Guide to the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM)

Tours

The CJM offers virtual and in-person tours that include: self-guided exhibition tours, school tours (FREE for K–12), and private tours ($100 up to 25 people). 

🎧 TIP: If you are an auditory learner like myself, the CJM’s self-guided audio tours will really heighten your exhibition experience, particularly if you are seeing the show alone.

Parking

The CJM does not have its own parking facility, but the museum does have a partnership with parking app, Spot Hero, which will allow you to select and pay for your parking in advance.  

You may also want to consider the following nearby parking garages: 

• 5th and Mission Parking Garage (833 Mission Street | map | 6 min walk) is a very busy, large parking structure. Rate is $5 per hour.
• Hearst Parking Center (45 Third Street | map | 3 min walk) is a smaller, quieter parking garage. Hourly rate varies. Average $12–$24 per visit. 🚘 TIP: This garage works very well if you also plan of visiting the Palace Hotel/Pied Piper bar (one of my nearby faves below)!!  

• The SFMOMA parking garage (147 Minna Street | map | 6 min walk) is another smaller, quieter parking garage. 🙌 TIP: If you plan on going to BOTH THE CJM AND SFMOMA, THEY OFFER A 10% DISCOUNT TO NON-SFMOMA MEMBERS, and a 25% DISCOUNT TO SFMOMA MEMBERS FOR THE FIRST 3.5 HOURS (W/VALIDATION). Rates are $4 per 30 minutes/$26 up to 10 hours.

Public Transportation

Taking public transportation to the CJM is very convenient via Muni (SF bus), BART (Bay Area subway), and Bay Area bus services (AC Transit Transbay, Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans). Both the subway and the San Francisco bus systems operate through the Powell and Montgomery Street stations, which are very close to the museum: Powell St. Station (899 Market Street | map | 5 min walk) and Montgomery St. Station (598 Market Streeet | map | 5 min walk). I recommend using Google Maps for public transportation options and directions.

🚍 TIP: I typically take the AC Transit Transbay bus to the Salesforce Transit Center, and walk to the CJM from there (425 Mission Street | map | 12 min walk).

Accessibility

The CJM is a 2-level museum with elevators and fully accessible bathrooms with baby changing tables and step stools on each floor. 

You can store small items at the self-service cubbies next to the ticketing desk. These are open to all visitors, so it’s advised not to leave anything valuable here. Strollers and baby carriers are allowed in the museum, and can be stored here as well.

Gallery stools, wheelchairs, noise-cancelling headphones, and FM assistive listening devices can be checked-out free-of-charge on a first-come-first serve basis at the ticketing desk.

Braille is located on room signage and elevators and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is available for the CJM’s public programs and private tours (notify the museum at least 2 weeks prior to your visit).

Accessible parking can be arranged with the Jessie Street garage.

Service animals and guide dogs are welcome. Relief area for animals is the grassy area in front of the museum.

For more information on the CJM’s accessibility resources, visit: https://www.thecjm.org/accessibility_information.

Visiting with Children

The CJM is a terrific family outing destination, as the museum usually hosts their main exhibition alongside a much smaller one, which works well with the attention span of children. The museum also has a cool Zim Zoom Family Room, which is named for tzimtzum, a Jewish term used to explain how contraction creates conceptual space where the finite and infinite coexist.

🍴 TIP: Hungry and fussy kids (and parents) can grab a quick and delicious meal or snack at one of the eateries located across the street at Yerba Buena Gardens, where the kids can explore the park and its really cool fountains.

👶 FYI: Strollers and baby carriers are allowed in the galleries and can be stored at the ticket desk as well. Breastfeeding is welcome at the CJM, and changing tables and step stools for children are located in the museum’s public restrooms on the first and second floors.

Contemporary Jewish Museum Store

The CJM has a wonderful selection of items in their physical (behind the ticket desk) and online store—all of which make fabulous gifts—ranging from menorahs, kiddush cups, books, exhibition catalogs, home decor, jewelry and more. ALL CJM MEMBERS RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT on their purchases. 

Event Rentals

The CJM’s brick-and-steel-beam details are a chic backdrop for any corporate or private event. The museum offers 6 event rental spaces, including the Richard and Rhonda Goldman Hall, their most versatile space at 3,500 square feet, which also functions as a theater. 

