Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences

By Jeff | Monday, December 29, 2008 | 6 Comments

Thanks for visiting 8Asians, a blog about Asian American issues. If you find this interesting, subscribe to the RSS feed, visit our Facebook Page or add us on Twitter!

My family and I recently visited the Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. I recall seeing some of the fish in the exhibit from the time many years ago when I went with my parents to a small fish market in Mindinao. What really impressed me was the that exhibit had descriptions of how some Filipinos there were working to preserve the reefs and practice sustainable fishing. This is a welcome change from hearing about the destructive practices there of dynamite fishing and cyanide fishing. If those practices sound absolutely crazy, they really happen. Filipinos are not generally known for long term thinking.

Diver CoralReef Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences

Another thing I found interesting about the musuem was the Asian food in the cafeteria. They had steamed bao, Vietnamese rolls, and pho. Number One Son had the pho. You could say that he is “phanatical” about pho. Wasn’t cheap though.

If you are thinking about going in the near future, be aware that the museum has been wildly popular over the holidays. We bought our tickets online ahead of time and still had to wait over an hour to get in. Parking can be difficult, too. In my opinion, it was worth the wait and parking pain. There is a lot more than just the aquarium such as the rain forest exhibit and The Living Roof. If you go, plan ahead and get there early.

Categories:

Current EventsEducationObservations

NOTE: 8Asians.com is a community, and we thank you for being a part of it. While we welcome and appreciate differences in opinion, if you're rude or you're promoting spam, we have a right to edit or delete your comment. Read our comment policy for more information.

If you see a comment that violates the 8Asians.com comment policy, you may flag the comment by mousing over the comment and clicking "FLAG."

6 comments 1 person listening

Comment help
Get Livefyre

Sort: Newest | Oldest

Jeff

I didn't get a membership, but I was tempted, mainly to get us in faster (the membership line was shorter). If you visit more than a few times, a membership can pay for itself. There is a lot in the museum plus they have special events, so an education-oriented family can get good value out of membership. The Mercury News article linked to in the post mentions that membership goals are way above expectations. I just wonder how many of the memberships are to education-oriented Bay Area Asian-American families looking for a good education and entertainment value close to home.

share flag