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Categories: Nightlife, Museums
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Announced 3 days agoThu. 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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My first time at this event and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I suspect it had something to do with the novelty of it being new to me, but it was fun nonetheless. I've seen pictures of previous events and comparatively, this crowd was really light. But it's getting cold so maybe that's why. In any case, I'll be bringing everyone I know in the coming months. You should too.
$12 isn't bad for entrance to a cool museum and bonus(es), you get to drink, there's music, and you don't have to deal with kids. I like kids, but they're annoying at museums.
Ample bar stations and decent selection of beer, wine, liquor, and mixers for this type of event. $7-8 for cocktails, $2 more for red bull. It should be noted I saw several flasks, so you could definitely do it up right on a tight budget.
The rainforest was neat, the aquarium even better, and the planetarium show blew my mind. Cool little hands-on stuff to keep you busy. Learned about and touched a python and a starfish and enjoyed a rousing mini-lecture about penis bones (which almost all animals, except humans, have).
Good DJ choices, at least on the night I was there; kinda funky, organic stuff, perfect for wandering around a science museum. There was one person dancing all night and right before 10, a few couples joined. With a bigger crowd, I think more dancing could happen, but as it was my first visit, I was fine with just checking out the exhibits.
Recommended itinerary: Get there early (why not?), coat check (FREE!), drink while you grab tickets for one of the hourly planetarium shows, rainforest (no drinks), drink while you wander, planetarium (no drinks), drink more while you wander, pick up your coat and take the bus home!
Totally accessible via public transit from the south bay/peninsula. On the way there, I took BART to Civic Center, then the 71 bus to dinner and a drink on Haight, then walked into the park. On the way home, I took the 21 bus from Fulton St back to Market to catch BART.
I will report back to increase to 5 stars if the crowd livens up.
What happened, Nightlife?! I visited you nine months ago and you've gone majorly flat.
First, where are the people?! You need to boost your promotional campaign. Last time I was here, there were a SEA of people by 7:30. This time around, barely anyone around the whole night.
Second, what's up with the music?! Upstairs, it was okay. I tried to dance to the music but I just wasn't feeling it. Downstairs, it was better. Better music, more people...and you're dancing with the fish but still, not like the last time I was here.
Third, what happened to the planetarium show? I expected to see Fragile Planet. Instead, I got this monotone guy talking about the planet from another site and doing computer stuff...putzing around. My friend and I fell asleep.
One of the highlights was looking at the scary fishies in the jars. One of the staff members/volunteers(?) talked about the unique fish. Encouraging us to touch the dead (but real) fish. No thank you. I got to see the female and male version of that scary fish from the depths of the sea (remember scary flashlight character from Finding Nemo...yea, HIM!) The Deep Sea Angler. Cool! My interpretation about how they reproduce? The male fish is downsized to his gonads when he finds his female. Bwahaha. Women rule! :) Wikipedia it for more dirty details. Plus one star!
We arrived around 6pmish and I think that's a good time to get there. Not too crowded. We headed… Read more »
3.5
I've been the academy twice before coming to nightlife so I knew what exhibits to expect. Nightlife wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing either.. although there's a long line it goes by pretty quickly. Once you're inside you are welcomed by music from the dj's and there are bars around so you can enjoy the exhibits. At nightlife, I was finally able to see the planetarium show which was pretty cool and informative.
I'd recommend going to nightlife because you don't have to be surrounded by a bunch of kids on field trips and get to enjoy drinks and music as well. Plus, admission is pretty much half price. =)
I believe it was from 6-10. We got there around 6ish. First thing we did was get the tickets for the planetarium. We got the 7.30 showing. We then went to a talk about evolution with pictures. It was pretty good. Then we went to the Planetarium showing. It was pretty good and pretty. I liked the old planetarium though. It looked more like stars. After that we went up to the roof. I felt like the actual party was up there. It was nice unless you don't like the cold. There were two telescopes so you can look at the stars. That was all we had time to do. I would like to go back to look at the rainforest/aquarium.
First of all, the Academy of Sciences is just incredible, a huge step up from the Academy of my youth 20 years ago. If aquariums, a rain forest, living roof garden and planetarium is your cup of tea then you must go if you haven't already.
Now for the NIghtlife event, here's why it deserves 5 stars:
1) $12 for a ticket, which is half off of its regular price of $25 for daytime admission.
2) Booze. It is a little bit pricey, but honestly what do you expect. Half-price tickets people... they have to make their money somehow.
3) 21+ crowd means no children. Sometimes you just need to be able to enjoy an aquarium without children running around and crashing into your legs and screaming "OMG MOM IT'S NEMO! IT'S NEMO!!".
4) You can stargaze through the telescopes on the Living Roof. Don't really want to stare at the sun through the telescope during regular hours.
