San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

In May 2016, the SFMOMA, founded in 1935, reopened its doors in San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood following a $300 million renovation and massive expansion. Permanent collections include some of the most important European and American artists of the 20th and 21st centuries (from Derain, Braque and Brancusi to Pollock, Rauschenberg and Rothko), and there are equally worthy rotating exhibitions. The museum is particularly renowned for its pioneering and world-class collection of photographs, including Man Ray, Moholy-Nagy, Alfred Stieglitz, Dorothea Lange and other luminaries. Have a coffee or drink at Cafe 5, located in the museum’s fifth-floor Sculpture Garden. Go early in the morning to avoid long lines or pre-book tickets online (the museum is also open late on Thursdays).