The day before Thanksgiving our family went to San Francisco to visit the Exploratorium. The family included our kids plus our grandson Leo, seven years old. This museum has been in existence for more than 40 years; it recently moved from The Palace of Fine Arts to a location on San Francisco Bay, Pier 15 on the Embarcadero. It was started in 1969 by Frank Oppenheimer, brother of J Robert of atomic bomb fame. The move to Pier 15 increased the size by 300% and added the exposure to the bay.
We parked across the street in the exact lot where we sold flowers for many years before that market moved to the Ferry Building. We were greeted by a curious sculpture which appeared to be monkeys hanging by one hand on a giant rotating structure. Each one was in a slightly different position than its neighbor, such that staring in one place produced motion like animation.
We paid our way in and were presented with bedlam as there were more kids than adults. Whether you are a local or visiting San Francisco, take a kid to this museum if possible. A vast space is filled with hands-on exhibits demonstrating all manner of scientific phenomena. Some are automated marvels and some are simple, such as the one I did with my daughter which by standing close face to face demonstrated one's own comfort zone.
There were two large dishes across from each other in one section, placed such that two people could talk to each other at a whisper although they were 50 feet apart.
While my grandson Leo was creating his own animation and his own pinball machine I saw a professional animation which was so cool I watched it 10 times. Low and behold I found it on YouTube:
We found a toilet/drinking fountain (not installed by GtP) and watched folks approach it. Kids had no problem with it but adults were skeptical.
There were many of these devices along the dock. Spinning the pedals creates a rope circle and passers-by run through the circle.
This buoy sends CO2 data to the observatory upstairs at the end of the building. When we went up there the display read 450 ppm, not good. We figure it's because of being in the city.
On the way to the observatory we discovered the biological section which was my favorite part. I saw a movie where a squid (not a vampire) giving birth to thousands of babies. I could have stayed for hours. But the sun was setting and they close at 5 so we climbed the stairs and snapped a photo of the skyline. The tent on the left contains a Camera Obscura which can be rotated to show a 360 degree projection of the whole city including two bridges. Leo just loved that device.
The end of a perfect day in a great city. I'd return in a heartbeat.
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