Kristi Yamaguchi may be calling Los Angeles home during her stint on this season’s “Dancing with the Stars” (and judging by the way she busts a move she’ll likely be there for a while), but the Olympic gold medal–winning figure skater’s heart will forever remain in her childhood home of San Francisco. The city by the bay is where Yamaguchi, her hockey star husband Bret Hedican and their two young daughters live part of the year. (They spend the hockey season at their sprawling mansion in Raleigh, North Carolina—-home of Hedican’s Carolina Hurricanes.)
San Francisco is also where you can catch a glimpse of the former Olympian on ice. Each year from late November through the end of January the legendary skater appears (from time to time) at the Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink. The outdoor ice rink is located in the center of Justin Herman Plaza, in between the Embarcadero Shopping Center, the Ferry Plaza and the Bay. You aren’t guaranteed a personalized lesson from Yamaguchi while there (you might not even see her at all), but you will get the opportunity to mingle with an eclectic mix of parents with children, stragglers from the nearby farmers’ market, tourists, and local residents taking a noontime spin on the ice.
Since Yamaguchi’s parents and other family members still live in the San Francisco area it’s not unusual to find the shy skater attending popular seasonal events during the holiday season. One such attraction is the San Francisco Ballet’s Nutcracker. The renowned ballet troupe holds the distinction of being the first American company to perform the full-length Nutcracker in the United States in 1944. Each year the world-class dancers participate in the traditional holiday spectacular, which draws thousands to the War Memorial Opera House during the month of December.
Finally, according to Yamaguchi’s bio, she and her family frequently visit San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art. Its awe-inspiring ode to Modernism draws architecture buffs and art lovers from around the world. You might not run into Yamaguchi during your visit but you will no doubt be consoled by the museums permanent collection, which includes works by Robert Rauschenberg, René Magritte and Piet Mondrian; and major photographic works by Alfred Stieglitz, Ansel Adams, and Edward Weston. The museum is also home to “Matisse and Beyond: The Painting and Sculpture Collection.” The ongoing exhibit showcases works from the first 60 years of the 20th century, beginning with Fauvism and Cubism and concluding with Pop Art and Minimalism.
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