Between running through the city fog and hopping off the cable cars in San Francisco, we recently had the chance to stop by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and see the restored space—a $610 million expansion led by Snøhetta that re-opened last May. While admiring the new addition, we explored the museum’s many hidden gems, and of course, perused its inspiring collections.

Any early morning riser knows the importance of coffee, and at SFMOMA, we were in good hands. On the second floor, Sightglass Coffee—a trendy San Fran coffee establishment in SoMA—has a coffee bar where guests of the museum can indulge in their favorite beverages, and even partake in a photo booth session, too. Curled around the corner of the barista counter is “Self Composed”—an interesting play on a photo booth where only after you set something down on the fogged table in front of you can you take a proper photo. Whatever object you choose to set down on the table, the entirety of that object will be the only part that is visible for your photo to shine through, so choose your objects wisely!

Next, we took in the Living Wall, located outside on the third floor’s Pat and Bill Wilson Sculpture Terrace. It is the largest “living wall” in the United States, comprised of over 19,000 plants and 21 native species—offering an enchanting escape into nature on any afternoon.

Back inside, we caught sight of a large apple core titled Geometric Apple Core (1991) by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, as well as their Inverted Collar and Tie—Third Version (1993). We were pleased to see Sol LeWitt’s cheerful Wall Drawing 895: Loopy Doopy (white and blue) (1999), Andy Warhol’s Triple Elvises, and Tony Cragg’s three raw material spirals made of wood, rubber, concrete, metal, stone, and plastic in Guglie (1987), and many of Roy Lichtenstein’s work, too. Before we knew it, it was time to go, and there was no better way to depart than through the 40-foot swirls of Richard Serra’s gargantuan 214-ton Sequence (2006) structure—the first piece of art that was installed in the new building, anchoring the museum’s Howard Street Gallery.

west coast

A Postcard From SFMOMA