disastrous idea and the bay was saved. The Army keeps the Bay Model as a museum and as an educational tool. It now lives in a warehouse that is open to visitors along Sausalito's stunning waterfront.