Asian Art Museum

Lonely Planet review

Until some mad San Francisco inventor finally succeeds in inventing the combo time-machine-teleporter, the Asian remains the best way to cover 6000 years and thousands of miles of astounding terrain in a single afternoon. A trip through the galleries is a treasure-hunting expedition, from racy Rajasthan palace miniatures to Osamu Tezuka's legendary Japanese manga drawings of Astro Boy - just don't go bumping into those priceless Ming vases.

To give some idea of the virtuosity of the region, the Asian has amassed 15,000 prime examples of the region's ingenuity and artistry. If you think that's impressive, consider the diplomatic backbends curators have to do to put such a diverse collection into proper perspective. Where the UN falters, the Asian succeeds in bringing Taiwan, China and Tibet together, uniting Pakistan and India, and striking a harmonious balance among Japan, Korea and China. Granted, the Chinese collection takes up two wings and South Asia only one, but that healthy cultural competition has served to encourage donations of South Asian artifacts lately - mighty clever, those curators. Given the city's 150-year history as North America's gateway to Asia, the collection is also quintessentially San Franciscan, drawing on longstanding local ties and distinguished local collections.

The building itself is another feat of diplomacy. Italian architect Gae Aulenti's clever repurposing of the old San Francisco Main Library building left the much-beloved grand entryway and polished stone staircase intact, and created two new indoor plazas on either size for artist's demos and oversize sculpture installations. You begin your tour of the collection by taking single-file escalator up to the top floor. The curatorial concept was to follow the geographical path of Buddhism through Asia from the top floor down, beginning on the third floor with India, and then - wait, isn't that Iran, followed by the Sikh kingdoms, then Indonesia? By the time you've cruised past 3000-plus Zoroastrian artifacts and splendid Balinese shadow puppets, all theological quibbles will be gone, and frank astonishment will have set in.

As if the constantly rotating, globe-trekking collection weren't enough of a draw, the Asian's educational programs keep the pan-generational crowds coming. Hands-on workshops for kids and evening lectures with noted art historians are boons for parents and those on a date-night, and everyone shows up when there's food involved. The first Thursday of the month from 17:00 to 21:00 the hipsters are in charge with Matcha, the urban contemporary event series where DJs spin Japanese hip-hop, cartoonists give live demos and crafty types make Chinese paper lanterns to ward off hungry ghosts. Make a day of it with lunch at Café Asia , where sunny days mean bento (boxed meals) on the balcony terrace.