Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
180
the treetops, it also affords a terrific view all the way to the Marin Headlands. That view
is accessible to any visitor , free of charge. That complimentary access is another featur e
that sets the de Young apart: While visitors must pay an entrance fee to visit the museum
galleries, vast swaths of common space ar e open to ev eryone. On a str oll through the
park, you can step into the de Young, take in the impressive painting by Gerhard Richter
that watches over the main lobby, head to the tower room and contemplate ethereal wire
creations by renowned local sculptor Ruth Asawa, pop up to the top floor to take in the
priceless view, and then walk out to the sculptur e garden to appr eciate works by such
well-known artists as Joan Miro and Henry Moore—all for free. In the garden, enter the
Three Gems
structure by James Turrell: If your kids stand in the middle of the unusual
orb and talk, they'll feel their voices vibrate.
While y ou can enjo y so much for fr ee, I encourage y ou to pay the entrance fee—
which, since kids 12 and under ar e free, is v ery reasonable—as the de Young houses a
first-rate collection of American ar t and one of the world 's most formidable collections
of art from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. (In the Oceania area, my daughters espe-
cially liked the Indonesian prayer boards, which look a lot like sur fboards.) Every Satur-
day, from 10:30am to noon, museum docents lead tours of current exhibitions, followed
by studio wor kshops taught b y pr ofessional ar tist-teachers, which ar e appr opriate for
children ages 3
1
/
2
to 12, although children under age 8 must be accompanied by an adult.
(This program is also av ailable from 1:30-3pm for museum members.) E xcept in mid-
winter, the museum is open late on Friday nights and offers special activities such as live
music, dance, poetry, lectures, and art-making classes for the kids (regular admission rates
apply). The de Young also has a first-rate cafe and an irresistible gift shop, both of which
are accessible free of charge.
75 Tea G arden Dr.
&
415/750-3600.
w ww.famsf.org/deyoung. Admission $10 adults , $7 seniors , $6
youth 13-17, free children 12 and under. Admission tickets to the de Young may be used on the same
day for free admission t o the C alifornia Palace of the L egion of Honor . Free to all the 1st Tues of the
month. Tues-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm (Fri open until 8:45pm). Muni: 74X CultureBus or N-Judah streetcar to
9th Ave., then walk north on 9th Ave. into the park; no. 44-O'Shaughnessy bus to Concourse Dr.
6
Mission Dolores
Ages 6 and up.
Visitors from other par ts of California, especially
those with middle school kids about to study its histor y, should not miss touring this
small, old mission, the sixth of 21 California missions built b y Native Americans under
the rule of Franciscan missionaries. Formerly known as M ission San Francisco de Asis,
this 1795 structure has the honor of being the oldest building in S an Francisco, having
survived earthquakes, fires, and a stint in the 1840s as a gambling den. O f note is the
graveyard where Hitchcock filmed scenes for
Vertigo.
The self-guided audio tour takes 40
minutes.
3371 16th St. (at Dolor es St.).
&
415/621-8203.
w ww.missiondolores.org. A dmission $5 adults , $3
seniors and children 7-17, free children 6 and under. Audio tour $5. Daily 9am-4pm. Good Friday 9am-
noon. Closed Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas. Muni: J-Church streetcar to 16th St.; walk 1 block east.
Museum of the African Diaspora
Ages 6 and up.
Opened in 2006, this color-
fully and creatively arranged museum explores the art, culture, and history of the people
of African descent acr oss the globe. B efore stepping inside, head acr oss the str eet to
appreciate the three-story-tall image of an intense, beautiful young girl taken by photog-
rapher Chester Higgins, Jr. As you head up the stairs inside the museum, y ou'll see that
her image is actually composed of thousands of photographs of members of the African
diaspora. While some of the museum's exhibits—such as the empty room filled only with
