San Francisco's de Young x Museum Hack
Spending the Day at the de Young Museum
There's no better way to feel like an sophisticated adult then to spend a Saturday afternoon at the museum. The de Young Fine Arts Museum is one of San Francisco's oldest and most popular art destinations.
Our day began with a walk through the grand outdoor amphitheater in Golden Gate Park which lies adjacent to the museum. We then grabbed lunch inside the de Young cafe (try the beet salad, it's delicious!) and finally began our Museum Hack tour.
Quick tip, if you have time in your schedule take a few minutes to explore the observation deck on the top floor. You don't need your admission tickets and the panoramic city views are awesome!
Museum Hack
Visiting the de Young was always on my San Francisco "to do" list, so when Museum Hack offered to gives us tours we jumped at the chance. When I started looking into Museum Hack tours, I honestly had no idea what to expect. Many of us have been on traditional museum tours where the guide talks about art genres, brush strokes, artistic interpretation, etc. You can forget all of that "stuffy arty talk" on a Museum Hack tour. The website describes their tours as "not for your grandmother!" and "the strangest, wildest, sexiest stories hidden throughout the museum". On our tours we talked about sex scandals between rich society folk, secret gay affairs, family rivalries and even imitation vaginas (yes, you read that correctly!).
Because these tours are so awesome I went twice! Once on a date with the boyfriend and second time with fellow San Francisco blogger and bestie Zoha of Posh to Ganache. My first tour was with Casey and second with Kate, both ladies did an amazing job bringing fun and scandalous stories to life. Each tour was customized to the group so I got see different parts of the museum and hear new outrageous tales. As evidenced by the goofy pic of us recreating a scene from a painting, we had a great time!
Frank Stella: A Retrospective
One of my favorites parts from our visit to the de Young was the special exhibition of American painter Frank Stella. The colorful and graphic modern art was a stark contrast to the portrait paintings of historic elite society. Many of the prints are so large and visually stunning, it feels a bit like you're being hypnotized. The exhibition runs until February 26, 2017 so if you're in the San Francisco area I highly recommend it!
