Thursday, April 29, 2010

Palace of Fine Arts


My favorite place in the city to visit (besides the beaches) is the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District. I remember seeing it for the first time with my sister-in-law and my two nephews and niece. We were taking them to the Exploratorium which is inside an adjoining building set behind the landscape. The kids absolutely loved the intricate hands on displays found in the science center, but I could not keep my mind off of the gorgeous view outside.


The Palace of Fine Arts was constructed in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition, but has since been refurbished in the 60's to protect from earthquakes and basic deterioration. There is a constant stream of wildlife that have made it their home. Beautiful geese, ducks, and turtles (my favorite) are usually swimming in the reflecting pond.



I absolutely love the Greek and Roman architecture. It is the perfect romantic setting and not heavily populated which can be rare for the city. "So I Married An Axe Murderer" and "The Rock" both were filmed here along with several other movies. I try to take people here whenever they come to visit, as I did with Maren, Jason, and Janelle. I hope they liked it! I just can't get over how beautiful it is. Maybe someday we'll be lucky enough to live in one of the million dollar mansions across the street...probably not! :)

3 comments:

  1. Just wish the interior area had been open when we were there…ah well, it was still a beautiful building. Thanks for taking us.

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  2. I remember this place. :o) I would like to go again sometime when it is not raining and I could take more pictures... because it is a very pretty place.

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  3. Jason, I'm glad you liked it! I was going to post the 70's pic you took of me, but then thought otherwise :)
    Tracy, you do need to come again! The rain was a stinker that weekend you came, but it did create some cute picks with umbrellas :)

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