Another fun thing that Christi did one day while Eric was at work was to go to the California Academy of Sciences and Japanese Tea Garden, both located in Golden Gate Park (the park is located close to the northwest tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge). Christi and her friend Kim took public transit from the ballpark over to the park, enjoying the pretty views along the way. San Francisco is visually an attractive city.

The California Academy of Sciences is actually several museums all rolled into one facility. The ticket to get in was $30, which is pretty expensive for a museum, but once inside, she saw why it was so much. There is a lot to do there, and a lot of staff on hand to answer questions and offer help.

Upon arrival, Christi and Kim made a beeline for the world’s largest all digital Planetarium to catch the show “Life: A Cosmic Story” narrated by Jodie Foster. It was a surprisingly interesting history of the universe, illustrating how microbiology and astronomy are inter-connected in the great scale of the universe. (In a weird coincidence, the night before, Christi watched the movie “Contact” for the first time. “Contact” stars Jodie Foster, who played an astronomer who found life on another galaxy.)

In the middle of the museum building is a 90 foot diameter (27.5 meter) glass dome that houses a tropical forest. A walkway circles the interior of the dome, climbing higher and higher, allowing people to look at the various plants and animals along the way. We didn’t see many animals at the bottom, but near the top we saw a couple birds and a few butterflies.

Kim loved it. Christi though the concept was cool, but Continue reading →