Legion Of Honor, San Francisco

Albert Hitchcock fans will recognize the California Palace of the Legion of Honor—locals call it simply the Legion of Honor—for giving Jimmy Stewart a run for his money in ‘Vertigo,’ as the museum where the mysterious portrait of Carlottta Valdes lived. With its neoclassic beaux-arts facade and extraordinary cliff-side location overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge, the museum does justice to the state's WWI casualties for whom it was dedicated. (The structure is an exact replica of its Parisian namesake.) The sprawling museum houses an enviable collection of ancient and European art spanning 4,000 years. Along with an ever-changing rotation of stellar modern art exhibitions (O'Keefe, Picasso, Toulousse Lautrec, etc.), the museum is rich in permanent treasures, most notably Rodin's ‘Thinker,’ the star of the Legion's outdoor Court of Honor. That’s not all—more than 70 Rodin sculptures make their home here. Additional highlights include one of the largest collections of prints and drawings in the country, European tapestries and reproductions of room interiors from the Middle Ages on. Plan on spending a good couple of hours taking in the exhibits and then grab a bite at the lovely Legion Cafe. Free parking. Closed Mondays. The Legion is part of San Francisco's Free First Tuesday of the month program. (Admission tickets to the Legion include same-day general admission to the de Young Museum (special exhibition fees not included).

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