It is time for the Snowleopard family to load up the minivan, jam-pack it until it is bursting at the seams, and head south to the United States of America. My wife and I have our two kids along for the ride this time: a young girl who is not quite 2 years old, as well as a little boy who is 9 weeks old. Life will be interesting this summer! My final itinerary is posted below, and California and Arizona are the two main states that we'll be spending almost all of our time in. The itineraries that I've posted on past road trips always change a little, and this time around the first few days of attractions and the order in which they are visited might be altered every so slightly. Itinerary: July 12th – August 10th DAY 1: Drive south – 5 hours DAY 2: Drive south – 5 hours DAY 3: Drive south – 5 hours DAY 4: California Academy of Sciences (Steinhart Aquarium) DAY 5: Aquarium of the Bay + Fisherman’s Wharf DAY 6: CuriOdyssey DAY 7: Oakland Zoo + drive 1 hour DAY 8: Happy Hollow Park & Zoo + drive 3 hours DAY 9: Charles Paddock Zoo + drive 2 hours DAY 10: Santa Barbara Zoo + drive 2 hours DAY 11: Aquarium of the Pacific + drive 20 minutes + Cabrillo Marine Aquarium DAY 12: Santa Ana Zoo + drive 1.5 hours DAY 13: Birch Aquarium DAY 14: San Diego SeaWorld (Part I) DAY 15: San Diego SeaWorld (Part II) DAY 16: San Diego Zoo (Part I) DAY 17: San Diego Zoo (Part II) + drive 45 minutes DAY 18: San Diego Zoo Safari Park DAY 19: Drive 6 hours DAY 20: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum DAY 21: Reid Park Zoo + drive 2 hours DAY 22: Phoenix Zoo DAY 23: Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium DAY 24: Sea Life Aquarium + drive 3.5 hours DAY 25: Joshua Tree National Park + drive 1 hour DAY 26: The Living Desert Zoo + drive north 5.5 hours DAY 27: Fresno Chaffee Zoo + drive north 3 hours DAY 28: Sacramento Zoo + drive north 4 hours DAY 29: Drive north – 5 hours DAY 30: Drive north – 5 hours Zoo/Aquarium Attractions: 1- Steinhart Aquarium (California Academy of Sciences) 2- Aquarium of the Bay 3- CuriOdyssey 4- Oakland Zoo 5- Happy Hollow Park & Zoo 6- Charles Paddock Zoo 7- Santa Barbara Zoo 8- Aquarium of the Pacific 9- Cabrillo Marine Aquarium 10- Santa Ana Zoo 11- Birch Aquarium 12- San Diego SeaWorld (two days) 13- San Diego Zoo (two days) 14- San Diego Zoo Safari Park 15- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 16- Reid Park Zoo 17- Phoenix Zoo 18- Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium 19- Sea Life Aquarium 20- The Living Desert Zoo 21- Fresno Chaffee Zoo 22- Sacramento Zoo Past Road Trip Threads: Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip (39 zoos/aquariums in 46 days): http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-2010-road-trip-160988/ Snowleopard's Epic Road Trip (30 zoos/aquariums in summer 2008): http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-epic-road-trip-20316/ Snowleopard's Florida Road Trip (4 zoos in winter 2008) http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-florida-road-trip-28418/ Snowleopard's Favourite American Zoos: http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-favourite-american-zoos-203497/
I can't wait for the detailed reviews you always write, specially of the zoos that have yet to be represented here in zoochat.
