Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park
Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. To celebrate, we decided to visit the Masters of Venice art exhibit at the de Young Museum, ride our bikes, and enjoy a meal out. We parked by the Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park, a place where it is almost always easy to find a parking spot., and wended our way up to the de Young on John F. Kennedy Drive. There were several uphill stretches, and we did stop to rest a couple of times, but this is not a bad ride. Last time we rode to the de Young, we went up Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., which is much steeper. The air was cool, but it was sunny, clear, and pleasant, a gorgeous San Francisco day. We parked our bikes right in front of the De Young, where there are several bike racks. The exhibit was not particularly crowded, and we were able to read all the accompanying material easily. The murals of Venice that provided a backdrop for the exhibit made us want to pack up right away to visit this wonderful city.
After a good lunch in the museum cafeteria, we rode back on Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr., which is downhill all the way. Although there is not a bike lane on this road, we did not feel particularly threatened by the traffic. When we are not on bike paths now, we attach our blinking red lights to the back of bikes for safety. Of course, I realize that we should not let these make us feel overly secure.
Leaving Golden Gate Park, we drove around to the Palace of the Legion of Honor to visit the Pisarro’s People exhibit. The traffic is always so bad between our home and San Francisco now that we like to do as much as we can when we visit. At this second museum, since the parking was a challenge we had to make a long uphill trek. And this exhibit was so crowded that the visit was less pleasurable than the one earlier in the day. Nevertheless Pisarro’s paintings are a visual treat, and we were glad that we went. The views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the area around the Palace of the Legion of Honor are always spectacular unless some of the SF fog has drifted in.
A Distant View of the Golden Gate Bridge
