San Francisco, CA

If you want to get a sense of the creative spirit of San Francisco, you really only need to step outside. It’s in the air. But if you’re seeking something a bit more organized or focused, there are a number of places that you can go to see San Francisco’s artwork. Here are nine choices that you might consider checking out:

1. 111 Minna – This SoMA gallery has some sort of event going on nightly. You can see art while checking out DJs, fashion parties and magazine launches.
2. Cartoon Art Museum – Come on, San Francisco has a cartoon museum; why wouldn’t you go check it out?
3. Clarion Alley in The Mission – This is an actual alley located in the Mission neighborhood. It’s got a changing array of murals and you can often see people working on their art. It’s beautiful and interesting and interactive and wonderful.
4. DeYoung Museum – Located inside of he massively beautiful Golden Gate Park, this museum has all sorts of different stuff going on during different times of the year. Friday nights feature special events at a lower price if you want to see some of the gallery without paying for it all.
5. FLOAT – Well, this one is over in the East Bay but it’s worth noting. It’s actually a flotation center where you can go to immerse yourself in relaxation but there’s a gallery there as well.
6. Gallery 444 – For a smaller art gallery that has some beautiful paintings, this is a good choice.
7. SF Camerawork – This is a non-profit gallery that supports the work of local artists.
8. SFMoMA – There’s a reason that people go check out San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art. It’s an amazing art space that has changing exhibits and a lot going on. You can see it for free on the first Wednesday of every month. Or simply go check out the bookstore and the building itself since there’s no charge to do that and it’s pretty neat.
9. Space Gallery – It’s as much a bar as it is an art space and there’s always something interesting going on.

San Francisco is a place that’s filled with creativity. As such, there are lots of artistic people here to adore. This is only a partial list but it introduces you to some of the artists I know of in the city who are doing some impressive things:

• Adrian Litman – After over twenty years of working as a commercial artist, Litman switched to doing more of his own stuff and he’s doing it well.
• Clint Imboden – Combining photographer with found object mixed media art, Clint creates works that are worth taking a second look at.
• Ginny Mangrum – Ginny is a local photographer who does black-and-white photos that take public spaces and give you a new perspective on them.
• Jessica Stafford – This mixed media artist with a feminist focus did a series of birth control collages that I found interesting.
• S.N. Jacobson – Jacobson’s photography could be considered risqué but I just see it as beautiful.
• Salma Aratsu – This India-born painter has made San Francisco her home and adds to its beauty with her own artwork.
• Scott Mickelson – Scott’s use of color in his paintings is what really drew me in although his interesting choice of subject matter is also worth noting.

San Francisco is an inspirational place so there are plenty of artists other than these to give your attention to but start here to begin exploring some of the art being created in the city today.

- Scarab. This quintet doesn’t limit their music to any particular genre which is what makes it such a San Francisco band. They play music for the sake of music, instead of for the purpose of fitting inside of some neat little box, much like the majority of people who live here in the city.

- Bag of Toys. This is my favorite San Francisco band that I just happened to stumble upon randomly in a bar one night. They play a kind of surf reggae rock that’s catchy and fun to dance along with.

- Dolorata. This is an all-female band and they rock out like only grrrls can do. It’s their constant energy and enthusiasm that makes me love their music.

- Project Greenfield. This is a jam band but they don’t sound like they just throw their stuff together. Their funk-infused rock feels polished, even when you can tell it’s coming out of the creative air around them.

- Chinatown Bakeries. This was one of the first San Francisco bands that I learned about and still one I like. They’ve got a changing cast of characters so there’s a fluidity in their music that kind of summarizes the fluidity of life in an urban, transient area.

- Spazmatics. This is my favorite band to see live in the city. They put on the most high-energy show I’ve ever seen. They’re motto is “nerds who rock” and they dress like it while playing hits from the ’80’s that are best experienced in condensed form in packed bars.

Golden Gate Park is massive. When you think about the fact that San Francisco is as small as it is, it emphasizes how impressive it is that the city maintains a park which runs for about forty avenues from practically the center of the city all the way to the Pacific Ocean. You could wander around the park for days and still not have seen everything that there is to see there. But there are only a few places in the park that I go to on a regular basis.

Here are my favorite spots in Golden Gate Park:

• The Bison Enclosure – Okay, okay, the truth is that I don’t love this place. There are all of about six bison in there and they look totally depressed and awful. (There’s a committee concerned about this.) But I love the fact that there are bison in San Francisco’s park. And I end up going here on a semi-regular basis because people rarely believe me that there are bison in the park so I have to go prove it.