Hi Snowleopard, Looking forward to reading your reviews. PS Congratulations on your 2nd baby. is it to late to have a baby naming competition for your him
DAY ONE: Tuesday, July 12th The first day of any road trip is always exhilarating, exciting, enthralling and enlightening all at the same time. Many adjectives that basically mean the exact same thing could be applied to vacations, but holidays with kids on board are vastly different from previous trips of travelling without children. The sheer volume of “stuff” loaded into our minivan is overwhelming, but it is packed so expertly by my wife that I am bound to never find what I need and yet she can locate it within seconds. Maybe I married some kind of superhero? She is most definitely a heroine to be willing to accompany me to a seemingly endless stream of zoos and aquariums over the past few years. When I consider how many single guys are on ZooChat I am truly thankful that I have a loving wife and two adorable kids. Today was a driving day and so we crossed the border from Canada into the United States at approximately 10:30 in the morning. From there we drove for many hours, racking up around 510 km (317 miles) and we drove through the entire state of Washington. I am typing this update from a cheap motel ($60 including taxes) about half an hour south of Portland, Oregon. Other than an inexpensive dinner at Taco Bell ($12 for the family) we only stopped once all day! Somewhat ironically we had to drop by Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle to pick up our new membership cards, as the zoo no longer mails the cards to our home address. The reason for that is because there are now photos of zoo members on the plastic cards, and so when renewing we’ll have to always show up in person to get a quick snapshot imprinted onto our new cards. The cards are vital for road trips as many zoos across America have a reciprocity agreement with Woodland Park and thus we can get in free at some establishments. Those of you without kids will have only a vague idea as to what I’m going to discuss in the next two paragraphs, but those with children will nod with perfect understanding. Upon arrival at Woodland Park Zoo we first parked and then spent 15 minutes unpacking the stroller, piecing it all together as it folds up tighter than my dad’s wallet; getting the kids out of the van and gathering up all of the toys that were strewn about the interior; grabbed a diaper bag, drinks, jackets, etc.; walked into the zoo and spent 10 minutes receiving our new membership cards; then we headed to the bathrooms as my wife and I quickly relieved our bladders, our baby boy Jeffrey (born on May 11th) was changed and fed from a bottle, our daughter Kylie was changed and also fed, and all of that took at least another 20 minutes; then as we were leaving the washroom area Kylie decided at that opportune moment to go poop and that added another 15 disgusting minutes dealing with the mess; and by then an hour had gone by and we’d yet to see a damn animal. We then spent about 30 minutes between the terrific penguin exhibit and a tree where a squirrel was scampering up and down. Kylie was enamored with the squirrel, she also loved the penguins, she strolled around at the pace of a two-toed sloth, and she screamed when picked up because she is almost 2, wants to walk everywhere, is very independent and full of life. So I am honestly not joking when I say that my family spent an hour and a half at the excellent Woodland Park Zoo and we saw ONE EXHIBIT!!! I shudder to think what we’ll be like at the gargantuan San Diego Zoo, but thank goodness I’ve set aside two days for it on this trip. The upside to the fact that kids are obviously a tremendous amount of work, particularly when one is 2 and the other is 2 months of age, is that they are also GLORIOUS in a staggering number of ways. To have Kylie, who is most definitely a daddy’s girl, be shocked to see Humboldt penguins swimming an inch from her face is priceless. To have her run to me and shower me with kisses is wonderful, and to hold her and watch her grow up before my very eyes is something that everyone who does not have kids is badly missing out on. Kids are fantastic in thousands of ways, regardless of the fact that they have nasty diapers, can whine for ten minutes straight without a break, and can gaze at squirrels for what seems to be decades. My son Jeffrey is only 12 pounds and he is calm, serene, and a very easygoing baby who only wakes up once a night. My daughter Kylie took a year to sleep through the night but she too is now a decent sleeper so hopefully my wife Debbie and I will get some shut-eye on this month-long trek through Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona. That’s all folks, and thanks for reading about my family. There will be a couple more days of driving south before the zoo/aquarium reviews will be arriving thick and fast. I sometimes feel like Gerald Durrell in "My Family and Other Animals".
I can attest to your comments about an understanding wife snowleopard, like my Jackie and our two sons. All have had to tolerate my love of zoo visits on every family vacation; including San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Seattle, Vancouver, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Orlando, Saint Louis, Maui and Phoenix. But zoos and children are magical. Can't wait for your reviews, it's like being there with you and the family.
