On a drizzly February day, your intrepid Esotouric / 1947project gang (Kim, Richard and Nathan) set out for a road trip in our own backyard, seeking out the most beguiling and delightful examples of domestic architecture from Pasadena to Silver Lake, the Hollywood Hills to the Palisades. Below you’ll see a few of the gems which we found. Check out the full photo set here.

La Miniatura, glimpsed from a wee Arroyo, is Frank Lloyd Wright’s most convincing Mayan temple.

Clinker brick is the junk that falls to the sides of the kiln. It took the clever folk of the Art & Crafts Movement to recognize how interesting and beautiful this industrial waste product could be.

A set of windows wittily echo the staircase behind.

What other weathervane for a hillside Storybook House than a witch on her broom?

Please, CalTrans, don’t tear down the first Greene & Greene house (1897) to extend the 710 freeway.

The lesson from our day’s exploration: you don’t need to go very far off your regular path to be somewhere completely new and amazing. Go out and discover the magical things that are close to home… and bring a friend!