Neighborhood Days in the City - Free admission at the California Academy of Science

Every spring and fall, San Francisco residents enjoy free admission on designated weekends according to zip codes.  Our turn happened a few weeks ago. 

Mijo and I absolutely love the Academy so we try to go to these free events as much as we could.  Thank you, California Academy of Sciences for the free admission!

The line to the box office was long, as usual, when we got there. This has always been a popular place for both kids and adults. Proof of residency are required for residents of the designated zip codes to get the free admission.  

 

[read my blog on Neighborhood Days at the Academy in 2012]

As always, Mijo and I marched to the Planetarium's passes kiosk to secure the passes to either see the Fragile Planet or Habitat Earth. The passes are on a first come first serve basis. We were just on time for Fragile Earth playing at 12:45pm so we decided to go to that show. 

The Planetarium is an all-digital dome I've never felt so close to the celestial bodies before. This is like watching a science tv program on a 75 foot digital dome screen.

After the enjoyable science show, we headed to the San Francisco Shakes attraction. On the way, we saw this huge whale skeleton. That is one big whale!

   

They were also showing a comparison of different flightless birds and how they evolved separately when the super continent split into our present day continents.

    

There was a long line at the San Francisco Shakes attraction but it went fast. The attraction has two parts. One is inside a dome that looks like a planetarium. This is where we watched presentation and videos about origins of earthquakes and a close look at the San Francisco earthquakes of 1989 and 1906.

 

The second structure is a Victorian home that mimics the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

I grew up in Manila where I experienced earthquakes on several occasions. Nevertheless, the San Francisco Shakes attraction made me feel uneasy and terrified. Outside the attraction, there is an earthquake education on what to do during an earthquake and what to have to be prepared for the big one.

Next to the San Francisco Shakes attraction are these interactive digital kiosks showing the super continent and the timeline of the split of the land masses. This is awesome!

 

We got our pass for the next Planetarium show called Habitat Earth. We had to pass time.

A good way to pass time is to go inside the biosphere.

   

We love to go inside this man made tropical forest. Plants, butterflies and birds abound inside the sphere. The sights, smell, the temperature, and the sounds transported me to a lush tropical forest.

   

   

We also stopped at our favorite Steinhart Aquarium.

 

We saw the California Coast.

 

And the Philippine Coral reef.

  

For a coffee break and a chance to seat down for a bit, we headed to the Academy's Cafe.

   

 

Of course, a visit to the Academy is not complete without checking out the Living Roof. Mijo and I wondered how the drought is affecting the living roof? Since the plants here are native California plants, it is surviving the drought.

 

It was near sunset when we finally stepped out of the Academy.

 

Thank you Academy for letting us visit you for free!

~rl