@Snowleopard: I can attest your comments too, especially about the kids. Isn't it wonderful to see growing a new zoo-enthusiast-generation? One Question: As far as I know you are Canadian. Did you also paid the ESTA-fee ("entrance fee") of 14 US-Dollars per person before entering USA like every European has to? Or are Canadians free of charge? For those US-Americans who don't know from what I am talking about: Since a few months, citizens of countries belonging to the Visa Waiver Programm need and electronical permission, called ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) to enter the United States. The permission is valid for 2 years and costs (in total) 14 US-Dollars for each person (even for little children). The money earned thru this "project" should be used to - no joke! - support the tourism in USA. Imagine, an American on a trip to Europe had to pay 14 Dollars for each country he would like to visit...
$14 ?? you were done!!!! I got an ESTA last year and it was free, was given a specific link to get it from though, not via google!! ANy way back on track, have a great road trip and I look forward to reading your reviews
@zoomaniac: Canadians do not have to pay the ESTA fee, and since I live about 10 minutes from the border I cross into the United States about once a month. My wife and I (and our two little kids) have memberships to both Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle Aquarium, plus many Canadians shop for clothes and food in the U.S. as probably 95% of all goods are cheaper in America. Also, we splurge on 4-8 week long road trips every other year! DAY TWO: Wednesday, July 13th Those following along with my itinerary will realize that today was another driving day, and we blazed through the state of Oregon and racked up 650 km and now we've traveled 1,150 km (715 miles) in the first two days. I am typing this from the city of Redding in northern California. One more day of driving will bring us to the Bay Area, where we'll spend a few days in the San Francisco/Oakland/San Mateo/San Jose quadrant and driving will practically cease and zoos and aquariums will be on the agenda. Today was relatively uneventful, but there was some wildlife sightings. A female white-tailed deer was browsing alongside the highway, a herd of about 10 elk were in a field just off of a main road, and my wife and I always have a running mental tally of how many birds of prey we locate on our drives south. Yesterday we saw 10 hawks but today we saw a whopping, record-breaking (for us) 157 birds of prey! That total includes 3 bald eagles, loads of hawks, but a staggering number of turkey vultures. Many local farmers had recently plowed their fields and on numerous occasions we drove past a dozen vultures circling overhead searching for prey. We went shopping at Wal-mart for toddler clothes, baby supplies (bottles, diapers, wipes, soothers, etc.) as in the United States all of those products are cheaper than their Canadian counterparts and at times they are at least 50% less than the Canadian price! Also, while in the Province of British Columbia there is a 12% tax on all goods, in the state of Washington there is around 9% tax on all goods, and Oregon has 0% tax. The prices are dirt cheap and whatever is on the tag is the actual cost. Oregon is also one of only two states in the nation (the other I believe is New Jersey) where it is illegal to pump your own gas, so it is a nice perk to pull up to a gas station and not have to leave the vehicle. Dinner was at Denny's, a great family-oriented American diner establishment that is commonly seen in all of the major cities. Takeout food of soups, salads and clubhouse sandwiches made for an inexpensive, healthy choice and we are in a motel that charges $70 for two adults (young kids are always free). Some folks on ZooChat might have the impression that we are a wealthy family because of our yearly, enormously-long holidays, but while my wife and I are both teachers and have our summers off work we do not get paid during that time. The secret is to venture out on a road trip instead of paying for costly flights, to eat cheaply and not to splurge on pricey hotels. We can go away for a month or two, and while our holidays still cost thousands of dollars we have teacher friends that travel for two weeks in Europe for the same price as our family of four will spend on a far longer journey.
Well that is the one advantage of visiting Tucson and Phoenix in the summer. The hotels cut their prices almost in half.
