Museums

Across the street from UC Hastings is the Asian Art Museum. Admission is free the first Sunday of every month; the museum’s cafe is also a nice alternative for lunch.

• The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a 15-20 minute walk downtown; admission is free on first Tuesdays (and half-price on Thursday evenings). The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco comprise two buildings in Golden Gate Park.
• The deYoung Museum has a tower with a commanding view of the City (free admission) as well as a variety of collections and temporary exhibitions.
• The Legion of Honor Museum, on the western end of the City, has ancient and European art in an exquisite Beaux-Arts building in a setting overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Admission to these museums is also free on first Tuesdays.

Other Museums: San Francisco has two amazing science museums, and they are not just for scientists!

• The Exploratorium, officially a museum of science, art, and human perception, takes a unique hands-on, experiential approach to explaining our universe. Admission is free on first Wednesdays.
• The California Academy of Sciences has a new building which opened in September 2008. The building itself, with its 2 acre green roof and focus on sustainability, is worth a visit. It is in Golden Gate Park, across from the deYoung Museum. Admission is free on third Wednesdays (and for residents of various San Francisco zip codes on selected weekends during the year).

Many, many other museums: for starters, check out the Cartoon Art Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Cable Car Museum, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Wells Fargo History Museum, San Francisco Botanical Garden at the Strybing Arboretum, the Museum of the City of San Francisco.