Art in unexpected places

August 5, 2014December 4, 2021

Breaking: San Francisco has TWO bridges!

The Golden Gate Bridge is kind of like the Bay Bridge’s diva younger sister. Constantly in the spotlight, she’s been called the “most photographed bridge in the world” and is super high maintenance – with a staff of 34 devoted just to touch-ups.

Even though they both span across the San Francisco Bay, one of them gets all “I’m golden” about it and the other just tells it like it is. In fact, the often-overlooked Bay Bridge stretches 8.4 miles and helps 45 million people get to work every year without making a fuss.

I don’t mean to sound like their mother or anything, but, as iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge is, they’re both beautiful in their own way. And I have pictures of both of them ~~in my wallet.~~ in this post. Here are a few spots where I’ve caught a great view and what you need to know to travel across.

How to Cross that Bridge When You Come to It:

Golden Gate Bridge

In Your Own Car
The good news: You no longer need to stop at a toll booth.

The bad news: You still have to pay a toll for crossing southbound to San Francisco. You just don’t have to stop. It will be charged to you via your license plate with the new Pay-by-Plate program. (Convenient or creepy? You decide!) Currently, the toll is $7 for most cars, but check goldengatebridge.org for rates.

In a Rental Car
Since tolls are now collected via license plate and not on-site, make arrangements with your car rental company before you go.

Without a Car
You can walk the mile-and-a-half(ish) distance or take a (non-electric) bike or scooter during certain hours, as long as you stay on the sidewalk. Animals aren’t allowed, except, of course, for service animals. This is not the place to walk your chihuahua. His tiny little legs probably couldn’t make it that far anyway.

A few places I’ve enjoyed the view…

Baker Beach
Coit Tower (it’s in the distance of the photo above)
Marin County (a.k.a. the other side of the bridge)

Bay Bridge

The Bay Bridge now only accepts cash or FasTrak – no credit cards! The toll varies by time of day, currently $4-6. You don’t have to have exact change (although that’s quicker), but you do need to request a receipt if you want one.

Art
In addition to sculptures along the nearby Embarcadero, the bridge itself has become part of a giant art installation. 25,000 LED lights covering Bay Bridge cables twinkle in constantly-changing patterns. You can see The Bay Lights through 2015, although there’s an effort underway to keep them lit for another decade. If you can’t make it to San Francisco, there’s also a livestream every night.

A few places I’ve enjoyed the view…

The Embarcadero
Coit Tower
Oakland

What bridge(s) do you love? Where do you go for a good view?

A big thank you to local experts Julie, Matt, Isaiah, and Allie (whose new project is the San Francisco magazine Friendly Strangers)!

January 22, 2014July 28, 2022

Why I look for art in libraries (and what else I’ve found)

You might not think of walking into a library when you’re traveling, and it used to be that I didn’t either. I think it was stumbling on the Biblioteca Nacional del Perú that changed it for me.

I don’t remember what it was that afternoon during our (otherwise awesome) 2005 Peru trip that had gotten us down. Just that Lima’s big city, horn-honking, rumbling-diesel, street vendors/restauranteurs/bus drivers-shouting-for-customers cacophony had suddenly overwhelmed us, when we realized we were standing in front of Peru’s National Library. It wasn’t on the agenda, but we decided to duck in.

In stark contrast to the noisy streets, it was so quiet I was worried about the sound of my shoes on the marble floors. We took a few random turns and found ourselves in this beautifully serene garden courtyard, separated from the city by a two-story wall but feeling miles away.

We practically collapsed onto one of the benches. It was just the respite we needed at that moment. By the time we returned inside, we were composed enough to want to look around. In the center of the cavernous main room, there was this amazing Don Quijote exhibit with rare books, sketches and sculpture.

Since Phillip and I love books and art and the comically (tragically?) romantic Quijote, this made our day. I wouldn’t have thought there would be anything for non-locals at a library, but we came away from the experience with souls nourished – and with a deeper respect for libraries as places with something to offer everyone, not just cardholders.

I remembered this when I was visiting a library closer to home a few weeks ago and saw Scottsdale Public Library’s new gallery for art exhibitions. It’s currently devoted to a pretty fabulous Steampunk display (through Saturday 1/25). You don’t have to be into the steampunk scene to appreciate the artistry of the handmade costumes and props.

My own city of Tempe’s library displays art on a single wall near their cafe. They don’t list exhibitions on their site, so discovering great work from local artists John Nelson and Troy Mark Moody during a recent visit was an unexpected bonus with my coffee.

I started thinking about other libraries I’ve happened to visit when traveling and whether they put art on display.

The Library of Congress, which is kind of our own U.S. national library, has several art exhibits at any given time. Currently, they are displaying photos from the March on Washington, pre-columbian ceramics from the Americas, and cartoons (in at least two galleries).

Lots of college campus libraries display art, as well.

We noticed a small gallery in a corner during a tour of Fuller Theological Seminary’s main campus in Pasadena, California, and I found that their David Allan Hubbard Library regularly exhibits artistic and historical collections from its archives.

Although we weren’t able to get in while we were there, many of Dr. Seuss’s sketches are housed in the somewhat seussical-looking Geisel Library building on UC San Diego’s campus.

How do you find out about art on display at libraries? It’s not always publicized. Your best bet is to look for an “exhibitions” link on the library’s site, but they may not even mention them. If you’re exploring a new city and pass by the library, I’d recommend stopping in. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

A library can be both a respite for the weary and a window into the community. They’re open spaces you can visit without making a reservation or paying admission. In addition to art, libraries may exhibit artifacts or rare books or local projects. The Ouray Public Library has a whole display case of geodes, fitting for an area where geology is so important.

While reading too many stories of knights and giants may drive you mad, visiting libraries can put you on more solid footing.

Although I didn’t go to any libraries when I was on the man of La Mancha’s home turf, I felt I owed it to him to check in on what’s happening at the Biblioteca de Castilla-La Mancha now. I found something you rarely see in library reading rooms: performance art. Specifically, an exuberant (dare I say quixotic?) flash-mob style celebration of its 15th anniversary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCCMYDk7YmM

Libraries are full of art – and surprises.

November 7, 2013November 7, 2013

Mission Street Art: Clarion Alley

Clarion Alley San Francisco street art: woman

One of the things San Francisco’s Mission District is famous for is street art.

There are portraits painted on shop entryways, sketches on sidewalks, and whole alleyways covered in giant murals, like public open-air museums. Some murals have social messages, some are funny, some are abstract. They’re all fascinating.

I visited the mural-covered Balmy Alley in 2012, during the San Francisco portion of our Epic California Road Trip (that I keep alluding to and still hope to write all about one of these days). More recently, on my BlogHer Pro trip in October, I got to wander through Clarion Alley with two of my cousins. They got deep into a discussion, while I snapped the photos I’m sharing with you in this post.

Art in Clarion Alley and throughout the Mission is raw and colorful. It speaks a different language than art that hangs in air-conditioned buildings and says “Hey! I am in a frame, so adore me!” Instead of being enshrined, it must be discovered in the wild, searched out in the nooks and crannies of the city.

You have to keep your eyes open in the Mission. You might step on a statement or pass by a masterpiece.

Art is everywhere.