Doris long wing butterflies flying, striped dart frogs hopping, and saplings surrounding us, we made our way through the rainforest exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences, an architectural feat nestled between the trees in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
Kate Pickering and I began our journey to the highly acclaimed museum by hitching a ride from Kate’s father to the commuter bus stop on Albany Hill. There we caught the 8:26 am Transbay bus, which took us across the Bay Bridge to the bus terminal right off Market Street for just $2. From there we took the N Judah Muni to a few blocks above Golden Gate Park. Once off Muni, we moseyed over to the museum, past hippie hill and the grassy green lawn bowling club facilities, and onto a secluded dirt road through the trees, bringing us directly to the entrance of the Academy.
We went on the third Wednesday of the month—free day. Fortunately there was no line at the entrance as we had anticipated there to be. We began our visit by exploring the aquarium, filled with fish of the Northern California coast. We then viewed the Amazon Flooded forest, the swamp, and the Philippine coral reef, stopping by the discovery tide pool along the way. Stroking the sea stars was great, and we also enjoyed viewing the array of fish, yet we were a little disappointed by the proportions of fish to tanks. One tank, not much larger than a handicap bathroom stall, held a huge, very bored-looking fish. The general aquarium space was definitely nowhere near anything like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is understandable, but was a bit of a let down considering the positive feedback I had heard from many people.
Next we made our way up to the main floor, to the rainforest. As we stood in line to enter the secure dome, we observed the climate change exhibit found to the right of us. “We’ll visit that one next,” we agreed.
“Check yourself for hitch hiking butterflies” was the message playing through a speaker system as we entered the rainforest. Walking through the first set of doors into a small security room, I felt like I was entering my father’s high-security lab. When the green light came on, an attendant opened the second set of doors and allowed us to enter the rainforest.
A spiraling staircase circled the outer edge of the dome, and each level of the dome represented a different rainforest; Madagascar, Costa Rica, and the Amazon. The middle of the dome was composed of a pond area with fish swimming around and birds hovering above. Plants surrounded the area, but were very limited to this defined area. As we observed the species visible, and read the information boards, we noted how huge the space was, and how much it lacked, especially in terms of plant life.
We exited the rainforest and observed some of the other smaller exhibits, including a sustainability wall and an area about Madagascar.
It was interesting to learn that the Malagasy people of Madagascar rely so wholly on the Baobab trees, which grow on the island. These trees are called “giving trees” as they provide medicine, seeds and cooking oils, and can be used to make rope and wood products to build homes. With the increased logging going on worldwide, the Malagasy people and the animals of the region have been struggling to survive. The global issue related to a depletion of resources was a theme reflected many times throughout the museum.
The rooftop garden of the museum was neat, as we got a view of the two domes from the outside, with the plethora of native plants covering them. The information about the sustainability of the “green roof” was informative and gave me an inclination to take over my parents’ roof and turn it into a sort of garden.
While we learned quite a bit from the exhibits in the Academy of Sciences, both Kate and I were a little disappointed. Since I was little I have been visiting the Academy, running wildly through the exhibits of animals, earth quake simulations, and cool photos. In support of the museum, I raced several times in the Academy’s annual Run to the Far Side, which then became Run Wild. Reading the numerous reviews of the renovated masterpiece, I had gotten the idea that it was the new best museum since the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the De Young. It did not impress me to that extent.
Overall, there was a very commercially based atmosphere felt as I roamed the museum. There is a restaurant and a café housed in the Academy of Sciences, boasting organic, multicultural cuisines. While I value local, varied, organic food, I do not think that almost half the museum should be allotted to consumption. When looking down from the second floor at the layout of the museum, it is shocking how much space is being used for the café. This is especially upsetting considering the downsized exhibits and animal homes. Not only are there food venues, but there is also a gift shop, so that just in case you hadn’t blown all your money on lunch, you could buy some furry sea creatures and eco-pencils with penguins on them.
Of all the things to see at the museum, the African Hall was my favorite. It is most reminiscent to the old Academy, as the stuffed animals are still the same, and the murals have been recreated perfectly. In this hall, the outer wall is historical, as it is the only preserved wall left in the entire structure. Although the architecture of the entire building is very clean and minimal, modernist style, not to mention sustainable and unique, the building should not be the center of attention, instead it should be an unobtrusive backdrop to house all the science inside it.
