San Francisco Interlude

SAN FRANCISCO
OLD HOME WEEK AT THE ACADEMY
The Chief Penguin and I had the great pleasure of returning to San Francisco and the California Academy of Sciences for the 10th anniversary celebration of its new building. Ten years ago, when he was the Chief Penguin of this wonderful museum, we sat on the since named Patterson Plaza, and celebrated the opening of Renzo Piano’s airy, light-filled creation. The mayor and other dignitaries were there to bless the occasion, the sun burst through the clouds, and butterflies were released to the sky. It was a glorious day and the line for entry wound down the sidewalk and around the building for almost a mile. 

This time, besides the expected speeches, we were treated to songs from the San Francisco Boys Choir and testimonials from two youth. The 10 year old girl was an infant when the new academy opened and has been visiting since those early days. She loves the place and shared her enthusiasm for it and her goal of becoming an academy scientist. A 15 year old young man spoke eloquently about his experience as a Careers in Science intern, his involvement with the planetarium, and his plans to become an astrophysicist. Both were memorable demonstrations of the importance and power of the academy’s education mission!  A champagne toast on the Living Roof, the scattering of seeds there, and a reunion lunch with former colleagues and friends rounded out the day.  

The next day we returned for tours of the new Giants of Land and Sea exhibit and Big Picture as well as a showing of the newest award-winning planetarium show, Expedition Reef.  I was pleased to see that exhibit labels are now in four languages and that there were so many informative interactive screens in Giants.

I’ve been through the redwoods several times, but was in awe of the giant slice of an 800 year old redwood tree that came down in a storm; for me, it was the highlight of that exhibit.  Big Picture, the annual exhibit of the winners of the Academy’s photography contest, is now five years old and better than ever. I particularly liked the shot of the mother flamingo’s feather encircling a baby whose nose is just poking through.

Watching the planetarium show, I gained an greater understanding of the role played by coral reefs around the world and why it’s critical to work to preserve them.

And if you think this is all a plug for going to the academy, it is!  I’m shameless about promoting it.

DINING BY THE BAY 
Lest you think we didn’t do anything else in our short visit, we also ate very well!
Pizzeria Delfina. Upon arrival we started in our old neighborhood and had lunch at this pizza place off Fillmore. Old favorites, insulata tricolore and the sausage pizza, were as good as we remembered!

Coqueta.  This restaurant on the Embarcadero is another one we love, and we had dinner here our first night. Their menu of tapas always pleases and we had some of our usuals—-chicken croquettes, meatballs, patatas bravas, smoky potato chips, and a couple of cheeses.

Mel’s Drive-in Diner.  On busy Lombard Street, Mel’s serves as hearty a breakfast as you could want in a setting complete with jukebox and crayons and balloons for kids.  A complete array of omelettes plus bacon, sausage and toast.  Our waitress was friendly and the place has an inviting vibe.

A16.  On Chestnut Street, a short walk from our hotel, A16 is the sister restaurant to SPQR and a more casual place. Lots of pizzas on their menu plus salads and some slightly different pasta dishes. The panzanella salad was excellent and the simple long pasta with ragu perfect comfort food. Have to admit that the fusilli with walnuts was a bit oddly flavored, but worth trying. For dessert, we settled on a plate of small cookies which provided the requisite amount of sweet.

Pacific Catch. This Bay Area chain serves excellent fresh fish alone, in sandwiches, tacos and poke, and atop salads or rice bowls. Located a short walk from the Academy, it’s long been a lunch favorite for staff. I and the C.P. both dined there separately with former colleagues, and I had the hard choice of either the taco plate or the grilled salmon sandwich. The sandwich won out.

Zuni Cafe.  An old standby downtown (40 years young), but still excellent, was the venue for our last dinner. We were joined by a good friend and, while none of us ordered their famous roast chicken, we liked very much our heirloom tomato and Caesar salads, fritto misto, simple risotto, and a made-to-order veggie plate.

Note: All photos by JWFarrington.