California Academy of Sciences

Lee and I spent the afternoon at the California Academy of Sciences.

I won free passes from WhereSF. I dragged Lee with me because the Snakes & Lizards exhibit ends this week, and we had no other free day after today.

I love going to the Cal Academy. I like it better this time because of the different snakes all around. My fascination for snakes has increased in the last few weeks. I think it has to do with the small python that my cousin owns and he's let me sort of play with it. I really really want to get over my fear of snakes.


Anyway, first thing I did was get passes for the next Planetarium show because I knew those run out fast. Then we visited the Rainforest exhibit. I knew it would be warm inside, but I forgot how warm. It got warmer and warmer the higher we went up.


Aren't these awesome considering I had a point-and-shoot?
The exit from Rainforest led right to the Steinhart Aquarium. First thing we saw was a huge anaconda and a big iguana in the same tank. Then there were even more snakes, lizards, and tons of little fishies on that level. Oh, and HUGE fishies.

My favorite fish is the Giant Sea Bass. He's 165 lbs of pure fishy. He's a big boy! He's MY big boy.

When Cal Academy was under renovation, all the animals were housed temporarily in downtown San Francisco. We used to go there a lot before they moved to their new home at Golden Gate Park. I used to spend a long time in front of the Giant Sea Bass' aquarium.

Now, everytime I come to visit, I always put my face up on the glass and start waving at the fish. The moment he sees me, he darts/swims from wherever he is in the tank and go right up on the glass too. Like he's saying "Hello!" He does that every time. I like to think that he remembers me.

Today, I spoke to one of the workers there, and she said he didn't really do that with anyone else. I asked if they remember people, and she told me to ask one of the "experts"... but they were too busy at the time, so I figured I'd ask next time.



Too bad I couldn't take pictures of some of the exhibits due to photo sensitivity of certain animals. After the aquarium, Lee wanted to get some snacks (I think it was because we passed the Academy Cafe while in line for the Rainforest) so we got some organic and expensive merienda (snack). We spent $21 for 2 pork buns, some spring rolls, and 1 can of soda. Robbery.

We ate fast and rushed to the Planetarium for our show. There was a long line outside, so I got in line until the lady behind me asked one of the workers about ticket holders. Apparently, all ticket holders were already inside and the line was for "standby's". They did run out of tickets, so I was glad I got them earlier. We skipped the line and went right inside.

Here are some tips if you want to see the Planetarium show:

Grab some tickets/passes as soon as you arrive at the Academy. The counter is located in the back, pass the big glass room and to the left. I believe you have a choice of the showtime depending on when you get there. They're free!

Plan to be there around 10 minutes before the start time.

Once inside, try to find seats as close to the top as possible. The exit doors are up there. After the show, everyone has to go up to exit, so you'll skip the crowd if you're already near the doors.

I've seen 3 different versions of the show in the last few years, but I didn't particularly like this one. I liked the previous 2 that were a bit more... informative? The last 2 were recorded narrations, with a live narration after. This one was all live narration, but it didn't feel complete somehow. I don't know, maybe that's just me, but I liked the previous shows better.

After the show, we checked out the Snakes & Lizards Exhibit on the second floor. I hated that I couldn't take pictures inside! Even more snakes and lizards, but the room was a bit small. There were too many people and kids inside, so we made our way around once and left.

Our last stop was the African Hall of the Natural History Museum. Lee didn't like the stuffed animals. He said we should've gone to the zoo instead. He's my little big boy! haha Oh, we did watch the penguins for a bit before deciding to head back home.

There was one painful lesson I learned today - AVOID DRIVING THROUGH GOLDEN GATE PARK ON A HOLIDAY WEEKEND!