San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Credit: Iwan Baan
After three years, SFMOMA is finally reopen—and it’s three times bigger than before
While conversation in SF these days can too often turn to the city’s sky-high rents and the pros and cons of the tech giants on their doorstep, right now things are a little more cultured. After a three-year hiatus, the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (151 Third St.,
www.sfmoma.org) reopened in mid-May, having undergone quite the renovation. A new, US$305 million, 10-story extension by Norwegian architects Snøhetta almost triples the display area to 175,000 sq feet, turning it into the country’s biggest modern art gallery (its display space is 40-percent larger than New York’s MoMA). Reception has been mixed, with many questioning the wisdom of modeling the huge facade at the rear of the building after the city’s infamous fog (The Guardian called it ”a gigantic meringue with a hint of Ikea”). But there’s no denying the scale, with 19 exhibitions in the opening season alone and a huge donation (technically a 100-year loan) of 1,000-something pieces of art from the Fisher family, founders of The Gap, including dozens of pieces by icons like Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Cy Twombly and Roy Lichtenstein. But there’s much more to it than just famous pop art, with, to give just a few examples, prominence for work by Ai Weiwei, a Bauhaus-inspired installation from Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes and vast, currently empty wall-space by the main staircase awaiting work by Julie Mehretu, an Ethiopian-born, New York-based artist. Whatever you make of it all, SFMOMA is the place everyone is talking about right now. It’s open daily from 10am-5pm, with late-night Thursdays till 9pm. Entry is US$25 (B889).
Cadence
Thanks to Twitter, some of the best dining in town is in Mid-Market
There’s been a glut of restaurant openings in the City by the Bay over the last year—more than at any point in the last 15-20 years according to a recent piece in
San Francisco Magazine—and the inevitable crash is probably not too far off. For now however, many of the current hot spots are all within a short walk of one another in the Mid-Market district—and it’s all (kind of) thanks to Twitter. In 2011, in an effort to stop tech firms jumping ship to Silicon Valley, the city began offering tax breaks to businesses that remained or set up in the then down-at-heel Mid-Market and Tenderloin, with those above a certain size committing to community benefit programs. Twitter, who’d been most vocal about potentially leaving town, chose to stay, with Spotify and others following suit. Despite question marks over whether the scheme has been a net benefit to the city, the result has been the rapid gentrification of previously dilapidated blocks, with new restaurants in abundance. Newcomer
Cadence (1446 Market St.,
www.cadencesf.com) is connected by a hallway to sister spot, Mr Tipple’s Recording Studio, a cocktail bar/jazz club hybrid that itself only opened at the end of last year. But whereas the latter is dark and moody, Cadence is all about ‘30s glam, with a two-sided tasting menu (meat on one, vegetarian on the other). Nearby
Cala (149 Fell St.,
www.calarestaurant.com), which opened in September, focuses exclusively on seafood (think Santa Cruz abalone, trout tostada and Marin miyagi oysters), courtesy of Mexican star chef Gabriela Cámara—and there’s even a lunchtime tacos stand in the back. Also new on the block is
The Perennial (59 Ninth St.,
www.theperennialsf.com), an upscale bistro from the folks behind the infamous, inventive Mission Street Food. Here they’re championing progressive farming through “eco-friendly comfort food,” such as morels with sprouted wheatberries, and trying to make the entire operation, “the most environmental ever.”
The Perennial. Credit: Helynn Ospina
The outer ‘burbs are on the up
Outer Sunset, which abuts the windswept Ocean Beach out West, isn’t somewhere most tourists venture. But thanks to cheap(er) rents, this primarily residential (and often foggy) ’burb is becoming increasingly popular, with the surf-bum-poets not yet forced out by all the new money.
Outerlands (4001 Judah St., outerlandssf.com), a socially-conscious, rustic eatery offers the best brunch for miles. The name might hark back to a time when no one in their right mind would venture out this far but be warned: these days you can queue for hours. If you’d rather not wait—quite so long—try the cultish cinnamon toast at
Trouble Coffee & Coconut Club (4033 Judah St.) right next door or go browse the cool handmade wares at
General Store (4035 Judah St.,
www.visitgeneralstore.com). A little further away, the huge Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company (1735 Noriega St., sunsetbeersf.com), which opened up at the end of 2014, serving five of its own beers alongside an eclectic pub-grub menu, is the latest venture from the owners of the hugely popular
Devil’s Teeth Baking Company (3876 Noriega St.,
www.devilsteethbakingcompany.com) down near the beach. Ocean Beach itself is notoriously windswept—it’s a challenging surf spot—but it’s a great place to get away from the city. And as Outer Sunset historically housed many of the city’s Asian immigrants, you can even finish up with a taste of home at
Polly Ann Ice Cream (3138 Noriega St.,
is.gd/pollyannicecream), which has been serving up sesame, lychee and durian flavors for more than half a century.
Essentials
How to get there
There is no direct flight from Bangkok to San Francisco. But Delta Airlines might be the best option by price: from B33,705 with stops at Tokyo and Los Angeles. China Airlines is the best option for layovers as it stops only in Taipei, at B38,020, with a 17-18-hour flight.
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
Where to stay
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco (757 Market St.,
www.fourseasons.com) is right in the heart of town, near Union Square and next door to SFMOMA and the rest of the Yerba Buena Arts District. With 277 rooms spread across 12 floors of a 42-story building, it’s a fancy spot that makes a great base for exploring: cable cars, street cars and the BART are all right outside the door. Dining is at MKT, a classy, wood-panelled space harking back to the early days of newspaper printing in the city, with a locally-focused menu and stylish adjacent bar. The on-site Equinox Sports Club is one of the city’s largest fitness centers, and access to the facilities, including a basketball court, boxing ring and indoor pool is complimentary to hotel guests. Rooms start from USD445 ($610).
Visas
Thais need a visa to visit the US, which costs B5,760. See details at
goo.gl/tFf4NA.
