Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
deposit into the machines of your choice) proves that's not the case. Most of the
machines require a few quarters to reveal their Coney Island-era thrills, and
almost all the machines are representatives of a form of mechanical artistry rarely
found in working condition anywhere. My favorite machines are the Opium Den,
a morality tale in which a diorama of smoking layabouts comes alive with serpents
and demons, and the Bimbo Box, in which seven monkey puppets respond to
your loose change by playing the Tijuana Brass. The Guillotine is also macabre
fun; its doors open to reveal the bloodless beheading of a tiny doll. But the stand-
out machine is creepy old Laffing Sal, a funhouse figure that pretty much roars
with laughter (and horrifies small children) upon the dropping of a coin. Kids
who don't get it can head straight to the video games in the back. Every day except
Tuesday, Zelinsky is on hand, repairing and polishing his beloved machines; he
wears a badge reading “I work here.”
SOUTH OF MARKET (SOMA)
The huge
Museum of Modern Art
55
(151 3rd St., at Mission;
%
415/357
-
4000; www.sfmoma.org; $13 adults, $8 seniors 62 and over, $7 students; open
Thurs 11am-8:45pm, Fri-Tues 11am-5:45pm),
or SFMOMA, is America's second-
largest modern-art museum, and its breadth admirably provides something for
most tastes. Regularly displayed works to look out for include Yves Klein's vibrant
electric blue
Eponge,
which feels good on the eyes; two dark Diego Rivera paint-
ings; and a passel of Paul Klee etchings and watercolors. The Anderson Collection
focuses on modern and pop art, including Warhol, Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein,
and a Jasper Johns flag.
Guardians of the Secret
is one of Jackson Pollack's more
organized efforts. Just as popular as the permanent collection is the museum's
steady program of big retrospectives and themed collections; on opening days,
you may find a line around the block for a new show. The museum, housed in a
cavernous 1995 building that is equally fun to explore as the works, is also notably
inclusive, with plenty of representatives from the digital and filmed art worlds.
Grab a $3 iPod walking tour when you enter, and check out the list of the day's
free public tours by the staircase; they usually start at 11:30am with a general
museum tour and wind up by around 3pm.
Right across the street at the
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
5
(701 Mission
St., at 3rd;
%
415/978
-
2787; www.ybca.org; $7 adults; $5 seniors, students, and
teachers; Tues-Wed and Fri-Sun noon-5pm, Thurs noon-8pm),
or YBCA, the
modern art on display is often slightly riskier—or even risqué—than it is at
SFMOMA. You're far more likely to encounter an exhibition by a little-known
artist or a maverick here than across the road. Many of the artists invited to show
come from some kind of minority viewpoint, be it politically, racially, or through
gender identity. When one of the galleries is in transition, the front desk will
knock $2 off admission. I've always considered it a complementary space to
SFMOMA, although, of course, it operates under its own power. As a testament
to its quality, the museum also mounts traveling versions of shows for other muse-
ums, such as one examining the artist R. Crumb, once a local. The museum also
curates a monthly series of video or film screenings that specializes in experimen-
tal film and documentaries, and you'll get in the galleries free with your ticket.
Major points go to
Cartoon Art Museum
55
(655 Mission St., near 3rd;
%
415/227
-
8666; www.cartoonart.org; $6 adults, $4 seniors and students, $2