@easytigger: Thank you for your reply. I think the reason why you didn't have to pay the ESTA was because they didn't charge it from the begining. And it isn't a private (google/airline)-thing, it comes from the US-authorities/US-government. I bed that it is no longer free for you as well. @snowleopard: Thank you for your reply too. Lucky Canadians. It seems that not all tourists are equal.... But sorry for leaving the track. I wait eagerly for your zoo reviews as well.
@Snowleopard One of the problems we have on our zoo trips is the fact that Bonnie is obsessed with gift shops.I collect patches and she collects magnets.I like to get in buy those and thats it,but she can't really do that she seems to always find all kinds of other stuff.This could become a bigger problem for you as your kids grow up.But as for us I really try just to keep her out of the gift shops. Marty from Team Tapir
Our third and final day of intense driving ended with a total of just over 1,600 km (1,000 miles) on the odometer, but now I can relax as we have reached the Bay area near San Francisco. Seeing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge is always fantastic, but the traffic between San Fran and Oakland is murderous during rush hour. Nevertheless, since we were slightly ahead of schedule earlier in the day we stopped in for a visit to CuriOdyssey. The birds of prey count hit 78 today, and the vast bulk of those were again turkey vultures circling fields searching for prey. DAY THREE: Thursday, July 14th Zoo/Aquarium Review # 1: CuriOdyssey CuriOdyssey’s website: CuriOdyssey | Coyote Point Museum changed its name to CuriOdyssey Map: Visit | CuriOdyssey CuriOdyssey is an AZA-accredited facility found in the city of San Mateo, about 20 minutes south of the larger metropolis of San Francisco. It is a fairly small museum/zoo/nature center that used to be named Coyote Point Museum, before a re-branding this year as CuriOdyssey. Almost all of the animals found at the establishment are non-releasable and the building is definitely geared towards young children more so than hardcore ZooChatters. THE BEST: Walk-Through Aviary – A 4,000 sq. ft. aviary with over two dozen birds is one of the highlights of the center, as the large mesh roof and heavily planted exterior makes for a beatific environment. Herons, coots, pigeons, green-winged teals and many other species make their home in the aviary, along with at least one large western pond turtle, but the habitat could really use more birds as it appeared to be a little sparse in areas. Signage – The large and informative graphics around the zoo often contained specific material in relation to the specimen within a particular enclosure, including the age and birthplace of the animal. Even the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, gopher snake, western toad, red-legged frog, California mountain kingsnake, banana slug and California newt exhibits contained this specific information. THE AVERAGE: Science Themed Exhibits – The Science of Nature, Tinkering and Backyard Science are three sections of CuriOdyssey that involve zero animals but instead there are a lot of gadgets, knickknacks and various bizarre contraptions that engage children. The building was very busy on my arrival as there were a couple of summer day camp groups checking out the scientific marvels on display. Examples included interactive sound and wave machines, a fog mister that was a major hit with kids, and several inventions that resembled glass obstacle courses for marbles. Mammal Exhibits – Considering that most of the animals have been injured in the wild and are non-releasable I am willing to cut the zoo a little slack when it comes to the size of its exhibits. None of the enclosures are as large as they should be, but at the same time none of them are shameful either. Mammals include these species: American badger, Channel Island fox, North American porcupine (in with the fox!), raccoon, ringtail, North American river otter, bobcat and coyote. The highlight is the otter exhibit, complete with the ubiquitous underwater viewing panel, and seeing the fairly rare Channel Island fox as not many American zoos exhibit that species of canid. Invertebrate – A large indoor bee hive set in a fake tree trunk, allowing the bees to fly outside via a clear pipe, is excellent, but the exhibits for darkling beetles, a California blond tarantula, a black widow spider and dermestid beetles are simple terrariums on stands. THE WORST: Bird of Prey Exhibits – A golden eagle exhibit and a raven/turkey vulture exhibit were both a little lacking in size and viewing opportunities. One nice enclosure was for burrowing owls and a California desert tortoise. OVERALL: CuriOdyssey is a nice diversion from the big-name zoos and aquariums that are found throughout the enormous state of California. My family spent about an hour and a half there, but that includes time with my daughter exploring many of the non-animal gadgets that are on offer inside the building. A typical ZooChatter, alone and without any kids, would more than likely spend an hour or less at the establishment. The place was very busy for a Thursday afternoon, the surrounding area has many recreational possibilities (golf course, boat harbor, walking trails) and thus CuriOdyssey seems to fill a niche within the community of San Mateo.
