OCTOBER 16, 2011.  Slept in, way in, today. Weren’t really sure what to do so we did some research about what museums we had yet to explore. Decided on the Contemporary Jewish Museum which had a very nice Houdini exhibit and the last day of an exhibit called Charlotte Salomon: Life? or Theatre? which is a huge body of work created by a young woman shortly before she died at Auschwitz. We were hungry for a snack and found an amazing place called Samovar Tea Lounge where we had tea and a delicious brownie. After that treat we wandered around the Yerba Buena Gardens, including the Martin Luther King Memorial. Then we found the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts galleries which was free today as the entire Yerba Buena site was hosting a Family Day which included live entertainment and free admission to many of the galleries in the area. The YBCA had just opened an amazing show called The Matter Within: New Contemporary Art of India. My favourite among the wonderful artists represented was Nikhil Chopra. I’ve included his website with the links below. That led us to dinner time so we stopped at a Sushi place not far from the hotel called Sudachi. Yum! Tomorrow is our last full day and we have a full day planned.

http://www.thecjm.org/

http://samovarlife.com/lounges/yerba-buena-gardens/

http://www.ybca.org/

http://www.nikhilchopra.net/home/

http://sudachisushisf.com/

The Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco.

A partial view of the interior of Samovar Tea Lounge.

Our delicious snack at Samovar.

A section of the Martin Luther King Memorial which is an absolutely gorgeous water garden work of art.

There were several of these panels with different MLK quotes engraved on them in English and one other language.

The Yerba Buena Center for Arts.

Looking down on The Matter Within.

A lovely courtyard and pond inside the Yerba Buena Centre for Arts.

This is what we found as we exited the YBCA; so beautiful.

OCTOBER 13, 2011.  Bus adventure! Walked over to Japantown and found the coolest small sort of mall called New People with an amazing coffee shop, four amazing shops an art gallery and a cinema. Had a small breakfast and then checked out the shops. Then we navigated the bus system to arrive at Golden Gate Park and spent the rest of the day at the de Young Museum of Fine Art. Had an amazing lunch at their cafe. As the evening came in we wandered over the the Haight and found a store that sold only socks! Ate yummy yummy Thai food at a place called Ploy II. An all around fabulous day!

http://www.newpeopleworld.com/

http://deyoung.famsf.org/

http://www.ployii.com/

Awesome coffee shop at New People.

The New People Shop.

The entrance at the de Young features sculptures by one of our favourites, Andy Goldsworthy.

Beautiful galleries full of amazing art at the de Young.

Cool perforated copper wall.

Our lunch at the de Young: delicious Gazpacho with smashed avocado and fresh chips.

One of the views of the city from the observation tower at the de Young.

A lovely pond just outside the de Young.

OCTOBER 7, 2011.  The wonder of this city continues to delight. Today we headed straight to the Museum of Contemporary Craft. There were three very interesting exhibits running, (see the link below) plus an extra show of pacific northwest bike builders brought together to design new and innovative bikes for commuting. On the same block there are at least half a dozen art galleries of various disciplines including a couple dedicated to photography. At the corner we ate lunch at Chez Joly, delightful. The afternoon was spent at the Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden. I’ll dedicate at least one post to that! Back to the hotel in time to catch the last few minutes of the Wine and Cheese and it was off to  the Living Room Theatre where they serve you dinner while you watch a film!

http://museumofcontemporarycraft.org/

http://www.chezjoly.com/

http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/

http://pdx.livingroomtheaters.com/

Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 NW Davis Street, Portland

Chez Joly French Bistro, corner of Broadway and Davis, Portland.

The Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden in Portland's Chinatown.

OCTOBER 6, 2011.  What an amazing day! We ate breakfast at the hotel today, as it’s included, then headed out toward the Portland Art Museum. It was also the Portland monthly art event called First Thursday this evening. Had a fabulous dinner at a place in The Pearl called Piazza Italia which was super delicious, a small piece of Italy. And to top it all off, witnessed a slice of democracy as 5000+ took to the street for Occupy Portland. Below are a few photos and links to enjoy:

http://www.piazzaportland.com/

http://topics.oregonlive.com/tag/occupy%20portland/index.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/10/occupy_portland_march_leads_to.html

We had just come out of the Museum when we saw the Occupy Portland Protest going by. You can just see the crowd in the background. Estimated at approximately 5000 people.

Portland has a lot of public art and some very lovely architecture, old and new.

The beautiful Portland Art Museum. Spent almost all day there.

Found this sign that I liked. Portland is a very alternate-transportation-friendly city.

The famous block of food trucks. It all looked so yummy!

OCTOBER 4, 2011.  Today we walked. And walked. Had a lovely breakfast at Lola. GJ’s meal was incredible: tomato goat chefs scramble with the most incredible garlic smashed potatoes (like a roasted whole potato that’s been hit with a hammer). Then we walked through town, popped into a couple shops and ended up at the Frye Art Museum. They had a wonderful exhibit running: Gabriel van Max: Betailed Cousins and Phantasms. Spent a few hours there and then found an amazing Ethiopian place at 110 12th Avenue called Saba. Had a delicious early dinner of the large vegetarian platter which we were barely able to finish. Walked home through rush hour which was fun to watch. Nice to see so many people using the transit system. Rested our tummies for a bit then went back out two blocks for Molly Moon Ice Cream! Food-filled day! (with great art!)

http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=lola

http://sabacuisine.com/

http://www.mollymoonicecream.com/

www.fryemuseum.org

The beautiful Frye Art Museum, Seattle WA.

So good Ethiopian food.

Oh no! Three scoops! Theo chocolate, salted caramel and blackberry.