ART MUSEUM’S VIEW IS THE REAL LOOKER
Why: Many people don’t know about the De Young Museum’s upstairs viewing space, nine stories above the ground. Or that it’s free. Its glass walls give you a 360-degree view of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, beginning with the wavy green roof of the California Academy of Sciences. What: The museum’s modern history dates to 2005 and the unveiling of its industrial-sleek building and tower. Its art is worth your attention — Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, Mary Cassatt, Diego Rivera, Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, Jacob Lawrence, Edward Hopper, Mark Rothko and Richard Diebenkorn are all here. Pay them respects, if you’re inclined. Then catch the elevator to the 2,600-square-foot tower. Info: De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco; (415) 750-3600, deyoung.famsf.org. The observation tower is free; museum admission is $15 for adults. Closed Mondays. — Christopher Reynolds