DAY FOUR: Friday, July 15th Zoo/Aquarium Review # 2: California Academy of Sciences Academy’s website: California Academy of Sciences - San Francisco Museum and Planetarium - Bay Area Natural History Museum Map: California Academy of Sciences California Academy of Sciences is a wonder to behold, as there is an aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum all under a 2.5 acre living, green roof. It is expensive to visit ($30 per adult), the food is pricey yet health-consciously modern and tasty in the Academy Café, and parking can be exorbitant in the garage unit beneath the building. The costs are offset by the sheer volume of sights and sounds that can be viewed inside the extraordinary structure, and since it opened in 2008 at a cost of half a billion dollars it has attracted people from all across the globe. San Francisco, more so than ever before, is a premier destination for millions of tourists every year. THE BEST: Steinhart Aquarium – Top-notch from start to finish, this aquarium is located in the lowest level of the Academy. An Amazon Flooded Forest section features a large, naturalistic anaconda exhibit, a wide piranha tank, a huge freshwater stingray habitat, several smaller tanks, and a terrific walk-through underwater tunnel exhibit that has many species of enormous fish: arapaima, pacu, catfish, arowana, etc. The Discovery Tidepool touch-tanks are average; the Northern California Coast area is terrific, including a nice kelp forest tank and countless other exhibits; the Water Planet section is a tad confusing to navigate and generally more of a traditional aquarium yet still excellent with more than 100 tanks (according to the visitor map); and the breath-taking Philippine Coral Reef main exhibit is packed with fish and extraordinary to gaze upon. The main section of the aquarium is located on the bottom floor, but there are also aquatic displays scattered across Level 1 of the Academy. A large Swamp pool has an albino alligator named Claude, at least 5 massive alligator snapping turtles, and a variety of fish that can all be seen from above and via underwater viewing. In various other locations on Level 1 there is a mangrove exhibit complete with long roots in a deep tank; a colony of African black-footed penguins in the African Hall; and a Reef Lagoon with stingrays and sharks (cownose ray, honeycomb ray, mono, blue-spot stingray and bamboo shark). Climate Change – This exhibit is as comprehensive as I’ve ever seen in regards to our changing planet. The few stragglers who dispute the findings of researchers and insist that humans are not drastically altering the air that we all breathe should spend 20 minutes in this part of the Academy, as there is a tremendous amount of knowledge to be gained from glancing through the plethora of displays. The information is interactive, exciting, glossy, colorful, and borderline brilliant. Islands of Evolution – Again, there might be some folks who find this section of the Academy to be only supportive of a theory, but the facts are plastered everywhere for all to see. Just the facts, ma’am! Placards the size of cars on the wall, Charles Darwin quotes on posters, and a staggering amount of scientific evidence for all to see…what more needs to be said? There are even flow charts, tortoise shells and maps of the world showing when, how and why evolution occurred. African Hall – A delightfully old-fashioned and ornately decorated hallway with African animals in dioramas alongside both walls. Where else can one see a pair of Hunter’s Hartebeest or a mountain gorilla? Some other specimens include: Kirk’s dik-dik, klipspringer, olive baboon, roan antelope, rock hyrax, black lechwe, steinbok, colobus monkey, bushbuck, cheetah, lion, leopard, African wild dog, bongo, beisa oryx, zebra, gerenuk and several bird species. The extremely active African black-footed penguins at the far end of the hall contrast sharply with the taxidermy work in all other locations. There are