Tag Archives: Golden Gate Park

Move Over E-Harmony, CAS Gets Sexy and Single

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For the upper echelons of San Francisco social life, intelligence is sexy.  That’s why Nightlife at the California Academy of Sciences is the hottest new singles and date spot in the city.  You get to mingle, sip cocktails, dance to the best beats in the city, and enjoy the academy exhibits without the chaos of daytime school groups.  For the 21 and over crowd, it’s a real treat to have the place to yourselves and for once- and not tCASrip over strollers.

Featuring a four-story living rainforest, penguins, a floor-to-ceiling coral exhibit, and just about every other fascinating natural phenomenon, The California Academy of Sciences is the perfect setting for your social event ($60 for private VIP if you prefer), a great conversation starter for first dates, or just a great way to get out on the town without the crowded, dark bar scene.

Be sure to get to the Nightlife event early for the best experience and the least amount of wait times.  Unless you had dinner prior to coming to the Academy, tapas-style plates are available, that is – if you can pull yourself away from how bizarre it is to watch a glowing jellyfish while drinking a cosmo.

Controversial De Young Museum Shines

Unless you’re a local who knows its history, visitors who pass by the De Young Museum might think an abstract spaceship had crash-landed into Golden Gate Park. Providing San Franciscans with a never-ending debate over aesthetics, the building is intended to unify modern art and architecture with the natural landscape.  Meant to oxidize and turn pale green the way the Statue of Liberty has done, the museum’s copper mesh exterior will eventually blend in with the surrounding eucalyptus trees.

image_1_32Before you even enter the De Young Museum, explore over five acres of native landscaping, in which you can wanarden, koi ponds, waterfalls, and the Andy Goldsworthy “Faultline” installation in the courtyard.

Like any great museum, the De Young features an impressive permanent collection: Ancient Teotihuacan stone murals from Mexico, the finest collection of American paintings, African and Oceanic art, and The Anderson Graphics Art Collection.  Great exhibitions have included Yves Saint Laurent, Andy Warhol, Chihuly, and most recently King Tutankhamun.  You can also explore the 144 ft. observation tower that provides views of the park, the new California Academy of Sciences building across the lawn, the Golden Gate Bridge, and downtown.

Whether you love the building and what it contains, or hate its aesthetics, the architects and curators have obviously done their jobs – eliciting reactions.