I’ve long argued you can’t really get a great bagel out of New York…maybe Pikesville in the Baltimore area is close…or maybe New Jersey. I don’t know. But not in San Diego (though City Bagels is about as good as it gets, and certainly in the good range). But San Francisco…seemed like a bad idea. But I wanted something different than our veggie breakfasts of the past week, so why not give it a try? Close to our hotel, and rated about as good as it gets for bagels in San Francisco, Katz Bagels and Pizza seemed like a good breakfast option. Well, the name is Jewish, anyway. I got a pumpernickel bagel with some hummus, and Kim got poppy with lox and cream cheese. It was pleasant enough. Better than average. Not as good as Big City, but several notches above what passes for bagels most of the time. What was memorable about this place, though, was the patio in the back, where the skylights let in a lovely mid-morning light…a perfect spot for reading the paper and relaxing.
Of course, I have a hard time lounging around much on vacation. I’m not a sit around and relax kind of girl, at least in a city like San Francisco, where there are so many adventures to be had. So after a bit of paper-reading, we were off to Golden Gate Park, and to the newly-opened California Academy of Sciences. Kim’s back was feeling marginally better, so we elected to walk through the Panhandle, my running route for the week, and into park. It was fairly warm, but not completely unpleasant, and I remembered my camera for a change. The line for tickets was already extremely long, wrapping around stansions out the front of the building, but they had some automated ticket dispensers in the front of the museum. I thought I’d give it a try. Unfortunately, some Japanese college student tourists in front of me had experienced some problems with their credit cards in the machine, leaving an open order up, and when I went to purchase my order, I ended up purchasing their tickets…three, in fact. The ticket machine guardian, posted there just to help hopeless cases such as this, helped us negotiate a cash deal, and we all ended up with tickets…I even ended up profiting by a dollar. All was well.
The academy is quite amazing. It contains a planetarium, a 4-story rain forest, a green roof, and an aquarium. The signage and exhibit design was well-done overall, with some fine typography and use of materials in the signage. There were many words, descriptions, and narratives throughout, so the type help set the tone, transitioning from area to area, and generally, giving the space a sense of consideration. I do love the logo for it. Very smart and memorable, though the reversed version does remind me of another logo I saw in 2color Design by Templin Brink Design. Nonetheless, it is a good example of a successful modern, clean logo with a solid idea, so often missing in logo design for larger institutions. Good for them for placing value in the visual, perhaps realizing that part of their mission is to get out the word of the amazing work that is being done in the scientific world in ways all can connect with. While they still need to work out the bugs for the disbursing of tickets for the planetarium, which was confusing and time-consuming at best, but the overall experience of the place is one of wonder and joy, bringing together the analytical and the unexplainable, the greatest thinking of our time and the simple aesthetic beauty of our world.
The rainforest spirals up 4 stories, allowing you to see how the rainforest changes into different ecosystems as it approaches the sun. The green roof allows in beautiful natural light, luminating the glass bottom of the forest, underneath of which is the aquarium. My favorite part of the rainforest was really the butterflies. Call me girlie, but I love butterflies. There is something about the way they move that is the visual equivalent of pure, innocent, joy. The opportunity to see so many different species in such a small space is rare and special. Sure, the birds and flowers and lizards and frogs were all beautiful. But it was the butterflies that really made me love that rainforest.
Once at the top of the 4 stories, you enter an elevator and go underneath the rainforest into the aquarium. It isn’t large, but what is notable about it is its design. You can walk through a tunnel under the water, looking up through the tank into the rainforest as giant catfish and piranhas cruise above your head. The dispersed light from the rough casts an unbelievable glow through the water, and you feel like you might be under there with the fish. There are some benches for sitting and watching, and if I was too impatient to sit and relax during breakfast, I had no problem sitting here for awhile. Despite snack-munching hippie tourists and their hellion children, it was still serene. The streamlined movement of the sharks and fish overhead, the slight waving of the aquatic plants…the play of light on the floor. It was a good “in-the-moment” moment. And a good place for Kim to rest his back. At least for a little while.
We then rushed to the Planetarium, stood in line with our tickets, were herded into some kind of people-pen (like something you’d normally use for herding farm animals), and then into the theater. I had thought I hadn’t been to a planetarium, but then, once inside, remembered a long-lost memory of going to one as a child. We were really lucky to have one of the funniest children in the world behind us…she was really the highlight of the planetarium experience really. As the lights went down, she turned to her father and in her most serious little girl voice said, “I miss my Barbies.” It was genuine and hilarious, and not whiny at all. Just a genuine expression of longing. Hilarious. As the show got started, she watched for a moment and then said, “I’m scared,” but not in a way where it sounded like she was going to cry, but in a way in which she sounded simultaneously intrigued and unsure. What a character! Besides her, the planetarium show was interesting enough, narrated by Sigourney Weaver, who now seems to be the go-to voice for beautiful nature shows, but I missed the simplicity of the old planetarium memory. The simple lights and stars, instead of this iMax-styled movie. It didn’t suck, but could have been better. If nothing else, it seemed like they needed to revisit the script and focus it a little better.
The final part of the Academy that we wanted to see was the green roof. The building is LEED certified, and the roof is one of its most innovative features. The skylights illuminating the interior were as interesting outside as inside, and of course, there were the requisite solar panels. But what was lovely were the plants. An entire roof of native plants, requiring only rain water and no irrigation. The provide insulation, prevent runoff, and help absorb CO2. Green roofing is an innovative, forward-thinking idea that have been implemented in various forms for a while now. I had researched them extensively for a school project, so it was great to see one in action. Made me wish I could install one. Maybe in the future.
