Palace of the Finest

Sometimes activities that enrich the soul become forgotten amidst the hustle of everyday life. The other day I had some time to kill to finally go to the Palace of Fine Arts, which, for a very long time, have been a bucket list of mine to visit since watching Down to You, starring Julia Stiles and Freddie Prinze Jr. The beautiful structure was briefly featured in one of the scenes which I never forgot, perhaps because I was bent set on being an architect in the past. But this was beautiful. A surviving piece of art from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition celebrating the works of art in the era.

Now, it is somewhat a place used for photo enthusiasts, prom-ers, graduates, and weddings. Which on its own right, is also a work of art. To have reach some sort of milestone, is a person's work of art, a story painted in achievements. Nevertheless, standing at the center of the rotunda, looking up at its intricate detail minimizes the burdens that one may have on that day. The view is breathtaking and dare I say, thought-taking,

I managed to take a picture at the center without tourists, my body, physical existence completely consumed by the expansive architecture.

Then fast forward to present day and my sister and I traverse the gridiron streets of Mission District in San Francisco. After walking for quite some time we turned right and I was confronted with an explosion of vibrant colors portraying the injustices that lay rampant in our current politics. Street art, contemporary art--- Political art is not new, Picassos' Guernica is political art, illustrating the darkness of war and moments of hope within that darkness. Clarion Alley is a gem and warrants a visit every time I go to the area as the art that can viewed on the rugged side walls changes. Though the actual art is ephemeral in this alley way of canvases, the message in the art is resistant to time.