There has been this interesting trend over the last year of museums that are popping up pretty much with the purpose of being photo-ops for Instagram.  It has inspired me to create the Museum of Modern Butts – aka MOMButts.  Until MOMButts comes to fruittion, there are two pop-up museums currently running in San Francisco: the Color Factory and the Museum of Ice Cream.  Last Friday I finally made it to the museum of ice cream in San Francisco, which means I can now do a comparison between the two  🙂

The Color Factory

The color factory has been open in San Francisco since August 7 this year, but the initial block of tickets were sold out before it was even on my radar.  I experienced the Color Factory in September.

Pros:

• Really cool exhibits
• Exhibits were interactive
• You can take really great photos there

Cons:

• Very short
• Did not have a lot of “extras”

Highlights

I really enjoyed the room where the instagram selfies were getting printed out.  It was cool to take a selfie, post it to instagram, and then get it printed out.  Also, there was a room with LEDs of alternating colors, got some great photos in that room. And of course, the ball pit was a blast!

Takeaway

The Color Factory feels like an art museum in some senses.  Every room is an exhibit that can stand alone, but it still maintains a flow.  From my perspective, it felt very much like a playground for adults.  Overall  it was fun, but I was left wanting more.

Museum of Ice Cream

Museum of Ice Cream is more established than the Color Factory, it has already made a few stops before getting to San Francisco.  Based on photos I have seen online, there are slight variations for city to city.  Tickets for Museum of Ice Cream were an equal challenge.

Pros:

• You get a lot of treats
• Some pretty interesting history

Cons:

• Long queues throughout the museum
• Less diversity for photo opportunities

Highlights

The experience started out with a whole It’s-It (Bay Area ice cream sandwich for those who are unfamiliar).  The ice cream in the unicorn room was also very tasty.  Got some great photos in the sprinkle pool, but my absolute highlight was the swings at the end.  I got a little over zealous on the last swing and dented one of the cans on the wall – Oops!

Takeaway

Museum of Ice Cream has more of a history museum vibe.  There are sets, but they are candy-themed. There is a candy/ice cream theme (obviously).  My big issue with Museum of Ice Cream was the long queues (particularly before the unicorn), and I did have a big group of kids who entered the museum around the same time as me.  But, I really shouldn’t have eaten beforehand – they are not stingy on treats!

Verdict

In my opinion, I think they were both about $5 too expensive. but I thought Museum of Ice Cream was a bigger bang for your buck.  I had fun at both, and I took better pictures at Color Factory, but Museum of Ice Cream was a lot of fun and a really great date night!  If you are only going to go to one, I would choose Museum of Ice Cream.

You can keep up to date on the ticket situation for Color Factory here and the Museum of Ice Cream here.

I, like many of my fellow millennials, am obsessed with coffee.  Luckily for me, San Francisco has a plethora of amazing cafes.  There is everything from Starbucks, to just cozy hole-in-the-walls.  In a world with so many choices, cafes need something to set them apart.  Quality is one such way a coffee shop can distinguish itself.  Great latte art is another.  I have been to many of the coffee shops in San Francisco (though not all of them… I’m working on it!) and I have compiled a list of the best latte art in San Francisco.  Read on to see which places made the list, and where to find them 🙂

5. Sightglass

This was a close call for me, whether to put down Sightglass or Ritual.  They are both pretty big names with multiple locations and a very similar overall latte experience.  In the end, Sightglass made the cut-off because the latte art at their hq in the SOMA is superior to the latte art at any Ritual location.  If you don’t count the hq, then the race is much closer and highly barista dependent.  I have visited many of the coffee shops in San Francisco (though not all… I’m working on it!) and I have compiled a list of the five best coffee shops for latte art.

Find it: 270 7th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

4. Flywheel

Putting Flywheel on the list was really difficult for me, because honestly I am not a huge fan of the coffee there.  It’s not undrinkable, but with so many options in a small radius, it’s hard for me to justify a trip to Flywheel.  With that said, a few of the baristas there are excellent and their latte art is undoubtedly superior to the other coffee houses in the neighborhood.  If I am going to get coffee at Flywheel, it is for the latte art.

Find it: 672 Stanyan St, San Francisco, CA 94117

3. Four Barrel Coffee

The latte art at Four Barrel depends on your barista, but the minimum bar is still set very high.  As an added bonus: the coffee is really good and the space Four Barrel occupies is unbeatable.  Not to mention, Four Barrel has the best location of any coffee shop on this list.  It is only a few blocks away from sunny Dolores Park.

Find it: 375 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

2. Saint Frank

I have nothing but good things to say about Saint Frank.  The quality of the coffee is great, the layout of the cafe is beautiful, and the baristas are really nice.  But what really sets Saint Frank apart from the crowd is the latte art, because the baristas at Saint Frank really treat it as an art.  The milk is steamed to exactly the perfect consistency to create incredibly crisp, detailed design.  The latte art is so good, in fact, it is actually a little upsetting that I cannot put it in the number one spot.

Find it: 2340 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

1. Home

Home is hands-down the place to go for latte art in San Francisco.  If you put latte art into a Yelp search, Home takes both the first and second position on the list.  The reason Home tops the list is obvious the minute you step into the cafe: the lattes are colorful and beautiful.  The birthday cake latte is a perennial favorite, but Home has a lot of delicious choices… as long as you come with a sweet tooth!

Find it: 1222 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122