also 3 stuffed giraffes near the Planetarium. Living Roof – It was a chilly day (as it has been for all 4 days of the road trip) and so we only spent about 5 minutes on the roof. However, gazing out at 2.5 acres of native California plants growing high in the air is something incredible to witness. Naturalist Center – We just took a quick peek in here, but there are plenty of interactive activities, helpful staff members and many natural history books for the really keen scientists, researchers and explorers of the world. THE AVERAGE: Osher Rainforest (Rainforests of the World) – This impressive looking structure is not a typical zoo jungle complex as there is a lot of metal and wood featured in the modern, sleek design. A major downside is that the Academy opens at 9:30 daily yet the rainforest does not open until 10:00, and it is a pet peeve of my wife and I when we enter establishments only to find certain zones off-limits until a later time. Why not just open everything at the same time? Also, there are only a set amount of people allowed in at any one time so thankfully we toured this section first as later in the day the lineups were stretched around the entire complex! The three levels of the rainforest feature wildlife from Borneo, Madagascar and Costa Rica, in that order ascending towards the brightly-lit, domed roof. Technically there is a 4th level as the Amazon Flooded Forest is located at the base of the huge dome. As one spirals through the canopy the heat increases, the number of small birds and butterflies increases, the crowd thickens as visitors congregate on the walkways, and arriving at the top is a little bit of an anti-climax as it is not much different than the other levels. Along the way there are some fascinating specimens in average terrariums that are not nearly as impressive as they could have been. This rainforest complex cannot compete with the behemoths in zoos such as Omaha, Cleveland, Tulsa, Bronx, etc., as there is a definite lack of realism in favor of a more modern, artistic creation that fits in well with the architectural theme of the entire Academy. Snakes & Lizards: The Summer of Slither – There are over 60 different snakes and lizards in a closed-off room where there is no allowance for any photographs. All of the cold-blooded creatures are kept in standard terrariums that are neither poor nor excellent. Species included in the temporary exhibition: Burmese python, red spitting cobra, Gabon viper, emerald tree boa, Amazonian tree boa, Campbell’s milk snake, Madagascar giant day gecko, lined leaf-tailed gecko, Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko, common leaf-tailed gecko, crested gecko, rhinoceros iguana, chuckwalla, frilled lizard, blue-tongued skink, gila monster, green tree monitor, water monitor, eastern water dragon, green basilisk, veiled chameleon, tropical girdled lizard, collared lizard and Cuban night anole. THE WORST: Not applicable for this stunning achievement. OVERALL: California Academy of Sciences is an immensely popular institution that is a marvel of modern technology. Having only been created 3 years ago there is the usage of environmentally sound engineering within the building, from the green roof to the natural light that dominates the exhibits via massive skylights in all directions. People have been arriving in droves since the doors were flung open in September of 2008, and within 5 months there had already been a million visitors! Almost overnight San Francisco became home to one of the truly great museums of the world. We spent 5 hours at the Academy, and due to the fact that only children 7 years of age and over are recommended for the shows within the Morrison Planetarium we were unable to see what is apparently the world’s largest all-digital Planetarium. Other than that structure we managed to see everything else, but of course one could spend a week inside the building if they were to conscientiously study all of the information on offer.
