a beautiful mind

It’s funny how my first time ever at the SFMOMA was their last day before the big remodeling project which will take over the next 2.5 years of the museum’s life.

Even though I received complimentary tickets a while ago to attend the SFMOMA along with access to The Clock exhibit, I somehow unfortunately had to go on the last day - silly me, that was a terrible mistake. The museum gave free access to everyone for the last four days prior to closing down, what was known as “The Countdown Celebration.” And you know what free means - that means EVERYONE would be attending.

And everyone did attend. My goodness, I thought I was the early one showing up at 8 AM and trying to get in line for The Clock… But no, boy was I wrong. Although I knew that The Clock was a 24-hour exhibit (meaning the video was played for 24 hours straight and therefore people were allowed to view the exhibit anytime within those 24 hours), I didn’t think people actually would go at three or four in the morning. It turns out that by the time I reached the front of the line for The Clock, the people who were walking out of the exhibit room were those who showed up around four in the morning….

So, there I waited for about three hours in line, simply doing nothing but converse with my neighbors and observing the looks of those who were about to enter the line and then realizing how long the actual wait was. Many people were not as determined and immediately walked away as soon as they were told that “the wait time about is three hours.” As for me, honestly, I don’t even know how I was able to withstand the long hours of standing and pure patience - either I had a very determined mindset upon entering the museum or I simply wanted to view this 24-hour video very badly.

Three hours and a pair of aching feet later, I arrived inside the showroom which was very similar to the theater room from Hearst Castle, except that the wooden benches were replaced by many “KARLSTAD” Ikea sofas. It was a first come, first serve type of seating, meaning the usher would simply assign you to a random seat once a previous viewer has finished watching, regardless of the number of people in your group. I suppose it was a little awkward to be sitting between people whom you don’t know, but hey, my feet were desperate for some rest.

The video itself was quite interesting. It took three years for Christian Marclay to produce this piece, and I can clearly understand why. The video, like I mentioned before, is a 24-hour video comprised of clips from movies, ranging from classic to contemporary. Within each clip shows a timer/clock/watch which mimics the actual time in reality as the viewers are watching the video. For example, there was a clip from Titanic when Jack was betting his life away during a game of poker. The scene shows a pocket watch, with the time matching exactly the time in reality. Marclay was able to sort through hundreds and thousands of movies, finding a time scene in every one of them and incorporating it together to produce a masterpiece of time, almost one for every minute or two. That’s simply amazing and requires a lot of research, time (ha ha, the irony), and determination.

Aside from The Clock exhibit, the museum had quite a lot of interesting pieces of work. One such piece was simple a string of light bulbs which were laid on the floor and then hung up to the ceiling of the museum. There was also an eye-catching painting which consisted of simple colored stripes next to one another, almost in a rainbow-like fashion. Somehow, that painting was very intriguing. Throughout the museum there were figures and busts. I have to say though, the photography section isn’t the best, in my opinion.

Westfield was the next destination, with reason partially being due to the fact that it was within walking distance from the SFMOMA. Upon some deliberation, going to Pier 39 just for lunch at Chowders was not reasonable due to the waste of time and a waste of parking fee money. With my agenda carefully planned on my iPhone Notes app (I seriously took the time to look up all of my desired destinations and noted down addresses, hours, and phone numbers), I had lots to cover on a Sunday in San Francisco. So, it was decided that lunch would simply be at the food court in Westfield, specifically four cheese pizza at a joint which I’ve forgotten the name of… Regardless, it was rather delicious, as it was my first time eating a pizza which incorporated blue cheese.

With my taste buds dying for something sweet (and by that I specifically mean green milk tea, of course!), my next stop was Wonderful Foods Co. in the Sunset District. To be honest, it took me forever to decide on a place to have my daily dose of green milk tea, but after reading reviews on Yelp, I decided that this was the best place to go. I have to say, it was a complete turnaround from Purple Kow and their mediocre - if not below mediocre - green milk tea. Wonderful Foods’ green milk tea was delightful and well-balanced. This place definitely will be on my go-to list if I’m ever in the area again.

Within a mile or two was the mosaic stairway - how perfect did I plan this again?? It is nestled in a very adorable and quiet neighborhood consisted of cozy, cute homes. From the bottom, the view of the stairway was spectacular, with mosaic pieces cemented to the vertical panels of the staircase, producing images of swirls spiraling up the stairway. Due to the wind and increasingly colder temperature change, I did not want to take the time to walk up 163 steps of stairs, although I’m sure the view of the city would be amazing from the top. Regardless, it was a beautiful sight.

There was another destination planned but it would have been ideal if it was visited during a sunnier and warmer day - I shall keep that place undisclosed for now. (=

I really would like to visit the SFMOMA again in 2.5 years to see its new renovations and exhibits.

Until next time…