July 6: SFMOMA

Dear Friends and Relatives,

This morning, Maureen and I were off to see the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which is located at 151 Third Street, between Mission St. and Howard St.  The old building has been completely renovated, and a brand-new addition has been added.  The addition is by architect Mario Botta (Swiss), and is modernistic, in a 7-story brick, granite and glass building.  Spacious galleries illuminated by skylights exhibit a comprehensive collection of modern and contemporary art, including paintings and sculpture, architecture and design, media arts and photography.  The new wing opened in June of 2016, so I was privileged to see it.  We concentrated on floors 3 and 4, featuring Alexander Calder's mobiles of the 1920s and 30s; photography of California and the West; Abstractionist works by Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, and Cy Twombly; German art after 1960 (such as Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer), and a small gallery of decorative arts, featuring contemporary seating furniture.  We were in the museum for about 3 hours, and Maureen bought a museum membership, so she will get to immerse herself in more of the museum in the future.  It is housed in a stunning new building, and people came in droves.  

From the museum, we made our way to the Yerba Buena Gardens, which cover two blocks between 3rd and 4th Streets and Mission and Folsom Streets.  This is one of SF's loveliest green retreats.  The 5-acre esplanade is graced with a grassy lawn, shade trees and bench-lined walkways landscaped with ornamental plants and flowers, while the Upper Terrace Garden, planted with evergreen shrubs and flowers, features a large reflecting pool with a view of office buildings as a backdrop.  The setting is perfect for strolling, relaxing, or grabbing a bite to eat, which we did at a restaurant called Samovar, which features tea and small plates.  Maureen had borscht soup and butternut squash dumplings, and I had seaweed rollups with duck, lettuce, avocado, and a special dipping sauce.  

From there we took a hike around the stores and office buildings of the area, including the new Apple store at Union Square, in the heart of the city.  It was like a temple to technology!

Late in the afternoon, we took the subway back to where we had parked and then drove home the rest of the way, napping and reading for the rest of the afternoon before leaving for Lizz Klammer's place.  She was walking the dog when we arrived, and afterwards we had red wine with her and petted her lovely Husky named Sitka before going down the street and having Mexican food, which for my part consisted of some excellent quesadillas with flank steak and guacamole.  And now we are back at Maureen's.  Another good day, and my visit is winding down fast.  I leave on Friday, and will be sorry to bid the cool temperatures and Maureen adieu.  It has been a blast!  As ever, Sylvia

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas