Day in San Fran

Last weekend, after a yummy French toast breakfast for fortification, we drove to Oakland's Jack London Square and parked our car.  There, we got on the FERRY to San Francisco.

Hanging out inside.  Inside a BOAT!

Looking out at the stern of the boat, watching the big container ships in the harbor.

Discussing why boats, ships, and ferries have a wake.

Close-up.

After getting off at the Ferry Building, we walked the few block to San Francisco's Exploratorium.  My god, the museum is incredible.  Its mission is "to change the way the world learns," and I was blown away by how it did that.  I'll give you the run-down of its topics, all divided into larger sections:

- Arts
- Astronomy & Space Exploration
- Chemistry
- Color
- Earth, Ocean, & Atmosphere
- Electricity and Magnetism
- Energy
- Engineering and Tinkering
- Food & Cooking
- Geology
- Heat and Temperature
- Human Anatomy
- Language & Speech
- Life Science
- Light & Seeing
- Mathematics
- Mind Motion & Matter
- Navigation
- Optical Illusions
- Sound & Listening
- Sport Science
- Time
- Water
- Waves (Resonance)

The exhibits that stand out to me are the life science section which had microscopes trained on live chicken embryos, projected on a wall so you could see it up close.  The pile of sand which became a sand storm when you pressed a button.  The booth which looked black but at the end of the countdown, flashed bright white and then your shadow was superimposed on the wall.  The huge bowl of soap and shapes where you can make your own bubble.  Putting on headphones and closing my eyes and listening to a blind man walk me through a BART (SF subway) station using only sound.  Turning a globe filled with water to make waves.  Magnets galore.  I could go on.  The point is: this was learning at its finest.  It put the Cincinnati Children's Museum to shame.  (And I've always loved that museum.) 

Figuring out where to put the slinky so it will walk down the treadmill and not fall off, while talking about gravity and forces of motion.

Looking in a huge mirror that turned everyone upside down.

Moving hands over a screen to explore the different colors of light, as seen through shadow.

This was amazing; this guy Scott spent 40 years building a model of SF out of toothpicks.  It was also a ball run, as Ari is demonstrating.

Wearing his special ball run-Golden Gate bridge hat.

Visual proof that I was there too.  Connor was so chill, he had his feet up half the time he was in his stroller!

Xander was the perfect age for the museum; we don't have many pictures of him, or the museum as a whole, because he wouldn't stand still and we kept chasing him from one exhibit to the next.  His eyes were wide and his mouth agape all day.  There was one brief moment of panic when Ari was briefly lost - I thought he was with Jonathan, and Jonathan thought I had taken him with me and X to the bathroom - but all was well in the end with no lasting trauma (I think).

After the museum closed, we went to a burger joint on the wharf.  And then (oops), I had read the ferry schedule wrong, so we had to wait til the 8:20pm ferry to go home.  The kids were so wired, I'm glad we didn't have many meltdowns.

Making each other laugh on the ferry ride home.  I love this shot.

X being silly.

Connor was asleep literally before we pulled out of the parking structure.  Those 3 turns to get out of the subterranean level did him in. :)  The other boys followed thereafter, and then Jonathan and I tried to keep each other awake for the ride home.  It was hard to get up the next morning, I tell you, but man it was worth it!