De Young Museum

Back in San Francisco! 

It was a little hard to leave the house today - with all the laundry and sleep I needed to catch up on from the trip (and from days prior!), but the first Tuesday of every month, museums around the city have free admission, and I have been meaning to check out the De Young Museum for quite some time. So, I headed to Golden Gate Park. I first check out the observatory tower, overlooking the park and the city beyond, before moving on to the exhibits.

View from the observatory - looking at the California Academy of Sciences
and the park that the Wedding Planner final wedding was to be held in!

I loved it.  The museum's current main attraction is "The Girl With The Pearl Earring," which unfortunately was not free (makes sense, but I didn't have time to do both anyways). Even without see that famous work of art, the De Young is a worthwhile stop. Such a nice building! I'm not a fan of the way it looks on the outside, but the inside gives a different vibe. Normally all museums feel the same, but each room in the De Young felt differently. They currently have "Objects of Belief from the Vatican" on display on the second floor, and the warm woods compliment the ancient tiki-like, wood pieces of art perfectly. Another moving sections was photography from Iraq - not of American soldiers - but of the lives of the people before the US came and during the first few years after we arrived. I highly recommend checking it out. The rest of the artwork ranged from paintings and sculptures, to glasswork and furniture. Truly, anyone could find a room they enjoy and spend hours looking over the pieces. See my favorite painting from today, below. 

        

My favorite painting. "The Sonata" 1889 by Irving Ramsey Wiles