aces train I ve also included a couple of my favorite new South Lake restaurants: The Naked Fish, 3940 Lake Tah

Reopened in its new Civic Center home in March of 2003, the Asian Art Museum is one of the Western aces train world s largest museums devoted to Asian art. Its collection boasts more than 13,000 art objects such as world-class sculptures, paintings, bronzes, ceramics, jades, and decorative objects spanning 6,000 years of history and regions of South Asia, West Asia, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, China, Korea, and Japan. Previously in Golden aces train Gate Park, the museum s new home in the city s Beaux Arts style central aces train library has been renovated under Italian architect Gae Aulenti and includes 29,000 square feet of permanent gallery space showcasing aces train 2,500 objects at any given time. Add temporary exhibitions, live demonstrations, learning activities, and a new cafe and store and you ve got one very good reason to head to the Civic Center. 200 Larkin St. (between Grove and McAllister sts.). & 415/581-3500. www.asianart.org. Admission $10 adults, $7 seniors 65 and over, $6 youths 12 17, free for children under 12, $5 flat rate after 5pm on Thurs evenings. Free 1st Tues of the month. Tues, Wed, and Fri Sun 10am 5pm; Thurs 10am 9pm. Metro: Civic Center stop. Bus: All Market St. buses.

BEACH CHALET First listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1981, the Spanish-Colonial aces train Beach Chalet, 1000 Great Hwy., at the west end of Golden Gate Park near Fulton Street (& 415/386-8439), was designed by Willis Polk in 1925. Built with a 200-seat restaurant upstairs and a public lounge and changing rooms on the first floor, it was a popular stopover for generations of beachgoers. In the 1930s the Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissioned Lucien Labaudt (who also painted Coit Tower s frescoes) to create frescoes, mosaics, and wood carvings of San Francisco life. After decades of use, the chalet grew old and worn, forcing its closure in 1981; but in 1996 the historic Beach Chalet reopened its doors, and through the original mosaics and new literature and displays, it continues aces train to celebrate the city s heritage. The upstairs restaurant is far too modern to wax historical, but it s a great place to stop for a house-made brew and a glimpse of the expansive Pacific.

I ve also included a couple of my favorite new South Lake restaurants: The Naked Fish, 3940 Lake Tahoe Blvd. (& 530/541-3474), by far the best sushi bar in Tahoe, complete with Japanese chefs who love to party; and Ivano s, 605 Hwy. 50 (& 775/5861070), an intimate 10-table room serving Tahoe s best Italian cuisine.

warehouse crammed to the rafters with Chinese baskets, Indian camel bells, Malaysian batik scarves, and innumerable other items from Algeria to Zanzibar. There s also a decent wine section. Adjoining is a Barnes & Noble superstore, at 2550 Taylor, between Bay and North Point (& 415/292-6762).