Exploring the New Exploratorium

With the brand new Exploratorium just walking distance of San Francisco’s biggest tourist land mines, it is no surprise that almost two weeks into its grand opening it is still bringing in hundreds of people, especially on a bright Sunday afternoon.

The new Exploratorium has settled at Pier 15, opening its doors on April 17. With so many tourist hot spots both new and old—the old-age Pier 39 and the Ferry Building as well as the newest attractions, the Bay Lights and preparations for America’s Cup underway—the Embarcadero is seeing its share of growing tourism. Add an interactive museum chock-full of fun gadgets and gizmos, and it can only get better.
The sun shone brightly on the day I chose to check out what I imagined could only be wonders at the Exploratorium. But as the packed F train I was on approached the stop nearest Pier 15 at 12:45 p.m. and a wave of men, women, and children got off, heading toward the direction of the new attraction, I knew this may have been more than I bargained for.
After a hearty brunch at the local IHOP, I finally scrounged up the courage to make my way through the crowds of people surrounding the museum. Although slightly intimidated by the sheer mass of people, my curiosity got the better of me as I made my way to the ticket desk (for us lucky San Francisco State students, we get a discounted ticket price upon showing our school I.D). I hadn’t been to the Exploratorium since I was 12, so I was ready to suite up in my Rambo gear and go in for the kill.
The museum, open at this point for a little less than two weeks, is slightly unorganized and still has many exhibits that have yet to be opened. Although there were loads of cool things to do, such as old exhibits like my personal favorite, the toilet water fountain, there was a ton of human traffic. If you do not like crowds, or more simply children who tend to want to play with a display for what seems like hours, stay away from the museum on weekends.
But as the museum pulls together, it seems it will prove to be a promising activity for us college adults with the attention span of a kitten on catnip. Before I knew it, it was already 5 p.m., two and a half hours after I arrived, and there were still many areas of the museum I had yet to visit. What makes this museum so much more interesting than any other museum in San Francisco is that it is almost completely interactive and it compels you to not only think, but to learn.
So the next time you and your buddy are bored on a Thursday after your only morning class, make your way over to the new Exploratorium and see for yourself what it has to offer.