5) You get to learn whilst drinking, and you won't be judged for it.
6) The music and darkness of the night gives the Academy such a cool vibe. This place would make for a great first date.
The PERFECT DATE Night.
For $12 you get entrance to usually one of the most crowded and coveted museums in the city. You get to mingle with the scientists, explore the rain forests of the world, visit with the albino alligator, hang out on the living roof, all with a cocktail or glass of wine in hand. Trust me, after two glasses of wine, the aquarium downstairs is very, VERY, sexy and the perfect spot to sneak a few kisses.
I loved the DJ pumping music in the background, and not having to deal with screaming children and women pushing strollers.
A definite must.
Now that I've hooked my man I can wine and dine him on the cheap, and this is definetly at the top of the list of things to do when the funds have dwindled. For this visit, we went for 2 of my friend's birthday. There were 20 of us, so it was difficult to really hang out with each other, but other than that everything was a blast.
If you wanna hit everything in the 4 hours they're open I would zig-zag across the museum - everyone goes to the Rainforest RIGHT before it closes, so go there near the beginning of the night. Everyone goes to the roof to use the telescopes at the VERY end of the evening - go at the beginning.
The food was over priced. The drinks were strong, but pricey ($8 for a baby plastic cup). The bars are cash only, but there is an ATM and the cafeteria is the only place that DOES take cards. Also, the cafeteria has different wine and beer than all the other bars in the museum - and it is MUCH better. The wine the bars served tasted like wine made with splenda - not NEARLY as awesome as it sounds.
I can't wait to go back! It's nice to do fun things like this with the joy of alcohol and the lack of ankle bitters running around.
The California Academy of Sciences is super-fun. I've been to Nightlife 3 times, and each time I got to see something different. The problem, however, is how freakin' popular Nightlife is. There are just too many people and it gets too crowded. I've never been able to go to both the Rain Forest and the Planetarium in the same night. You either get in line for the Rain Forest and wait for-ev-er, or get there very, very early to get a pass for the Planetarium.
I've never gone during a full day, so maybe it would still be crowded, only instead of drunk adults it would be sticky children and strollers. And do not get me started on how much I hate strollers.
All in all, $10 admission is not a bad deal, and the exhibits in the museum are educational and fun. It gets crowded and the penguins are asleep, so maybe I might go during the day sometime.
I came here on a Saturday night for an exclusive work event, and it was super crowded. I heard the place was sold out for the night, so there was basically 4,000 people roaming the California Academy of Science. There was so many long lines that it got pretty insane!
We were all informed about the Planetarium and Bugs 3D show. We were told that the passes would be given out 45 minutes before each showtime. I was glad to hear about this, after reading a lot of yelp reviews stating the passes sell out very quick.
I showed up at the planetarium at 6:45pm, and we got in line to get tickets. A few minutes later, one of the workers tells us that all the passes are sold out for the night! I was really shocked about this, since they were not supposed to hand out all the tickets for all the shows immediately. The workers are supposed to wait 45 minutes before the showtime. I noticed a lot of people were super frustrated, shocked, and disappointed that they couldn't watch the Planetarium show. I know I was really disappointed myself. =(
I asked the worker if they allowed people to enter the show if there were empty seats. The worker told me its sold out. Even though they handed out all the tickets, I know that there will be some empty seats. I was a bit surprised that they wouldn't let people inside considering there are empty seats, too.
The same thing happened at the Bugs 3D show. The workers handed out all the passes early instead of waiting 45 minutes before each showtime. There was a lot of frustrated and disappointed people.
I think it is just wrong that the workers didn't stick to the rule, and the rule was 45 minutes before the showtime. Since all the passes were given out early, I was unable to see any of the shows. =(
I tried to line up for the rainforest, but there were guards preventing people from lining up. It was only 7pm!
Overall, I was only able to check out the Aquarium, Living roof, and the other exhibits. I don't think I'll go back considering its hard to get tickets for the shows. There was even a line to enter the Academy Cafe!
I'd been wanting to see the new California Academy of Sciences since it opened in 2008 but huge crowds, high ticket prices and weekend inertia kept me away.
I took my birthday week off from work and made a list of the things I needed to do, and -- what a concept -- I put the things I wanted to do on it, which meant that I was going to give as much priority to the California Academy as to ironing clothes. Furthering my resolve was the news that I could get tix for about half the price and miss out on the crowds by going to Nightlife on Thursday.
