Vistas, galleries, salons, studios, and stages are illuminated after the sun sets.

Late-fall and winter are the darkest. Calm streets assuage the mind, unlike the city’s daytime commuters and churn.

Nights are cooler as average temperatures decrease.

These walks are sometimes meditative. The marine layer reflects the light of the built environment. Clouds remind me that the earth is an ecosystem, though it’s easy to soon again forget.

I occasionally duck past the bouncer into a dim venue or watering hole. The definitions of art are challenged on these forays. Small displays of creative expression are outbursts of insight, humor, anger, sadness, and joy.

Many artists question the conventions of our economy. Some work outside arts establishments but not necessarily under the stars. The concrete and steel forms are both an inspiration and a canvas.

A conceptual hint on a street corner or the nook of a dimly lit bar can pose as many questions as work in a museum or gallery.