• The Botanical Gardens – This is far and away my favorite part of Golden Gate Park. You go here, and it feels like you are nowhere near a city at all. There are different sections for different plant life from all around the world, but that interests me less than the fact that there is so much peacefulness to be found in this park. It’s absolutely beautiful and it’s free. And you can literally spend hours in here.

• Japanese Tea Gardens – I wouldn’t say that I love this place, but I like it. If I’m spending any amount of time in Golden Gate Park during a cold day, I usually make my way over here to get some warm tea. If you get there late enough (close to closing) you can get in for free (although your tea will come in a Styrofoam cup and not an actual tea cup). The gummy candies sold in the gift shop are also worth picking up.

• The windmill and flower garden. I have no idea why this place reminds me of my mom but it does and so I love hanging out there for a little while if I end up at the west end of Golden Gate Park. This happens most often if I’m visiting Ocean Beach and / or the Cliff House / Sutro Baths area; I’ll stop in by the windmill before catching a bus back home.

• Speedway Meadows – There are free concerts and other events held here all of the time. You can’t even hear the music from the streets near the park but it’s in there, with plenty of room to spare to enjoy the activities. Totally awesome that we have this.

Yes, there are places worth checking out at and around the Fisherman’s Wharf / Pier 39 area. Even if you are a local, there are things to be seen. But mostly, you’re going to find cheesy souvenirs and those black-and-white “escaped from Alcatraz mental hospital” outfits that I’m going to go ahead and hope you wouldn’t ever buy. So you want to make sure that you do enough of the tourist thing to say that you’ve been there but you don’t get stuck in the stores and sales down there. Here are 5 places to hit (and then get yourself away from) in the area:

1. Musee Mecanique – This is the only reason that I ever go to the Fisherman’s Wharf area if I’m not taking a house guest there to look around. In fact, the only times I’ve ever gone to the area alone, it’s to go here. Admittedly, that’s because I have an obsession with Ms. Pacman (on my old MySpace account, I listed “someone who could beat me at Ms. Pacman” under “who I want to meet” – I still haven’t). And this old arcade museum feeds that addiction for only fifty cents at a time. But it’s good for everything – a spot to show visitors, a place to play old games for a few hours with friends, a quirky date. You can stick with SkeeBall and pinball games or you can put your quarters into the strange old games that have been around since … probably before you were. Get photo booth pictures done to commemorate it.

2. Chowders – You have to get clam chowder in a bread bowl if you’re down in this area. There are only two places that I recommend getting it down there. The first is over at the street vendors that are right there at Fisherman’s Wharf, although I stay away from that area simply because the birds that scavenge around there annoy me too much to eat well there. So, instead, I go to Chowders at Pier 39. It’s totally cheesy and touristy, but it’s got cheap clam chowder compared to all of the other restaurants in the area. And they’ve got both the traditional white and the red. And they have fried veggies of all kinds.

3. The Sea Lions – Okay, I’m not saying that you should go over here all of the time just for fun. But you should go and see them to say that you’ve seen them. Think about it, in how many other cities does your local wildlife include sea lions as well as wild parrots and incarcerated bison? And really, the sea lions are a total laugh if you pay attention to them. They’re always trying to push each other off of the docks, they make the most ridiculous of noises and the way the parents treat the babies is terrifically amusing. You can say you’ve been to Pier 39 and you can see the view of Alcatraz while getting some real entertainment. It’s free.

4. The Bushman – He’s almost always down there. What you see in terms of street performance down there depends on your preferences. I, personally, thought the silver robots were great five years ago and wouldn’t stop now for much reason at all. Likewise, I’ve seen enough breakdancing so unless it’s amazing, I’m walking on by. But every single person I know pauses if they come across the Bushman because, despite the fact that this dude is basically famous, there are a whole bunch of tourists that don’t know the bush is about to jump out of them. And sometimes, he’s in a bad mood and gets annoyed with people who don’t tip to watch which, in itself, is pretty amusing. Seriously, though, if you see a show of any kind and you like the performance, it is worth your dollar to donate. Where else do you get entertainment for a dollar?

5. Sit by the water – Yes, really. It doesn’t matter whether you do it right here or you walk further west to Aquatic Park where there’s a bit of a beach. Take the time to take a look at the Bay. It’s a gorgeous place. The fog is magical. The bridge, Angel Island, and Alcatraz all make their marks in the landscape. When we are lucky enough to live (or visit) a place as beautiful as this, we should be smart enough to take the time to enjoy it.