The cocktails and DJs sounded great to me, but when we got there both became inconsequential in comparison to the exhibits, especially the much-touted rainforest. Tropical birds, giant jewel-blue butterflies wafting through the room, cool epiphytes perched on every branch and growing on thin air. I could have stayed in this spiraling 'open' rainforest all night. Luckily for Andrew they are only open from 6 to 8 p.m. With two hours left for everything else, we then wandered through the aquarium and then to the planetarium. The planetarium has you exit out to the cool eco roof. Too dark to see, but perfect for viewing the stars which you can now identify. I haven't been to an aquarium since Monterey and that was ten years ago, but if memory serves, then this is very comparable.
If you get there reasonably close to the 6 p.m. opening you'll find parking inside Golden Gate Park and close to the Academy. If later, you could always use their pricey parking lot.
I had heard this was a singles thing, but I saw plenty of couples, and many people just enjoying the exhibits. Yes, there were a few cruising sharks but - hey - when in an aquarium...
Wow this place is a meat market.
My company had a marketing event here last week and after the cocktail hour we were free to roam the museum. I was shocked on how packed it was and I couldn't believe the ratio of good looking women to guys. I guess women are really into science.
We first hit the planetarium which was amazing. The animation was seamless and the narration by Sigourney Weaver was excellent . One thing I have to warn you is that if you are a bit motion sickness the opening scene is going to be a bit rough. Next we hit up the aquarium. I am not really big into fish watching but this is one of the nicest aquariums I have seen. Since my previous event ran so late we really didnt get to check out any of the other exhibits.
My biggest pet peeve of the night was the drink prices. 7-8 bucks for a mixed drink? And they weren't even really serving premium booze. I suggest pre drinking before hand.
That said I had a great time and would love to come back and check it on a normal day so I wont be distracted by all the "scenery"
I love the California Academy of Sciences during the day, so I thought it could only get better at night. No kids and cocktails galore! It couldn't get any better! It was definitely pretty sweet. It actually made the CalAcademy seem a bit spooky (which is a good thing). Everything is a bit dark and the animals are still roaming around. Maybe it was the cocktails, but I was getting a bit freaked out! Yea, it was probably the cocktails :P
Be sure to buy your tickets online a few days before the event because I hear it sells out sometimes. I also suggest getting there early and waiting in line to get in so you can be first at the planetarium to get your (free) passes to see the show at the time you want. It's is definitely the best part of the Academy! It's totally worth the $12 just to see Fragile Planet in the Planetarium.
Have fun!
I've been wanting to come here ever since they re-opened after their remodel. I tried once with a group of friends but they had sold out of tickets for the public before 11:30am on a Saturday! So you can imagine my excitement when work decided to organize a private event for all of us and our family and friends.
That excitement was short-lived though. I made the mistake of not getting there super early. We arrived around 7:30pm and all the passes for the planetarium were gone. Even the passes for the bug show was gone too. They even stopped letting people into the rain forest.
There were so many people and kids everywhere that it literally felt like you were swimming through people, especially when walking through the aquarium. I kept getting hit left and right by ladies' handbags when trying to wade through the crowds. The kids were so loud that it made it hard to hear any of the music the DJ was playing until around 9:30pm or so when people started leaving.
While walking around I noticed that they had closed the gift shop. Imagine how much business they could have gotten if they had stayed open. Obviously someone didn't think that one through.
This is definitely not the same CA Academy of Sciences from back in the day when we came here for school field trips. The living roof was pretty cool, though you can't see all the plants at night. It's a good thing a couple in our group are members and were able to show us around all the exhibits.
If I do come back here again, I think I will come early in the morning hopefully before any crowds arrive.
Came here last night as a birthday celebration outing for one of my work friends. The seven of us rolled through early to the Cal Academy, so we got in before the wave of crowds came through.
What a blast we had!
T-Mobile was sponsoring the night. As a cool incentive, we were offered one free drink and entrance the VIP room on the second floor IF we got all the clues right for a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt was three clues of exhibits around the facility. After a wonderful wild goose chase, our little group got our free drink coupon and wristbands.
To come here and actually have free range without having a two-year-old or stroller bumping into your leg AND there is alcohol involved with a VIP lounge with plenty of room to dance. That is the good life ... especially in San Francisco.
Any time a place can combine the word "museum" with nightlife and cocktails--and then make it hugely popular--is a model of pure ingenious success. I love museums. However, unless I'm traveling in another city or a foreign country (or hear of the occasional must-visit, temporary art exhibition...like The MOMA's current Avedon exhibit), you won't find me in any museum in my hometown of San Francisco. Yep, one of the American mother cities of awesome museums.
California Academy of Sciences Nightlife is geared towards--and succeeds at reeling in--a whole crop of twenty- to thirty- something year olds (this nightlife is for 21-year olds and up) who probably haven't stepped foot in a museum since an elementary school field trip. Mix in full service bars and a bumping DJ, and this museum turns into an entirely different place--like an enormous bar with exotic creatures and interesting exhibits...where you can actually learn. Order tickets ahead of time; when you enter, head straight to the Exploratorium to get tickets to a later show; visit the Rainforest because it closes on the early side; view the below-ground aquarium next; and sip your cocktails atop the Living Forest rooftop. Good luck with seeing a view though in forever foggy San Francisco!
