The Salk Institute of Biological Studies is one of Louis Kahn's most admired modernist works, set on the bluffs above the Pacific near UC San Diego. Two austere concrete laboratory blocks face each other across a long courtyard, with a narrow water channel pulling the eye toward the ocean.
It remains a working research institute, so visitors should check tour availability in advance. Architecture-focused travelers should make the effort; the building is one of La Jolla's most distinctive stops.