DAY FIVE: Saturday, July 16th Zoo/Aquarium Review # 3: Aquarium of the Bay Aquarium’s website: San Francisco Bay | Aquarium of the Bay Exhibits: http://www.aquariumofthebay.org/visit.aspx?q=10032 Aquarium of the Bay is located on historic Pier 39 on the waterfront in San Francisco, and that superb location means that there are always plenty of tourists lined up in order to gain entrance to what is essentially an average-sized aquarium. The vast majority of the 700,000 gallons of water within the establishment can be found in an incredibly long acrylic tunnel set of exhibits that is outstanding. It is a pity that the other two sections of the aquarium are poor in comparison. THE BEST: Under the Bay – After passing moon jellyfish and sea nettles in a pair of basic tanks (the “Jellies” area) the hugely impressive, 300-foot long tunnel set of habitats welcomes visitors into an incredibly engaging underwater world. The two immensely long tunnels have conveyor belts on one side of the walkway, but on my visit they were not in use. I spoke with a volunteer and he said that the automated belts are only utilized on the absolute busiest days of the year, and even then visitors are not forced to use them but by having a conveyor belt running there is the sense of urgency given to the gawkers who are distantly related to ZooChatters and thus prefer to take their time when in a fantastic walk-through tunnel system. The first tunnel, called “Near Shore”, has many starfish, rockfish, wolf eels and several other species, but the giant sea bass are the real stars of the show. They can reach 7 feet in length and weigh up to 500 pounds! There is a small section called Octopus Grotto between the main tunnels, but it is disappointing, dark and somewhat dingy. The second walk-through tunnel, called “Deep Water”, is the real highlight for many visitors, as there are large species of fish that can be intimidating for youngsters. Sevengill sharks, soupfin sharks, spiny dogfish sharks, brown smoothhound sharks, leopard sharks (at least a dozen), bat rays, white sturgeon and skates all glide through the water effortlessly. THE AVERAGE: Touch the Bay is the final section of the aquarium to be viewed, and it features two touch-tanks that are of a decent size and exciting for youngsters. There was a crowd gathered around the exhibit that held 3 bat rays, 2 big skates and 2 leopard sharks, and it was not difficult to touch those animals. The second touch tank had more generic sea stars, sea urchins, sea anemones and barnacles and the nicely textured rockwork on the side of each tank is well sculpted. While the other two zones of the aquarium are very darkly lit, this area is bright and there are large windows to allow for natural lighting of the exhibits. The rest of the Touch the Bay zone was a tad confusing, as exhibits for several animals seemed out of place. Species list: African pygmy hedgehog, chinchilla, blue-tonged skink, pink-toed tarantula, pacific tree frog, cherry-head red-foot tortoise, honey bee, California kingsnake, western pond turtle and banana slugs. What exactly are some of those doing in a San Francisco aquarium? If there was a message then I missed it completely. There is a small room with a temporary exhibit called “Perils of Plastics”, but Oregon Coast Aquarium has a much better temporary exhibit that showcases the exact same thing. Naturally all visitors exit through the gift shop! THE WORST: Discover the Bay – This might be a harsh category for this section of the aquarium but it is the first thing that visitors see after they purchase their tickets and it is extremely disappointing. An endlessly racing school of anchovies in a tank that is quite vertical; sand dollars in a shorter tank; moray eels and colorful fish in an attractive exhibit; and a few more basic, average fish exhibits that are forgettable. There is a notable absence of a knock-out introductory habitat, but what is on offer is poor and somewhat haphazardly arranged. Layout – The aquarium does not produce a map of any of its 3 zones, there are zero maps on the walls, and thus visitors are kept in the dark as to when they will finish a particular section. I am indebted to ZooChatter “geomorph” for his extensive review and thus I at least had an idea of what to expect. The entry is on the second floor, and after touring the disappointing Discover the Bay zone all visitors must take an elevator to the lower level to see Under the Bay and the walk-through acrylic tunnels, and finally it is time to once again use an elevator to venture back to the second level for the Touch the Bay area. I can imagine that the elevators are packed on busy days, as when we toured it was fairly empty and we still had to wait for the elevators for a few minutes on each occasion. OVERALL: Aquarium of the Bay has one terrific area that includes 300 feet of walk-through tunnels, and with 5 species of sharks and a host of other animals this is an outstanding section that deserves to be visited by any aquarium enthusiast. Sadly the other two zones are average to poor in quality, and a major letdown after the excellence of the lengthy tunnels. We spent about an hour and fifteen minutes at the aquarium, and yet due to its sublime location on Pier 39 it receives over 600,000 visitors each year and will continue to be yet another major attraction in the hugely popular city of San Francisco.