Other museums: I hope you are paying attention to all the positive feedback because if you want to make your museums hip (and bring in boatloads of people during the evening) follow this model!!!
Get drunk at a museum?? Only in San Francisco lol
I like those nights! Dj...drinks....educational shows...no..I don't like those night, LOVE THEM!!!
i too attended the aforementioned work event, and let me just say that in addition to being crowded, oversold, poorly planned, and generally unpleasant, the event was also crawling with reptiles. the academy cafe's food line, in the center atrium, was staffed by a small team of lizards. by lizard, i mean they stare at you intently with blank, hungry eyes, while you ask them for food, or beer, or water, or anything. they just wait for you to hold still enough so that they can spit acid in your face. like a dilophosaur.
they don't have to give you anything if they don't feel like it; you could literally wait in line for fifteen minutes and then when it comes your turn they go "line's closed." they made the announcement not ten minutes ago. hey, it's your own damn fault. they stop serving food at the exact time they said they're going to stop, regardless of whether you were already in line.
also, all the tickets for everything were sold out. the entire night was people telling us we couldn't do stuff. we spent the entire time in the crowded aquarium downstairs, and got the hell out of there.
for such an expensive museum, you'd think they'd spend a little effort hiring staff who actually gave a crap.
The first time I went here was on a holiday. The lines ran for miles. Families ran amuck with their 3+ children throwing temper tantrums. Two words: breeder central.
Now, I love kids. But seeing family after family made me a bit nauseous, the same way a shit ton of desperate singles at a sleazy club makes me feel gross. It's just too much.
Thank God for the California Academy of Sciences Nightlife.
Not for the overpriced alcohol and food. Or the people dressed up like they're clubbing (okay, that was a bit entertaining.) I was stoked to enjoy the museum in peace without the crowds. I actually got into the planetarium this time around which was out of this world!!!! Sorry, I had to say it.
A great place to take a first date or pick up one.
P.S. Minus one star for the $8 beers. Bringing my own stash next time.
I had a great time here last nite. I was bummed that I did not get to go in the Rainforest and the last planetarium show ended. Even though it is until 10pm seems like the exhibits close earlier so you have to spend the rest of your time in the Aquarium. I enjoyed it, reminded me when I was younger and got to touch Starfish and Sea Urchins.
All together it is really cool and a chill spot to go. Music was good and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I love that type of energy.
I will be back ;)
I finally got to check out what this whole "nightlife at the academy" was.
I have to say, the concept of running around the academy boozing it up is rockin'! It all started with my coworkers and myself thinking of this as being an option for our holiday party, so of course..... we HAD to come and research the event before we could decide, well... that was our excuse ;-). Anyway, it was a really great time, the only downfall I had was that I was more focused on drinking and the social aspect of the event than actually fully checking out what the academy has to offer. My geeky side comes out when I come here and I want to explore and check everything out and I felt that I couldn't. It doesn't help that it was my first time in after the remodel, so after fully exploring the place and geekin' out, I wouldn't mind coming back with a group of friends to just enjoy ourselves.
If I was a guy, I would set up shop at Nightlife every freakin' Thursday. This place is a meat market and the girl to guy ratio is a little scary. The ladies get dressed up and are definitely ready to mingle. This is where I fuck up. I come from work looking like a librarian and have to compete with girls that have spent the last three hours getting ready.
Getting drunk and looking at crazy fish is a wonderful way to spend the evening. However, my cheap ass is not about to spend $8 on a crappy mix drink. I'd recommend getting slightly hammered prior to arriving or bringing your own "traveler" inside.
What is not cool about walking around a museum drunk : ) heehee I was sad I didn't get to see the rain forest. It closes earlier than the rest of the museum. The planetarium show was cool, well what i remember of it , maybe is should have slowed down on wine. Don't forget to get your tickets on line. They sell out fast
Last night was my second time at Nightlife. Before deciding to go again, I remembered it being awesome the first, obviously because we weren't at your average bar or nightclub. When do you ever get to touch starfish or sea urchins or drink at an actual museum? By having these thoughts in mind, I was confident in my decision in joining my friends last night for my second time at Nightlife.
So we got there, crowds of people. Penguins, sting rays, snakes, you name it. We saw nature and beautiful exhibits. Alcohol, way overpriced. There was dancing. Oh boy, there was dancing. People strutting their finest movements to house and high energy music. My friends and I scouted a 40-year-old man unbuttoning his shirt, while grooving to the beat. Now, that's an exhibit on its own.
By the end of last night, I concluded I must have been not just tipsy, but somewhat drunk the first time if I thought this was the place to be on a Thursday night out. I think I had the mentality of going out, meaning a night full of dancing and drinks with a crowd around my age. They should have an age limit or something.
If I was looking for a chill night, maybe like a date night, this place would be ideal.
My husband and his brother share a birthday week, and we are always looking for something new and different to try for the birthday party. I will say trying to keep a group of twenty people together in the academy is much worse than herding cats. It was a lot of fun, and everybody had a great time! I've read on other reviews that the drinks were expensive and weak. I will agree with the expensive, but not the weak. We were getting all the alcohol, and none of the mix, no complaints here! We started off in the Rain forest, which you really need to get to before 7:15. They really have it laid out well, because you take the elevator down to the aquarium and get to walk under the water and into the tank area. Because we were such a large group, we didn't even try for the shows, it took us most of the night just to get through all of the exhibits. It gets really crowded down in the aquarium, because everybody wants to stop and chat, I wish they would all go hang out in the African Hall, its huge and has plenty of room for social hour!
We will probably go back again, maybe as a double date with another cool couple.
Buy your tickets ahead of time online, and either eat dinner before or after, because the food is really expensive, and really, do you want to sit and eat sandwiches in the cafeteria or look at seahorses?
I wandered through the Kimball Natural History Museum, wistfully bounding from static diorama to diorama until I paused in front of the penguin habitat... "Whoa! They're alive! They're real! That's cute!"
And there I stood, amused with the waddle-step-waddle-step-dive-swim-shimmy-repeat of African penguins as a nearby DJ spun a groovy thread of music and the beer cup in my hand got ever ever emptier.
Display to display, my alcohol-tilted gaze tracking to and fro, I tried as best as I could to absorb the litany of scientific information; video, audio, imagery, art, text, texture... from Darwinist Evolutionary Theory to the ominous environmental impact of humanities' carbon footprint. Science and pertinence seeped into my conscience while drank flowed in my system.
In the popular and oft-crowded downstairs Steinhart Aquarium, an alien landscape opens itself up for all to see. Just inches of glass keeping two very different worlds apart. Jellyfish in illuminated displays. The underwater walkway beneath the Amazon Basin. The 200,000+ gallon Philippine Coral Reef. On any given Nightlife, this is where I'll spend most of my time wandering about or watching in awe as beautiful creatures drift through a not-so-ethereal space, mesmerized in aimlessness.
But perhaps my favorite display of any evening at the Museum? Pretty, free-spirited and whimsical granola girls dancing possessed like music was soul-saving magic and stillness a curse.
_______________________
Girl. Could. MOVE!
And cared less who watched.
THAT'S Nightlife.
I loved the 80s music, but wished the dance floor was larger! Oh well, it's okay, I was too tired to dance anyway. I was so tired, in fact, that I fell asleep during the Planetarium Show, despite Jonathan W.'s squishes to my cheeks when I dozed off. Each time, I woke up and went right back to sleep, to the soothing voice of the narrator.
It was really cool though; the screen stretches across the domed ceiling of the theater, giving you the feeling of actually being in the scene. We took a visit to space and the beautiful twinkling stars sprawled out above me...and then I passed out. Zzzzzzzzzz. Awesome experience regardless. The seats were very comfortable; perfect for reclining.
We also went to the living rooftop, which looked very furry. I felt like I was going to freeze to death, and quickly peered into a telescope (nothing special) before heading back in.
Some other stops included the rainforest, where we saw frogs that looked like delicious gummies (http://static1.px.yelp...), frogs that looked like Spidermen (http://static2.px.yelp...), and other less remarkable creatures. The albino crocodile (http://static1.px.yelp...) was kind of interesting though. We also visited the gift shop and wore stuffed animals as hats (http://static3.px.yelp...).
All-in-all, Nightlife was an interesting experience, but not really my kind of thing because I'm more of a cute fuzzy animal person. Not too into bugs, reptiles, amphibians, and the like. If they had otters or penguins (like in the giftshop) I'd be happy. For those who are looking for eye candy, there are plenty...lots of glamorous women, at least, walking around in high heels and cocktail dresses looking at bugs. It's a weird sight to behold.
(I hear drinks are expensive...oh and the cost of a ticket is $10)
Drinks and dj's @ the clu....erm, the museum!
Science and drinking? What goes together more naturally than science and drinking??
Throw in a bunch of 21-somethings and a lot of vinyl spinning and you got yourself a winner. Actually the whole scene would not be out of place if you were... say in Las Vegas or what not. Looking back on it.. the entire place could have been a really academic themed club located in Vegas. The vast garden entrance, the long assssss line to get in, the impromptu dance floors everywhere, the often wild and sometimes visually overwhelming exhibits to blow your mind and last but not least the insurmountable number of bars and tenders to serve you your brain cell killer of choice, limited choice mind you, yet choice none the less. It is by bar more interesting and all the more intoxicating when there are no children around. Of course, in the same breath you need to be all too aware of the hundreds of other like minded party goers that will be there right next to you... on a thursday night.
Yet again I'm a tad biased due to the company I kept. I was here for a birthday which unfortunately I lost all contact with for a long time. It must have been somewhere between going to the bar, the jungle exhibit, the bar, the aquarium, the bar, or the planetarium or quite possibly the other bar. Hmmmmmm. I will have to say it was when I was at the bar. But somewhere in the madness I did witness something quite spectacular in the planetarium which words would only diminish the experience. Of course I had to go outside to grab a breath of fresh air... first stopping by @ a bar of course.
You should check it out and hopefully you'll find something just as breath taking as I did.
This isn't your Mama's museum..
Nor for the educated at heart...
Think drunk and curious.
wootWOOT!
;D
During the last week of being home I wanted to go to Nightlife before I miss out on it and all that jazz. Went with a group of friends along with Jonathan (thank you to him for buying my ticket ^_^). We were running a bit late so we made it just in time for the last showing of the planetarium. The Planetarium kicked ass!!! favorite quote of that was "dude, that'd be so bad ass to play Halo on that!" or something along those lines haha.
The Living Roof was freakin awesome! http://www.yelp.com/bi... the view was amazing and the view from the telescopes were breathtaking. I've never seen the moon so clearly like that with my own eyes! woo!
Thank goodness for booze, no kids to tempt to kick out of the way, sweet music, and people enjoying a good time. Drinks were okay, expensive for the little bit you get. Oh well I enjoyed myself that's for sure. Too bad we couldn't stay there long enough to thoroughly look the museum through. Although we did cruise over to the aquarium a bit to take a look at some of the fantastic aquatic life.
I'm coming back and Jonathan said he's taking us the VIP way. *sore thumbs all the way up!*
I have gone one other time and just went again last night. LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of turning a science museum to a late night event for adults only!! Plus, we had forgot our tickets and there was a kiosk out front and they printed the tickets out for us right there and saved us a trip back home!
We also waited to see the indoor rainforest, which is worth the wait. Although we didn't see any macaw parrots and saw they had adorned some leaves with FAKE poison dart frogs....
The drinks are a little pricey, but at least they have a full bar. The roof top is open as well, which is fun to go up there and have a drink.
Plus, they have a DJ!! There was this one guy up there the whole time in flashy silver pants dancing the night away. Have to say they played some decent dance music and ended up enjoying the slightly awkward scene of young and old dance near the penguins in a science museum.....
Just a minor FYI- its now $12 a person but that is still a good deal!
After hearing all the hype of Nightlife, I decided that it was finally time to check it out myself. It being only $10 to get in was a major turn on, since normally its $25. Since my gf was leaving to go back up to Oregon, we wanted to gather people to go to Nightlife. I figured this would be easier than trying to gather a bunch of people for a dinner since everyone has such different schedules. So we decided to go on 8/6/09. It was the last thursday that the gf was here for.
YOU MUST BUY UR TICKETS ONLINE!!! IT SAVES SO MUCH TIME!!!
So since my buddy and i get off of work at 530pm I figured we would go later around 8pm. BIG MISTAKE! In order to fully experience night life you need to be there when it opens. Another thing is you need to figure out how the setup for nightlife works. I am going to save you the trouble.
1. The first thing you want to do when you get in is get the free Planetarium tickets. The shows are at 630, 730 and 830. One person can pick up up to 6 tickets.
2. Rain forest closes at 730pm, go here first! since they open at 6pm. There are different floors representing the different rain forests from Borneo, Madagascar, Costa Rica and the Amazon. It a sight to see but remember it is HOT! in here. "Temperatures are maintained at 82-85 degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity is maintained at 75% or above using a unique misting system. " copied from the website.
3. The food is not worth it, its over priced and not very good. The drinks are okay, not strong enuff for me but way to small and expensive.
4. The Living roof is awesome!! They have telescopes set up, if you can go on a full moon its awesome because they will have a telescope set up and u can see the moon up and close! The view from up here is great and could be romantic if there wasn't so many people.
