Northern California: An Explorer's Guide

This new guidebook, written by San Francisco resident, Michele Bigley, was just released on June 1. It's a great resource for travel in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and all of Northern California - from Big Sur to the Oregon border.

Here's what Michele had to say about Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel, "A wealth of knowledge, Rick takes folks on customized tours of the Bay Area, Wine Country, Central Coast, Mendocino, and even the Sierra Foothills. You tell him what you want and he'll create the ideal trip. He knows more about wine and food than most."

Many thanks to Michelle for the nice review. If you're planning a trip to San Francisco, you can pick up "Northern California: An Explorer's Guide" at most good bookstores.

If you'd like to take a tour with a guide who "possesses a wealth of knowledge," please phone me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me at Rick@BlueHeronTours.com.

Cantor Arts Center

I've always enjoyed the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. This small museum has art from around the world and various periods of time. This weekend I was drawn to see two new exhibits: Rodin! The Complete Collection and Timbuktu to Cape Town.

Last month, the museum reopened its remodeled Rodin galleries and is now displaying its entire collection of sculptures in bronze, plaster, ceramic, tile, and wax - about 200 works. The outdoor sculpture garden is home to an additional 20 works, plus the Burghers of Calais are on the Main Quad. The Cantor Arts Center has the largest collection outside of Paris of works in bronze by Rodin. Most of the pieces were given to the museum by Iris and Gerald Cantor, who were great collectors of Rodin and commissioned castings of some of Rodin's works. For me, this exhibition alone makes a visit to the Cantor Arts Center worthwhile. Rodin! The Complete Collection is ongoing, with no planned end date.

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the museum's reopening after repairing the damage done by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Cantor Center is highlighting works acquired since 1999. Timbuktu to Cape Town collects the African art obtained during the past decade. While the small exhibit has some interesting works, it is not worth visiting the Cantor solely to see these works. However, combined with the Cantor's regular gallery of African art, you can see a pretty good small collection. Timbuktu to Cape Town runs through March 22.

The Cantor Center is also home to a nice place for lunch: Cool Cafe. You can get tasty sandwiches and salads and dine inside or on the outdoor terrace. Prices are a little high but, since the the museum is free, it's worth paying a little extra for lunch.

The Cantor Arts Center is open Wednesday and Friday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. On Thursday, the museum is open from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Cool Cafe has the same hours.

If you would like to take a private tour that includes a visit to the Cantor Arts Center and the Stanford campus, please contact Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or by clicking here.

Andy Goldsworthy in San Francisco

Environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy frequently makes works that are ephemoral; that disappear with time. However, San Francisco is home to two permanent installations.

The first work, Drawn Stone, was commissioned by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in 2003 for the entry to the new de Young Museum. Installed in 2005, the work features a continuous crack that represents the meeting of the North American and Pacific Plates near San Francisco. This faultline is what ruptured in 1906 resulting in the Great Earthquake and Fire. Nearby are large stone slabs where visitors can sit to contemplate the installation.

The second work, Spire, was installed in the Presidio last year. The work is a tower comprised of 35 cypress trees that were removed as part of the replanting of the Presidio's historic forest. Spire is located near the Arguello Gate and the Inspiration Point Overlook. A special exhibit on Goldsworthy's work at the Presidio is located at 49 Moraga Avenue (next to the Officers' Club). Goldsworthy at the Presidio is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. through May 3.

There is yet another Goldsworthy piece on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto. Stone River was completed in 2001 and is located southeast of the Cantor Art Center, near the corner of Museum Way and Lomita Drive. The flowing wall is made with stones from buildings that were destroyed in the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes and is the largest sculpture on the campus.

If you would like to take a private tour of San Francisco and/or Palo Alto that includes these works by Andy Goldsworthy, please phone me at (866) 326-8237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.