California Academy of Sciences

The first time I visited the California Academy of Sciences was at night. A and I wore ant masks (the theme of the night was insects) and had cans of beers and lost big time in the trivia contest that was held in the hall of taxidermy animals. It was fun to be there at night, wandering through the exhibits, trying to catch a glimpse of Claude, the famous albino alligator.

My most recent visit was a bit more conventional, and it was when I took these pictures. Throughout the year, the CAS opens its doors for free to residents of different districts of San Francisco. This is significant, as the cost of an adult ticket is about $35. My sister was visiting, so we trekked down to Golden Gate park, miraculously found parking, and made our way to the museum.

The Academy of the Sciences is great for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most exciting to me is the giant biosphere that dominates the western side of the museum. When I was a kid I dreamt of one day of owning an Ecosphere, which is a tiny self-contained ecosystem in a sealed glass bubble. Although obviously quite a different concept, the biosphere looks like an enormous Ecosphere housing a miniature rainforest. I was immediately thrilled when I saw it.

Inside the dome, a ramp spirals through the various levels of the rainforest ecosystem, complete with birds, plants, insects and even fish at its bottommost level. Once you reach the canopy, an elevator takes you to the underground aquarium level of the museum. After checking for hitchhiking butterflies, you are released to the moody depths of the underwater exhibits where you have an opportunity to look up through the water portion of the biosphere into the canopy above.

The museum also hosts a planetarium, penguin enclosure, dinosaur skeleton and models, a living roof, a gem exhibit, and a number of exhibits on conservationism. Other than the rainforest exhibit and Claude, I would say that I enjoy the aquariums the most. Underwater life is so brilliant and dramatic, and CAS does a great job of highlighting its beauty.