"If you are going to San Francisco be sure to… …visit the Picard Museum (important African Trade and Venetian glass beads) in Carmel -two hours by private car. How much time will you have? Regarding when to go, weather wise, I would avoid the Northern states in winter and the Southern states in summer.
Do you wish to focus on something in particular? If you do not have appointments for privately viewing museum collections, I would go to NYC, visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. And would try to time my visit around a major Antique Show such as the Armory Antique's Show.
If you are going to San Francisco, be sure to call me…
Hooray! What good news!
Grand Canyon
Zion, Escalante and Grand Staircase, Capital Reef, Bryce Canyon national parks (fewer crowds in May or October)
Seattle Art Museum at Volunteer Park
pretty much anywhere in Alaska is an adventure - rather like Tibet?
I would also love to meet you there for lunch! Please keep us posted. This is wonderful news!
If you're coming to San Francisco, I too would be happy to meet for lunch on a weekend. I work Monday-Friday and getting away for lunch is difficult.
If you'd like an inexpensive place to stay and book well in advance, I suggest a private room at the hostel in Fort Mason. It's run by Hostelling International. Great views of the bay in a good neighborhood. In San Francisco, I recommend walking, biking or riding a restored vintage cable car (F line) along The Embarcadero, the Exploratorium, the San Francisco Maritime Museum and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park's historic ships (if you're interested in ships), Coit Tower, Off the Grid for Friday night dinner at Lower Fort Mason, Fort Point and Crissy Field in the Presidio, walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, and Muir Woods (north of San Francisco). I would avoid Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Chinatown's Grant Street is tourist-oriented; but you might find Stockton Street in Chinatown interesting. The Palace of the Legion of Honor (in Golden Gate Park) and the de Young are the two major art museums, but they are not as amazing as the Art Institute of Chicago and East Coast museums.
LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles) is very good.
Do let us know if you have any other sightseeing interests.
I think Spring, before schools end for the summer, and fall, after schools start are the best times to visit; fewer crowds. In San Francisco, winter is the rainy season and rains can start in early October and last through March or April.
We meet there at their cafe for our quarterly bead lunches, (local long time bead freaks.) Sometimes after meetings in a private meeting room at the SF Public Library, just down the street.
Well...If you plan on coming way up north like Seattle. Let me know ahead of tim. I can find you GR8 lodging at fair rates along light rail.
Our house is too small for guest but I'd love to help you not get ripped of by some travel agent or something. (not to upset members who are agents)
Anyhow...think about it....The more you can save, the more you can do.
Anyway....Just trying to help
Thanks for all your kindness and suggestions.
I would like to go to Metropolitan museum, SF Asian art museum and Rubin museum as far as I know now. My interests are chinese art (especially on stone and jade carving ) and Tibetan or buddism art.
I also would like to visit some universities like University ofPennsylvania (if possible) where a famous chinese architect used to study and got inspired by the 4 stone horse reliefs from the Tang emperor's tomb in shannxi province.And I also like to see these horses.
finally I want to visit some second hand book store or market for interesing books or documents of or about china.
well these seem enough for an aged man.
Hope to meet you some day and it would be great experience.
THANKS again for all your informations and kind help.
R.M.
In case they may be of interest:
Joss houses in Weaverville, Oroville, Mendocino, Marysville and Hanford, CA:
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=hanford+joss+house&=
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=457
Chew Kee Store, Fiddletown, CA: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS460US460&q=chew+kee+store
