Constructed in 1922, the somewhat obscure Sunnyside Mausoleum (now overseen by Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery) is a stunning architectural fantasyland of Spanish Renaissance art glass, sculpted marble and historic tilework — and it features a rare Foucault pendulum. Sunnyside was inspired in part by the Royal Pantheon beneath the Basilica at El Escorial in Spain. It is a strange and highly decorative place, its halls lined with elaborate stone niches and a “library” of book-shaped crematory urns. The memorial chapel's stained-glass windows depict California history, and the statue hall contains busts of Charlemagne, St. Augustine, Dante, Milton, Thomas Jefferson and Ralph Waldo Emerson, among other notables. The pendulum in its exquisite circular foyer, with an illuminated mosaic depicting the arts, is simply breathtaking. Photography is not officially allowed, but you can sneak some shots; the only other person you'll probably see there is the caretaker. 1500 E. San Antonio Drive, Long Beach, 90807. (888) 204-3131, forestlawn.com. —Suzy Beal

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