5. There are other interesting things to check out too like the albino alligator which to me looked so fake until it moved. crazy
I went back the following week with the ever so SQUISHY Karen W. and my friends. After failing once I knew that I wouldn't fail again and we got to experience the full extent of nitelife :). It was a fun nite filled with sillyness, interesting creatures in the rain forest to the awesome Fragile planet show in the Planetarium. Karen W. looked so tired, she even fell asleep in the Planetarium!! I squished her cheeks twice and woke her up. She looked dazed and startled but that didn't stop her from going back to sleep. lols
Cheap cover, No kids, 21 and over, booze, good DJ selections, and a museum to boot! What more can you ask for on a Thursday night?
For those of you only been to California Academy of Sciences during regular hours, I highly recommend giving their Nightlife event a try. It was a very different experience.
The museum was a lot less crowded and it was much easier to get to your favorite exhibits. My photos also turned out nicer than those I took during the day. The animals seem to be less active at night. They stayed still and posed nicely for me.
The Planetarium and the rain forest exhibit are must see. Make sure you head to the planetarium at least 20 minutes before the show to get the best seats.
I have had such a great time even without any alcohol.
It was packed, lines were long but my 3yo loved it and that is all I can ask for. I could follow her all around and she can touch, explore, whatever she wants and I don't have to hold her curiosity back at all..of course she couldn't climb on the railings but there was plenty for her to look at. I have to come back to see some of the shows that were full but we will be back!
No children running around!
Libations(okay, maybe they could improve the quality of these)!
Good music.
Telescopes (I saw the moons of Jupiter)
Tropical birds and toxic butterflies.
Feeling on starfish.
Seahorses.
Nightlife at the Academy of Science is the new discovery of the day!
I came here last night with friends. Not sure what to expect on a Thursday night at a museum turned evening venue. I dressed urban chic with walkable heels that I was thankful for later.
We got there late around 8pm and went straight to the Cafeteria for some pork tacos and quesadillas, prices were average, not too steep. Neither of us opted in on alcoholic beverages as 1) The prices were steep 2) I was the driver 3) Drinking while prancing around a museum just seemed lame.
Still, Nightlife is a very interesting concept. I saw some negatives and positives to this and want to address both.
PROS
- Huge yuppish, good-looking crowd, if you're into people watching.
- A good place to pick up men/women. Not that I tried it (tho' friend offered to be my wing woman) but its full of potential and more wholesome than a bar/club. The best places for pickups might be the cafeteria, entrance, bar areas, and the aquarium. And at the end of the night, you could find yourself the recipient of a missed connection like this: http://sfbay.craigslis...
- Lots to do. If you get there early, you have 4 hours to look around various exhibits and go exploring while watching the young sf crowd go by.
- Perfect date activity. For those that don't want to deal with families on the wkds, this time is perfect for couples and first daters.
CONS
- Hard to get to, esp. if you're coming from East /South Bay after work. You have to plan the time accordingly and pay for parking ($11) as street parking is hard to come by.
- Crowds and crowds. If you're not into crowds, you might not have a good time... esp. young rowdy crowds, all under 30.
- Large space. We didn't know our way around so we just went to the Aquarium for an hour. What else was there? Where was the music and the dancing others talked about? We needed a map or someone that has done the research.
- Hard to mingle. Too large a space means, despite the potential, it may not the best place to meet others unless you got some mad friend -making skills, but just a friendly hello to a stranger is a bit challenging.
- I got shocked!!! Yep, be aware of the electric eel exhibit downstairs, I put my fingers against the metal circles to test the shock factor and got a little crazy brave and did it a few times. I SCREAMED and the whole place heard me.I think I'm still recovering from the pain.
All in all, it's fun, beauty, new discoveries and a little sexy all wrapped up in one night.
a year later, i finally made a trip to the new academy of sciences. im glad we chose the "nightlife" over a regular day. first off, the tickets are half price for thursday night. second, it is 21+ meaning no annoying kids running around. third, they had alcohol and a dj all night! all the exhibits are open, but a couple close a little earlier.
we got there around 20 minutes early. there was a decent-sized line, but it got much longer by the time it was time to enter. our first stop was the rainforest. this was very cool. butterflies and birds were just roaming around and there were plenty of other caged creatures to look at.
next was the planetarium show. this was awesome. it was an imax type of deal where we felt like we were in a space-ship. this was worth the price of admission alone.
the last main exhibit was the aquarium. they had plenty of different stuff to check out. my favorite was probably the giant sea bass and the albino croc.
drinks and food are pretty expensive, but nothing too ridiculous($6 for a beer). you can't drink in the rainforest or in the planetarium, but you can drink in the aquarium. they even have a bar in the aquarium. the dj was cool, but that's not why we went there. overall, this is one of the best 4 hours you can possibly spend.
Really cool stuff to see inside and out, from the aqaurium to the rainforest, to the "living roof" it's definitely a cool night excursion in SF.
You get to pet starfish, see hella animals, there's drinks, a Dj spinning, and its all self-guided so move at your leisure. They have new exhibits on a weekly basis I believe and had some cool robots to check out when I went there, advertising for the annual SF RoboGames at the time.