Public Spaces

The CJM sits atop Jessie Square, a public plaza named for the building’s first incarnation as the Jessie Street power substation. The 35,000 square foot outdoor public space, built by Handel Architects and Cliff Lowe Associates, is open 24-hours and includes a low terraced fountain, several benches, live grass (dogs allowed), ginkgo trees, and an underground parking garage (Jessie Square Garage). The plaza connects the CJM with St. Patrick Church, and the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, the SOMA Hyatt, and the future site of The Mexican Museum.
Jessie Square is on Native Ohlone land, which the CJM acknowledges on their website. Oche Wat Te Ou (Reflections), located across the street at Yerba Buena Gardens, is a tribute to the Ohlone burial site. It was created by artists Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and James Luna in 1993.

A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS MORE THINGS TO DO NEAR the Contemporary Jewish Museum

Whether you want to see more art, grab a meal, get drinks, or just chill and relax, there are several activity options located within a few blocks of the CJM.

SEE MORE ART Near the Contemporary Jewish Museum

There’s no shortage of options if seeing more art is what your heart desires as SFMOMA, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), Berggruen Gallery, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), and Yerba Buena Gardens public artworks, are all within less than a 10-minute walk from the CJM.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art | 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Explore the art of our time.

Museum of the African Diaspora | 685 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105

Contemporary Art Museum

Berggruen Gallery | 10 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94105

Berggruen Gallery specializes in the exhibition and sale of 20th-century American and European paintings, drawings, sculpture, and limited edition prints.

YBCA | 701 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Gardens' Public Artworks | Yerba Buena (Gardens) | 750 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The Yerba Buena Gardens public arts program has created a FREE self-guided tour that is downloadable to your phone. Download the Engage ARt app for the FREE Audio Walking Tour HERE.

🦋 FREE: YBCA (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | 701 Mission Street | map | 3 min walk) usually has an exhibition featuring local artists that is often FREE ADMISSION. There also are quite a few public artworks on display at Yerba Buena Gardens (750 Howard Street | map | 2 min walk), including the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial fountain, Revelation, a powerful work by sculptor Houston Conwill, poet Estella Conwill Majoza (great interview with her in the link), and architect Joseph DePace. The Yerba Buena Gardens public arts program has created a FREE self-guided tour that is downloadable to your phone, which is linked above. 

ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS Near the Contemporary Jewish Museum

More activities for kids within a couple blocks of the CJM include: Yerba Buena Gardens, Yerba Buena Gardens Children’s Creativity Museum and the LeRoy King Carousel, the Yerba Buena Children’s Garden playground, and the Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center.

🌳TIP: I really enjoy just chilling out and having a bite to eat in Yerba Buena Gardens, where you can either sit on the benches, grass, or on the Metreon’s Dining Terrace (tables and chairs available seasonally). For kids, I would recommend grabbing takeout from one of inexpensive restaurants in the Metreon (the steps from Yerba Buena Gardens lead right into the food court). The park hosts FREE LIVE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES on many weekends of the year, which is really FANTASTIC in the spring and summer. Such great vibes!!

Yerba Buena Gardens | At the Cultural Heart of San Francisco | 750 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Located in the cultural heart of San Francisco, Yerba Buena Gardens is the perfect place to play, dine, shop or just relax.

Children’s Creativity Museum | 221 Fourth Street San Francisco, CA 94103

The Children’s Creativity Museum is a San Francisco children’s museum that offers hands-on arts & technology experiences for ages 2-12.

LeRoy King Carousel | Children’s Creativity Museum | 221 Fourth Street San Francisco, CA 94103

The Carousel is open Saturday and Sunday. The historic Looff carousel at the Children’s Creativity Museum – renamed in 2014 in honor of San Francisco Redevelopment Commissioner and civil rights advocate LeRoy King - is the crown jewel of Yerba Buena Gardens. It transports children (and children-at-h…

A children’s playground like no other in downtown SF | Yerba Buena Gardens | 750 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103

For SF visitors and residents looking for a children’s playground to let the rascals burn off some energy, Yerba Buena Children’s Garden will deliver all the smiles and fun your kids are looking for.

