WE’RE almost at the end of our San Francisco trip! One of our last stops in the city was the Exploratorium, a massive science and discovery centre located at Piers 15 and 17, Embacadero. A modern, blockish-looking building, the centre was first opened in the 1960s and was relocated to its new place in 2013.
We actually got here late and had to rush through a lot of the exhibits. I recommend spending half a day or more here because there are so many things to try and interact with. Great place for families, geeks, and those who like to experiment with stuff.
The centre is divided into many sections, each dedicated to a certain science, such as Light and Sound, Human Behaviour, Living Systems and Tinkering (electricity and magnetism). Almost every exhibit can be interacted with, so it was a lot of fun!
The inside is massive. Here we enter the Human Behaviour section. There were things like card games, experiments related to emotion and psychology, etc.
E and I sat on opposite sides of a counter where you had to ‘match’ genders with specific keywords/items, such as ‘occupation’ and ‘roles’ which tend to be viewed as either masculine or feminine. For example, the word ‘family’ is often associated with females, and ‘career’ tends to be associated with males.
Apparently watching yourself in the mirror crying will create feelings of sadness..
Chairs of differing sizes
I like how spacious the place is, despite housing thousands of exhibits. The ventilation is good and there’s lots of sunlight.
I couldn’t help but compare it with Malaysia’s old Petrosains… which has not seen an upgrade since 1999.
The machinery section was closed off to the public, but we could view it from behind a barrier.
The Exploratorium definitely needed more… exploring, but we ran out of time. Would like to come back for a proper walk through the next time I’m in SF. Great place for the kids and the curious. 🙂
EXPLORATORIUM
Pier 15, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111, United States
Open 10am – 5pm
Admission: 29$ (pricey, but I think its worth it provided u spend a longer time trying out all the experiments and stuff.)
For dinner, all you can eat hotpot! Nothing better than that in cold weather.
Left San Fran with a heavy heart. It was my second last day in America.
Time to pack for the long flight home. The US has been an amazing experience, and I can’t wait to go back and explore the rest of it’s 50 states.