On my personal goals for 2009 is to visit 12 different museums. I visited the new California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on May 16. It was an amazing experience. Since it was a new space, I though a review from the point of view of a fat middle-aged mildly enochlophobic/claustrophobic museum loving atheist would make for a perfect post.
I’ll start with parking. It’s underground. Need I say more? I drove down what I describe as a French tunnel. If’ you’ve ever driven the rabbit warren of tunnels underneath Paris, you know what I mean. A long tunnel connects from the street to a parking structure directly under the entryway of the museum. The parking lot is large, well lit, and because we were early, empty. For the trivial fee of $15, I parked for the entire duration of my visit.
We bought tickets at the ridiculous price of $24.95 per adult, and $19.95 per teen. For our party of four adults and one teen, we paid nearly $130. This is steep for a museum visit. In fact, it is about $100 more than I’ve paid to visit any other museum.
The California Academy of Sciences is new. You feel it when you walk in through the large plate glass doors. The space feels fresh and relevant. The energy is real. You can feel the excitement generated by the staff and eager visitors. I was happy and disoriented at the same time. It felt like my head was on a 360 degree swivel. I was trying to take everything in while not wanting to miss a thing.
We headed straight for the Morrison Planetarium to secure tickets for the first screening of Fragile Planet. As we waited for tickets, we gazed down into the Steinhart Aquarium’s Philippine Coral Reef exhibit. It is a stunning top down view of tropical fish that reminded me of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There is something peaceful about watching fish. I love it. The day was off to a good start.
We had an hour to kill before the first showing of Fragile Planet so we visited the four-story Rainforest exhibit. We knew something special was about to happen as we watched a giant fish leapt from the water and eat a beautiful blue butterfly. It was one of those moments where people point and yell. A “real nature” moment as my son referred to it.
The museum staff regulates the flow of people into the Rainforest exhibit so that the it does not become too crowed. We waited five minutes for our turn. Later in the day, people would wait an hour or more. When our party entered, my misery started. You don’t realize it at first, but the rainforest is hot and humid just like the real thing. Plus, you are in a glass cage with heat lamps near the top of the exhibit. To say I freaked out would be a little to harsh, but the little voice inside my head which threatens my sanity in situations like this kept yelling for me to get out of there. I fought the urge to run.
I know I’m stressed when I stop taking pictures even when presented with unparalleled beauty. The Rainforest exhibit is amazing. I saw things that I never though possible in a natural history museum; but I hated every moment of it. The worst moment came near the top when I realized the only exit was a crowded elevator. Near the top the heat increases to a point where it felts oppressive. I was sweating through my clothing and starting to worry about my health. I felt like I was in a sauna with no way out. And the people… it would have been much worse if it were crowded.
As it was, waiting in line for the elevator ride down took forever, yet in reality it was only a few minutes. But then, entering a hot crowded elevator seemed like some ghoulish last attempt to make me freak out. I closed my eyes and missed the best part of the exhibit, the wow moment when you see the backside of the aquarium.
I enjoyed the Morrison Planetarium's presentation of Fragile Planet. I was a sweaty mess sitting in my seat. The cool air conditioning helped to cool me off. The smell of the shoes from the people behind me was annoying. I felt sorry for the lady below me who had her head between my feet. I’m sure she skipped lunch.
My wife gets motion sickness under some conditions. She closed her eyes 10 seconds in. I developed a queasy stomach after a few minutes but found the discomfort well worth the experience. Fragile Planet paints a picture of of the vastness of our universe in a way I’ve never experienced before. I found it refreshing.
After the Planetarium we entered the pits of hell known as the Steinhart Aquarium. Whoever designed the walkways did not take into account crowds. The walkways are narrow, do not flow well, and often dead end. There is no logical flow to the exhibits. It was maddening. And here I must admit, I freaked out. After 20 minutes of trying to see the exhibits, I found myself pressed into corner by a few dozen people. It did not matter that the exhibits were amazing. Nor did it matter that I love fish. I needed to get out and I did. 
I sat on the only bench I could find in front of the albino alligator exhibit. It took another 20 minutes for my head to return to normal. I watched freshwater turtles and alligator gar swim in a beautiful open aquarium. It was nice and peaceful.
The rest of the exhibits are natural history oriented. I enjoyed walking the various exhibits but found the display dedicated to Galapagos Finches particularly enjoyable. The natural history exhibits cater to children with interactive games that tech key environmental concepts and touchable exhibits spread throughout.
In general, the museum is worth a visit. It is unique enough to warrant a special trip. The rainforest is beautiful in way that is hard to describe with words. The focus of a mix of kid friendly exhibits and adult oriented displays make the visit enjoyable for everyone. I left a sweaty tired mess, but I had blast in the process. My last word… the admission price is too high.