Yerba Buena Ice Skating & Bowling Center Public Skating | 750 Folsom Street San Francisco, CA 94107

We have Public Skating just about every day of the year. Please see our schedule below for each specific day. You can purchase tickets online to speed up your entry process, the service fee is waived for these purchases, so the price is the same in person or online. Ice skate and locker rentals a…

NEARBY FOOD/DRINK to the Contemporary Jewish Museum

🖤 My FAVORITE thing to do after seeing a show at the CJM is a late lunch/early dinner, THEN COCKTAILS. The following are GREAT establishments (my faves coincidently happen to be in hotels) within a few minutes’ walk from the CJM.

Delarosa | All-Day, Roman-Style Pizzerias in California | 37 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco, CA 94103

Delarosa is an all-day gathering place serving rustic Italian dishes, eclectic beers & craft cocktails in SF’s Marina, a second location in SF’s FiDi, and now open in Bishop Ranch, San Ramon, CA. Beloved for its Roman-style pizza, small plates, craft beer, Italian and Californian wines, and delicious craft cocktails, Delarosa and its interpretation of the classic and unpretentious beer and pizza pairing has made a mark on many locals’ and visitors’ must-visit lists.

Dining at Metreon | *Metreon has many great casual dining options. | 135 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Visit Metreon, a four-story vertical shopping and entertainment center, located in the heart of downtown San Francisco, CA. Shop with us today!

Oren’s Hummus | *Check out their AMAZING HAPPY HOUR Mon–Thurs 3 p.m.–5 p.m. | 71 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Our pita and hummus are prepared fresh numerous times throughout the day. We serve Angus beef, all natural chicken and 100% organic eggs, and we source most of our produce from local family farms.

Dining at SFMOMA | Grace | *Check out their FABULOUS HAPPY HOUR Thurs–Mon 3 p.m.–5 p.m. | 151 3rd St Ground Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103

Grace, SFMOMA's public street-level restaurant, is an upscale establishment named after Grace McCann Morley, the museum's visionary founder. Reflecting her belief in art for all, Grace offers a welcoming space for the community to enjoy French American fare, drinks, and art in a casual indoor/outdoor setting on Floor 1.

*A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s Pick

The Pied Piper (2 New Montgomery Street | map | 7 min walk) bar and restaurant at the historical Palace Hotel, is where Maxfield Parrish’s painting, the Pied Piper of Hamlin hangs over the bar. If you enjoy old, grand hotels of a bygone era like myself, then you will most certainly LOVE the Beaux-Arts splendor of the Palace Hotel. Their sky-lit Garden Court Restaurant, is known for their high tea service (Sat only) and the GC Lounge (seating right in front of the Garden Court) is another option for light apps and wine (Tues.–Thur. 4:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m.). 🍸TIP: Go for the cocktails and ambiance. Good for dates, photo ops, drinks with friends, business travelers. If driving, we recommend parking in the Hearst Parking Center (45 Third Street | map | 2 min walk from the Pied Piper & | map | 4 min walk from CJM).  

*A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s Pick

The Cavalier (360 Jessie Street | map | 7 min walk) is a London-inspired brasserie designed by Ken Fulk, in the Hotel Zetta. Taxidermy, darkened plaid, warm candlelight—such wonderful provocative details—very much English hunting lodge meets patinaed Bright Young Things vibes. Here, I prefer the casual dining area opposite the bar. If you want extra however, Marianne’s, named for Marianne Faithfall, is a private bar located in the restauarnt. 🍔 TIP: Get the Cavalier Salad, the “Marlowe” Burger, and your cocktail of choice.*CHECK OUT THEIR FANTASTIC HAPPY HOURS: Mon–Sat 4–6 p.m.; Fri & Sat 9–10 p.m. Includes $10 Cocktails & Apps under $20! Good for dates, drinks with friends, business travelers, when you want a “good restaurant burger”, general people watching.

*A LOVE LETTER TO ART'S PICK | The Cavalier | Modern British Restaurant | 360 Jessie Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 San Francisco, CA

The Cavalier is a British-themed brasserie offering gastropub bites & colonial cocktails in clubby digs. Located in San Francisco, CA. *CHECK OUT THEIR FANTASTIC HAPPY HOURS: Mon–Sat 4–6 p.m.; Fri & Sat 9–10 p.m. Includes $10 Cocktails & Apps under $20! The MARLOWE BURGER is a SF classic.

💌 We hope this guide to the Contemporary Jewish Museum helps you plan a great day experiencing art and other fun activities in San Francisco. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).

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