Sucks I didn't get to see the planetarium (the main thing I really wanted to see there) cuz it was too packed, but that's my one complaint. 3.5 stars, rounding up!
Allowing young people to wander this beautiful museum in the evening with drink in hand, food on offer, and DJ spinning? Pure genius. Well except for the part where people get to tickle the starfish with one hand while holding an adult beverage over the touch tank, seems like an accident waiting to happen. I hope Mr. Hermit Crab doesn't get poisoned by Mr. Anchor Steam)!
Crowd was more science-y than your average SF happy hour scene, so if you've been looking for people that might share your excitement for that new article in New Scientist this might be your place...
Tuck the kids in @ 5:30PM on Thursday nights and then head over to the Academy of Sciences, where kids are not allowed and we, as adults, have the right to roam around with alcoholic beverage in hand and high heels on to examine Mother Nature's lovely specimens. Try your luck at parking, I, being the luckiest parker evarrrrr, found parking in Golden Gate Park within a two block walking distance of the museum, while my friends found parking along Fulton.
$10 tickets you should DEFINITELY buy online before the event, because sometimes the event gets sold out at the door. Either, get there REALLY early to get tickets for the Planetarium or arrive about an hour after it starts to avoid waiting in line. The line to the Rainforest exhibit right before it closes gets extremely long, so try to make the Rainforest your first stop.
The Rainforest exhibit is enclosed in a living biodome fully equipped with pretty butterflies, brightly-colored poisonous frogs, and a variety of different amphibians and bugs. OH! And pretty birds! You walk up a spiraling ramp through different continents to see the varying exhibits of bugs and whatnots to end up at the top of the biodome where there are full-length mirrors (yes, in a biodome, because it's absolutely natural) for you to check that you are wearing the proper clothing for this mock-club event. Oh, excuse me, the full-length mirror is to check that no butterflies are stowing away. You will, then, proceed into the elevator where it takes you straight down into the aquarium.
OoOoOoooh, pretty fishes! Look, it's Nemo, Dory and Jacques! Yay! The aquarium is truly amazing, especially with the bar as you exit the elevator. The drinks are steep, $8 Domestic Beers, $9 Import Beers, yeah, not the kinda money a college student, like myself, can afford frontin'. The aquarium includes whole coral reefs brought in from the Philippines and cute little pig-nosed turtles, yes, they are too adorable. I wasted my battery life on these two turtles.
Head back upstairs and be amazed by the pendulum that can prove to you that the Earth is really spinning. Some say the tilt of the Earth causes the pendulum to swing to and fro at an angle, but I believe Cal Academy of Sciences has programmed the pendulum to swing sideways. While the pendulum slowly works its way around, direct your attention towards the dancefloor where the 21-somethings, get down to the groovy beats of the DJ. I don't remember what they were playing that night because I was distracted by the Wii-esque "Capture the Bug Game".
As the end of the night draws closer, do not forget to proceed to the "Living Roof" where two "fuzzy" domes are perched on top of the museum. One of which reminds my friend of Spongebob's House, and one of which reminds her of a strawberry. Last night, two telescopes were pointed towards Jupiter and its four moons. (There are more moons but with a tiny eyepiece, only four could be seen) Last night was soooo clear and nice, you could see Jupiter with your naked eye. But I digress...
Finally head back downstairs to the entrance and visit the, what I like to call, "Albino" exhibit. "YO! You, up front! Short, Asian girl behind you! 'SCUSE ME, BUT I WANNA SEE THE ALBINO ALLIGATOR!" *jumps jumps* "Ooooooh ahhhhhh.... is he alive? Yeah, he just really likes lounging around on that rock." Deeper within the waters, an albino catfish resides along with an albino turtle. Although, the albino turtle was absent last night, I wonder what happened to the fella'. Huh.
It's 9:45PM, I should go move my car out of the park before I get a ticket or get towed. This is the slight drawback for free parking in the park, you have to leave fifteen minutes before the actual event ends to move your car to avoid a hefty fine.
Go here once or twice, but after that you'll be good for a longggggg time.
P.S. Prices go up starting next Thursday ($12 vs. $10)
Did I mention they had live penguins in the, what seemed to be stuffed animals, African exhibit?
Oh ma god! Oh ma god! Everywhere you look is something new and interesting.
I went on Wachovia Wednesday - the free admission day on the 3rd Wed. of the month. I got in line at 9:05, and was in the museum 5 minutes after the doors opened at 9:30.
So much to see. So much to delight the senses. Go! you will enjoy it. :)
This is a museum designed to engage, enlighten and educate and it's done with as much attention to presentation as to education. Permagrin!
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