Not for Sissies! Feeling your Way Around the Tactile Dome at the Exploratorium

First, let's assume you are not claustrophobic. Or THINK you're not. AND, let's assume you left your fear of the dark back in your childhood bedroom along with that scary, hairy thing under the bed--if so, the Tactile Dome in San Francisco's Exploratorium is for you!
A recent trip on a rainy day gave me an opportunity to check out differences between the exhibits in the Exploratorium's expanded space on Pier 15 and its old home near the Marina. The space expansion has permitted the addition of quite a few more of the interactive exhibits the Ex is known for. Often designed by artists, the exhibits illustrate various scientific principles; in total, a really clever way to introduce your little one or yourself to science--and there are dozens of principles to see in action, from earthquake prediction to the visual breakdown of light. These exhibits are beautifully designed, and can withstand the rigors of hundreds of tiny hands every day (mostly--there's always one unsupervised kid who can't keep from bashing something and causing it to implode).

On the hour, a gigantic mechanical clock unfolds itself in the center of the exhibit space and announces the time. Nearby, special exhibits delight visitors; when I was there, mechanical toys of all types were hard at work moving, clanking and charming one and all. The exhibit space also showed the principles behind the toys--gears, levers and other mechanisms that created movement--all in touchable, teachable exhibits that illustrated how it was done.
Some of my favorite exhibits had to do with light, vision, sound and hearing in the central gallery. Inside one exhibit, life-size shadows were projected on a screen the size of a semi truck; the movements were interpreted in flowing rainbow colors: beautiful!

Speaking of light (or lack thereof), I left the "thing" under the bed years ago, but I was surprised to find that I was a tad more claustrophobic than I thought. I moved pretty slowly through the dome (it really is blacker than midnight in a coffin in there), feeling my way along, discovering where the handholds led up or down, where a slide was, or a net to walk on; however, there were folks who zipped right through it, and did it more than once! I wasn't worried, however, because while inside the dome's tight spaces, visitors are actually being monitored by the front desk--one yelp for help (and it has happened, they tell me), and you're whisked out of there in minutes. It was really quite an experience.
One of the best times during the day to be there is lunchtime, when all the families head for the food service area--the big clock will strike 12 times!

A Christmas Escape to Fairyland

I've always admired the work of artist Wendy Addison without knowing who or where she was. Now that she has dozens of imitators (including a passel from China), it means more to me than ever to know that she spends half her time in the tiny town of Port Costa, on the Sacramento River. Too small to have a post office, and once a loading area for trains, the town features a few old store fronts, one of which is her studio and a tiny outlet space, the Theater of Dreams.

Her workshop is open on weekends preceding many holidays, and Christmas is a favorite time of year to appreciate her special medium: glitter. Not just any glitter. Years ago she discovered a special type of silver glitter made originally in Germany that was actually broken slivered glass (like a mirror). The shine was unparalleled, but there was a downside--like all silver, it tarnished over time. This "defect" turned out to be something of an advantage to those who collected her work, and the blackened stars and other objects became collectibles.

The designs change every year, but during Christmas, Easter and Halloween, Port Costa is the place to be.

A Really (Really!) Short Trip to Phoenix

These are glass Dale Chihuly "cacti"

Journeyed out on a brief trip to visit my friend who moved to Phoenix recently, and her dentist. I meet with and approve all my friends' service providers. No, I really was visiting her dentist because some expensive procedures cost about 1/3 less there than in the Bay Area--and that includes two round-trip flights! The main drawback is the Phoenix airport; due to runway rebuilding, three of my four flights were delayed between one and three hours. Flight personnel clued me to the best terminal to hang out in (if you HAVE to): Southwest Airlines (Terminal 4)--better restaurants, art etc. If you're going there, fly as early as possible in the morning.

We were able to do a little sight-seeing during my visit; unfortunately being outside for more than 10 minutes during the day is not something sane people do there (unless completely submerged in cold water), so the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument was saved for another day. We toured the tiny town of Florence--its few western-style streets looked like a cowboy movie set deserted in mid-day--and visited its well-stocked second-hand store that had some real treasures.