After a full day at the Academy, I was hungry. Kim still wanted to find a gift for Amanda and to revisit Kid Robot for a new “things that hurt” zipper pull that was not a heart. Brass knuckles, gun, knife or something…but not a heart. So we elected to go back to the scene of our first meal in town, to the coffee shop with the baba ghanoush plate on Haight. We went with the falafel plate this time, the falafel being light and balancing the chickpea heartiness with parsley tang. Hummus was creamy, though probably could have had a touch more lemon. Overall, though, it was a good late light lunch that went well with a cup of rooibis tea to tide us over until dinner. From there, we went back to Kid Robot in search of a non-heart zipper pull (he got a mortar, and I got…a heart. Go figure). We took in a last stroll up and down Haight, stopping in stores, looking for possible presents for Amanda. Not much luck. No striking area brews or must-have t-shirts. Nothing was calling out. We decided to head back to the hotel for a bit, figure out our plan for the evening, and hope for some inspiration. As dusk began to settle in, we realized it was our last chance to duck into the two little stores flanking our hotel: a game store and a comic store. The game store was an old-fashioned board and role playing game store. Not video games. But chess and backgammon, D&D and all that stuff. It made me really want to learn chess. Kim picked up a game about…beer. Flashcards with beer trivia on them. I was very impressed by the design, as it used some well-done spot illustrations, clean, considered typography, and a fairly refined color palette for a beer-related thing (since most beer-related design truly sucks). Turns out it was designed by Michael Osborne Design…how appropriate to buy it here, in San Francisco. Still no gift for Amanda, though.
We hurried into the comic shop, where we proceeded to spend lots of time and money. I often forget how much I really do love a certain type of comic…Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes, Lynda Barry. These are my favorites. Personal narratives, non-superhero every-person stories capturing the outcast, the small moment, the existential sadness of everything (much like French films), but at the same time, not giving up hope for hapless losers and outcasts. Laughing darkly at themselves and others. I connect in a real way to these. Clowes, in particular, who served an important influence in the 90s for me. Eightball captured the dissatisfaction I felt with the world, never feeling like I fit in with any group, and never quite feeling like I would. Snarky? Thoroughly. But observant. His “People I Hate” piece still makes me laugh out loud, showcasing the details of these horrible people, and putting into words and visual how I feel about them, too. And “Art School Confidential.” Now that I’ve been to art school, well, it does fit a bit. Anyway, I ended up buying some of his stuff, almost buying some Ware books and some other books, but holding out. And Kim finally did find something for Amanda…a copy of Eightball. Good choice.
After a bit of research and a brief rest at the hotel, we decided to get some dinner and then venture out. We reprised our dinner at Magnolia, this time getting a most amazing sweet potato/yam, some delightfully bitter greens, and some kind of chickpea “sausage,” which was really more like falafel. Got a half pint of their Magnolia Bitter, this time on draft instead of cask, and enjoyed it all. It’s a good place, with some decent beers, but I still prefer the Linkery. I’m lucky to have it so good and so close.
From there we made our way to the Mission area to see Ponytail (a Baltimore band!) at the Bottom of the Hill. We took MUNI out there, transferring in our favorite (ha) Tenderloin stop. We were riding for awhile, thinking we were almost to our destination, but not quite there. Luckily for us, the bus was running early, and had to wait for a few minutes, so we asked. Turns out we missed our stop by a few blocks, so we got off the bus, and walked back down the hill. And what a hill! The view is amazing. It’s the kind of view where people fall in love, and then break up again…at least in indie movies. At the bottom, we stopped in Whole Foods for directions, and made our way to the club. There really isn’t much around it. Some interior design warehouses…that’s about it. It is that indie type of club that every place resembling a city has…some more than one. It was fairly crowded, but not uncomfortably so. We got there at the perfect time, just as Ponytail was finishing setting up. I was in front of the singer for the bathroom, in fact. They are a bunch of characters. We saw them open for another band (was it Octopus Project? I can’t recall) at the Beauty Bar in San Diego, and I was impressed by how weird and different they were. Risk-taking. The vocals are not words, but sounds…alternating between shouts and calls, cries of joy and sounds at times inhuman. Maybe not my favorite band in the world, but thoroughly charming, totally unpretentious, and innovative. Admittedly, I’m biased since they are from Baltimore, but really, they are fun. And they were even better this time. The crowd was much more into them than in San Diego, and the sound in the club was great. Really. So much better than the Casbah. It was well-balanced and appropriate for the room, filling it without blasting me out. The bass was full without being boomy. The vocals audible but not floating over top of the instruments. It was quite good. There was a bit of mosh pit, which was weird to me, but maybe it’s all part of the neo-90s revival that I can see starting to form. I was hoping for a little more of the late 80s and maybe some 80s hardcore to be revived first before we dove back into rave and grunge, but I’m not sure we’ll get to that. The best parts of an era are usually skipped in the revival…though the post-punk revival does seem to defy this generalization.
Anyway, it was a good show, but I was tired and ready to go. We ended up taking a different, more direct, bus back to the hotel. It was in front of some divey-looking bar that had an Earthless flyer in the window. More hipster in the area than you can shake a stick at as the saying goes. We ended up back in the room, watching Bizarre Foods and falling asleep as I realized I wasn’t quite ready to go home yet.
