It was the hottest day in 2 years in San Francisco. The heat made a perfect reason for me to spend the afternoon in SFMOMA, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
I have to say that I have never had such a great time in a museum since I got back from London (sorry, Vancouver Art Gallery!). The exhibitions were really interesting and extraordinary! From Ansel Adams, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Mark Rothko, to Andy Warhol, and Picasso, every wall excites you, makes you feel that you don’t need to be super arty to understand the stuff. It’s a shame that the exhibitions at VAG never really made people exciting…
I was so glad that photography was allowed in the museum, so I could show some bits of it here. SFMOMA is definitely on the list when I’m in the city next time.
【2010 San Francisco】The Streets of San Fran
You have to admit that San Francisco is a vibrant city – a city full of history, culture, and ideals. The street view tells it all.
On the forth day of my trip, I went to the the Mission area. First, I stopped at the Bi-rite Creamery by Dolores Park. I had the most wonderful ice cream in my life, no kidding! Their ice cream is organic, and they specialize in unique flavours that are hard to find else where. I had salted caramel and honey lavender. It tasted ridiculously awesome! In the neibourhood is also a famous bakery/cafe Tartine. They have a cookbook published by Chronicle Books. I’m so tempted to buy the book after being there, even though I probably can’t make it as delicious. I wasn’t gonna getting any food but drinks, until I saw the quiche with golden-brown crust sitting on the counter. So I got a piece of quiche, which is amazingly tasty! The crust is crispy and the egg fluffy.
With a full stomach, I took a stroll along Valencia St. There are some pretty neat stores along Valencia St.: The Curiosity Shoppe, Little Ostu, and the Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia. While I’m not into pirates and all that, Little Ostu and The Curiosity Shoppe are definitely my favourite! They are full of handmade and designy stuff that took me a while to browse through.
After the Mission, I took a bus to the Haight-Ashbury area. Haight St. was crowded with young people, especially students, who came shopping in the countless vintage stores. It’s also a place for hippies, punks, and weirdos. Oh, and tourists, like me.
After I strolled around the city by myself, I felt that I could totally live here! There are abundant inspirations that can stimulate my creativity here. And of course, there’s the California sunshine!
✱ Since this trip is pretty much a “solo” trip, I had to plan everything myself – the places I wanna go and the things I wanna see. I found that with iPad, traveling has been a hell lot easier, especially with free wi-fi so common in San Francisco. I could search on Google Maps and check the bus number and time almost wherever I am. There’s no need to carry a heavy guide book or hold a super-size map in hand, trying to figure out where I am. All I need is my iPad and I’m good to explore the city. Now I’m really convinced that this device was worth investing in.