Outdoor dining at Gertrude's

Then it was up to the city of Phoenix, and the Desert Botanical Garden, which proved to be a fantastic find. Surrounded by hills resembling melted chocolate ice cream, the garden itself is beautifully lit and laid out (it was late in the afternoon by then, and the temperature had dropped to a reasonable 85 degrees). Our companion pooch melted the hearts of the attendants, but alas, no dogs allowed.
Since my flight continued to be delayed, we ended up spending a couple of hours at the restaurant in the garden. Gertrude's has an upscale seasonal menu and mixed drinks that are made from local ingredients and reflect the sunset in their beauty (my vote for best: Tombstone Tea, made with vodka, gin, triple sec, prickly pear nectar and lime syrup).

My favorite bite was the smoked and fried tofu appetizer with tomato kasaundi (a tomato-based dip) and curry salt--it was the chef's grandmother's recipe, modified by her Canadian upbringing and time in New Orleans. Our waiter, Kent, was a doll, especially given the amount of time we dawdled nursing our drinks and waiting for news from the airline. Jared, the bartender, was kind enough to let us taste his favorite (California) wine.

Next time--hopefully in winter, when the air temperature will drop down to the 70s, there's plenty I'd like to see in the Phoenix area beyond Casa Grande: Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Scottsdale, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, the Painted Rock Petroglyphs...

Chihuly cacti at night

I'm just getting started! I better need more dental work soon...

Tea for Two at San Francisco's Grande Dame

Antonio Benedetti sings his heart out in front of the Fairmont

Purview of Presidents (from William Howard Taft on), The Fairmont Hotel--the first hotel built on prestigious Nob Hill--began serving a full cream tea the year it opened in 1907. And what and where better to celebrate my daughter's birthday?

How cute is the birthday girl?

In the early 1890s, “Bonanza Jim” Fair used some of his gains from the world's largest silver strike--the Comstock Lode in Nevada--to purchase a plot of land atop Nob Hill for a family estate, His lucky life didn't extend to the building of his dream home; daughters Tessie and Virginia inherited  the property and began to construct a hotel as a monument to their father. As architect, they chose the first female graduate of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, Miss Julia Morgan,

The Lobby

In what had to be the mother of all bad timing, the opening scheduled for April 18, 1906 was somewhat delayed due to a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.The Fairmont survived the temblor and hundreds of aftershocks, but fell victim to the insatiable fires that leveled much of the city in the next few days (herewith a plug for my novel Shaketown--featuring the Fairmont ballroom as a makeshift hospital on the day of the 'quake). The grand exterior of the building made it through, though the interior was gutted.

Exactly one year and $5 million later, the Fairmont Hotel celebrated the rebirth of San Francisco with
a feast consisting of 600 pounds of turtle for soup, 13,000 oysters and thousands of dollars of California and French wines.

The ever-so-soothing Laurel Court

Though our tea lacked turtle soup (permanently off the menu thanks to the endangered species act), it featured, in addition to a panoply of teas, an impressive variety of sweets and savories, such as two kinds of sorbets, Dungeness crab mango salad on sourdough, deviled egg salad, mixed berries, fresh fruit, two kinds of scones and an assortment of teeny pastry dainties and more. It took us a couple hours to work our way through--not an unpleasant task, as tea is held in the restored Laurel Court, a bastion of old-time ritzy San Francisco, right down to the softly lighted Italian murals on the walls.

The staff went out of their way to accommodate dietary needs--and who could resist "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate on a plate presented with a delicious bite of cake. Yes, we chipped off the chocolate and ate it--so much more dignified than trying to scrape it off with one's teeth. We are classy girls, after all.

http://www.fairmont.com/san-francisco/dining/afternoon-tea-at-the-fairmont/

Angel Fest: Blue Angels on Angel Island

Friend Jenny and I took the ferry out from Tiburon on October 8 to Angel Island State Park, then a shuttle to Point Knox across the bay from San Francisco to see the beginning of Fleet Week. The Navy's Blue Angels Jet Team performed along with the Breitling Jet Team from France and a number of other stunt flyers. The air show ran from noon to 4PM; the seven-member Breitling team from 2-3PM (their vapor trails and maneuvers were particularly intricate) and the Blue Angels in the last hour (tight formations are a hallmark of this team). Different websites cited different times, though I understand the Angels ALWAYS perform between 3 and 4PM. The jets sound like thunder, and the sound reaches you well after the airplanes have moved past. The most thrilling moment for me was when the Blues arrived over our heads on Angel Island, flying in from points north.
Here's my brief video of moments from the day.


For an amazing video of the Breitling Team over New York, see this YouTube. It makes you want to be a jet pilot (or at least buy a very expensive watch).