After spending the past two nights in Sausalito, a small city slightly north of the Golden Gate Bridge, I type this about 5-10 minutes from the Oakland Zoo. We spent time in Sausalito because the motels were almost half the price of the ones in San Francisco, and it was worth the $6 toll charge each morning to head south over one of the world's most famous spans. Yesterday we were of course at the Calfornia Academy of Sciences for 5 hours, and today was 1.5 hours at Aquarium of the Bay. We then checked out the California sea lions (only 6 of them!) on the edge of Pier 39, puttered around some shops, before spending 1.5 hours at the Rainforest Cafe restaurant in the Fisherman's Wharf tourist hotspot. For those of you that are unaware, Rainforest Cafes are a chain of restaurants that spend millions in creating a jungle-like atmosphere inside their establishments. There is a massive gift shop at the front, loads of fake vines, branches and creepers hanging down from densely planted ceilings,and innumerable animatronic animals such as gorillas, chimpanzees, black panthers, frogs, snakes and elephants that emit ear-piercing sounds if you happen to be standing within four feet of them. Every half an hour there is a mock thunderstorm that shatters the senses, there are at least a dozen large aquariums (we sat directly next to one that was about 14 feet long and at least 8 feet high - it easily contained 100 colorful fish including a leopard shark) and the entire place is kid-friendly, expensive, but quite exciting to see every few years. My wife and I visited San Francisco in 2006, and we toured Alcatraz Island, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, the zoo and we even spent a few hours walking around the 1,000 acre Golden Gate Park. This time around it was the California Academy of Sciences, Fisherman's Wharf yet again, Aquarium of the Bay, and CuriOdyssey in nearby San Mateo. The multi-cultural metropolis contains a multitude of other attractions and it is easily one of the most celebrated cities in the world. Which brings me to Oakland, one of the most notorious and crime-riddled of all major American cities and yet only separated from San Francisco by the impressive Bay Bridge. Property crime, rape, murder and motor vehicle theft all rank extremely high in comparison to other cities of comparable size, and Oakland has been renowned as a troubled community for decades. Interestingly enough today we drove through several rough-looking, sketchy neighbourhoods that seemed to appear right off of a Hollywood movie set about inner city life. Graffiti was rampant, two liquor stores were in operation less than a mile from each other, and barbed wire surrounded many of the homes. This community is on the exact same exit as the Oakland Zoo!
And yet ironically the Oakland Zoo appears to be far superior to the San Francisco Zoo. (Based on reviews on this site - I have not personally visited either one).
Your impression of Oakland is rather over-dramatic (and inaccurate). It is the most fully racially-integrated city in the US, and boasts not only a very good zoo, but a series of interesting, attractive (and safe)neighborhoods: Claremont, College Avenue, Piedmont, Chinatown, the entire eastern hill section, Jack London Square and even downtown. The Oakland Museum is terrific, and of course neighboring Berkeley is the bucolic home to one of the world's great universities and is "ground zero" for health-conscious "locavore" cuisine. And the East Bay's weather is typically 10 degrees warmer than chilly San Francisco. Don't believe the (negative) hype......
@reduakari: you know far more about Oakland than I do, as this is my first visit to the city, but gazing at crime statistics via various websites makes for grim reading. Google any crime facts and Oakland is consistently high on most lists, so hopefully the crime is restricted to certain "bad parts of town". In 2008 I spent 10 weeks teaching high school in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago, which had over 500 homicides that year and the total population is only 1.3 million. It is often ranked as one of the 15 most dangerous countries on the planet, and yet I often walked around alone and I always felt safe and secure. My guess is that there is a criminal underbelly in Oakland but the majority of the city is safe and secure. You are definitely correct about the weather, as both days in San Francisco were foggy and chilly while already it is warm here in Oakland at 7:00 a.m.
