I did my first assignment this weekend, it's sort of long:
Dear Heather,
Despite the crappy weather this weekend, George and I took a trip to the Legion of Honor to see the new exhibit, “Monet in Normandy.” Remember when we saw the Georgia O’Keefe exhibit there?
Around noon, we hopped on the N-Judah train outbound which goes mostly through residential neighborhoods. At 46th Avenue we transferred to the 18 Bus line. This route goes along the Great Highway for a short while, with Ocean Beach on the left and the edge of Golden Gate Park on the right. The entire beach looked like shades of gray to me, except for the whitewash. The bus wasn’t too crowded today. As you know, San Francisco is such a diverse city and you see all kinds of people on public transit. Today an older woman sitting next to me was speaking in Russian to a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt across from us.
We were dropped off right in front of the museum. Do you remember the walkway that goes through the archway to the bronze sculpture of Rodin’s “Thinker” as you near the entrance? It’s been so worthwhile becoming museum members, namely for quick entry! We went downstairs where there’s about five rooms adorned with Monet masterpieces. This exhibit includes many works loaned by renowned museums and private collectors here and abroad. There is a lovely display of his well known Water Lilies and garden in Giverny. There are paintings of coastlines, beaches, cliffs and oceans. Only very few of the paintings contain people in them. I particularly liked one near the Water Lilies, entitled “Wisteria”.
This exhibit just opened last week so you can imagine how crowded it was. We browsed through the rooms today and decided to come back another time during the week to take in the art more deeply. As you exit there is a gift shop with all Monet related items. Such as jigsaw puzzles, books, tote bags, compact umbrellas for a bargain of $30.00, among other items displaying Monet’s colorful scenes. I limited my purchase to only a few postcards. Then we made our way to the café. There was a long line so we went to the outdoor covered patio, which was more of a self-serve extension of the café. We bought coffee and luckily I brought granola bars, as a small vegetarian sandwich cost $9.00!
Each table had a cute terra-cotta pot containing flowering plants. Most had flowers in pinks, peach, or white. Ours had a plant with tiny magenta colored buds. The trees near us in square planters covered with rocks, had Christmas lights wrapped around their trunks, which I imagine look magical at night. It felt a little humid in there, though there were openings because little blackbirds flew in and salvaged crumbs from people’s lunches.
At a nearby table, the way this one man was buttering his bread, one small piece at a time, reminded me of the first time George and I were in Paris. We stayed at the quaint Hotel Dacia, in the Latin Quarter. Included with our stay was breakfast in an immaculate dining area in the basement. Each morning we had coffee and ate our croissants the same way, buttering and savoring each bite. Doors opening and shutting, clanking utensils and dishes, shoes clicking on the cement, and birds chirping, quickly interrupted my memory.
We finished our coffee and decided to leave. We waited for the bus while watching the fog waft by. This time we decided to transfer to the free shuttle that runs on the weekends instead of the N-Judah train. At the Great Highway, we got out and walked to the shuttle stop in front of the popular Beach Chalet restaurant. The ocean air was salty. Kites were flying and a lot of people were at the beach despite the gloomy weather. Just as the shuttle came I caught a whiff of a cigarette about fifteen feet away. (I know- ex-smokers are the worst complainers.) Riding through the park, we passed the ranch where the bison were huddled together, the boat pond with one lone sailboat, quite a few picnics, and birthday parties complete with a “Jumpy”. The shuttle is a great alternative since it’s free, but the fumes and bumpiness made me a little nauseous.
All in all, viewing Monet’s beautiful works was a good way to brighten a day otherwise lacking color.
