California Academy of Sciences

Yesterday we finally made it to the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. It opened in September and after a dismal attempt to visit for for free on opening day (the lines were horrendous and they were turning people away), we went yesterday. The third Wednesday of each month is free for everyone, which saved us $50, which these days is not to be sniffed at! When we pulled up the line looked pretty awful, but James dropped me off with the girls, while he went to park the van, with Arran and by the time he was back in line with us, we were at the steps about to go in.

It's a pretty cool place with some great exhibits. We could wheel Asia's stroller right up to most of the displays, which she enjoyed. The aquarium on the lower level was fun, with walls of glass allowing for close-up inspection of all the fish. The penguin exhibit was great, with the penguins swimming right up to the glass and looking us in the eye...Bryttain would flinch a little as they swam just inches from her face, then grin each time as she realized they actually couldn't hurt her.

There was a play area for 0-5 year olds, which provided a great little break and breathing space from the crowds. It also allowed for Asia to practice her walking and fall, again, smashing into the corner of a toy ship, adding more bruises to her already overly bruised face, just minutes before falling and getting a nosebleed. This walking lark is not as easy as it's cracked up to be!

Unfortunately, with it being a free day it was a little crowded and the line for the rain forest dome was probably around an hour long, which wasn't going to work with three little ones, as well as the fact that all the passes for the Planetarium had been distributed earlier in the day. I guess that's what you get for being cheap! As it was, the children were all exhausted by the time we left and really could not have lasted any longer. Bryttain, carried by Daddy was asleep before he even made it back to the van, bless her and everyone else was falling apart.

Definitely worth a visit and great for all ages.