bcla
On our rugged Eastern foothills.....
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2012
Ooh how was the new Exploratorium? I haven't been yet!
Really big. Seemed like a warehouse, which most of the old piers really are. Lots of exposed ceiling space, although it wasn't as high as the old Palace of Fine Arts building (I have been to the old Exploratorium in years). Seems a lot more polished than I remember the old Exploratorium, which had the appearance of a work in progress, which it perpetually was. The nicest thing were the sofas and chairs almost everywhere. Sometimes I just sat down and watched my kid play. There was also a line of rocking chairs.
I was able to apply my admission to a membership. My kid is under 5, so I got the one adult and one guest membership - for $95. I figure I can usually make my wife the "guest" and maybe take other people there from out of town. The single admission prices seem really high though. $25 for adults and $19 for kids/seniors. There's the Bay Area discount if you live in one of the nine Bay Area counties - $20 for adults and $15 for kids/seniors. They're also going to have some free days starting this fall.
There isn't that much to eat around there. They've got the two overpriced restaurants on site. Other than that, most of the options are going to be starting at the Ferry Building or around Fishermans Wharf. The only other place nearby is the TCHO Chocolates factory and cafe on Pier 17. They don't really have much to eat other than chocolate, but they have coffee and also coffee/chocolate mixed drinks. I think the coffee they serve is from Blue Bottle. Their drip coffee was individually ground and then prepared in a single cone.
I think admission can be included in the San Francisco CityPASS. It's either the Exploratorium or the de Young Museum + Palace of the Legion of Honor.
As for the Exploratorium, my kid is going to want to go back over and over.