California Academy of Sciences

Sunday, 5 October 2008

Chase woke up at a decent hour after a good night's sleep. We ate and played until Chris finally woke up at 9:30 am.

Today's plan was to drive to San Francisco to check out the new California Academy of Sciences museum that just opened last week at the Golden Gate Park.

Although we got to the city in an hour, it took us more than an hour to find parking. There was just so much going on at the park today. The garages were full, the streets were full, and the residential area was way too crowded. We just about gave up after an hour or so of driving around. (Thank goodness, we timed it well so Chase took his morning nap during the drive.) Finally, we ended up parking at a pay lot and walking into the park.

Of course by the time we got our tickets and made it inside, I was starving and in need of food. By the time we made it through that long line and ate, it was already 2 pm. So, we knew we had 3 hours to make our $25 admission worth our while. There were lines everywhere! It was like Disneyland. Lines for elevators, lines for exhibits, lines for the bathroom. That's what we get for going on a Sunday, close to opening week.

It was really cool though. The aquarium was very neat. Chase loved it. We didn't get to see any planetarium shows, and we missed the rainforest because the line was too long. But, the Living Roof was awesome. They tested 30 different native species for two years to see which would sustain without fertilization or irrigation. Now, those plants and flowers are growing on the roof, keeping the roof of this amazing structure cool and GREEN. We bought a souvenir magnet and took lots of pictures. There were over 6,000 people in attendance today, which was close to the grand opening day's count. Crazy. It's too bad we didn't have more time to see everything, but it was worth it.

We got back to Mountain View in time to pick up mom and Popo and head to the Chinese restaurant on Castro for dinner. Popo treated us to a banquet dinner with the family, which included a few of my aunts and uncles and a few of my cousins. My cousins took turns taking Chase to see the fish. They were amazed at how much rice Chase ate. My mom taught him how to play the drums with chopsticks on the table and his tea cup (great...). We all went back to Popo's and had dessert while watching Aunty Shelley and Uncle Keith's video of their recent trip to Europe. My great aunt Esther and great uncle Roger came over to visit Chase too, though he had to go to bed. Of course being the first great grandchild in the family, he's been getting more toys and treats from everyone.