Overseas Chinese Web Guide

Tag: san francisco

  • Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA

    On a foggy San Francisco morning, I stopped by the Palace of Fine Arts to visit the Exploratorium. While the museum is off the 101, transportation is a hassle because a stretch of 101 winds through the City of San Francisco, with all the attendant problems that crowded streets and endless blocks of traffic lights bring.

    With a print-at-home coupon in hand, we walked up to the admission desk and claimed our $2 off for adults and $1 off for children discount.

    The breadth of exhibits was astounding. The junior explorers had a wonderful time seeing, touching and experiencing the science in action. The museum had both simple and complex exhibits that appealed to young children, teenagers and adult alike. Allow a minimum of three hours for a cursory roam through the museum.

    One of my favorite exhibits was a camera and flash rigged to a dropper and a cup of water. A rotary dial allowed the user to select how soon after the water drop the camera would take a photo. Who knew that hands-on science can be so much fun.

  • Eugene Friend Carousel

    Located at the San Francisco Zoo, the Eugene Friend Carousel is an enclosed merry-go-round near the entrance of the zoo.

    For $2.00, you can get a ride aboard a fine carousel horse.

    If you want a wilder ride, you can hop aboard the tiger. However, animals on the outer track only circle around and do not move up-and-down.

    A friendly pair of porkers is another option.

    The two kittens are dedicated hunters. This one has a fish in its mouth. The other kitten caught a bird.

    Not sure what’s up with this melancholy giraffe.

  • San Francisco Zoo, San Francisco, CA

    I spent a chilly New Year’s Eve at the San Francisco Zoo We were greeted by polar bears and snowmen at the entrance.

    I saw a lot of free range peacock leisurely roaming around the park. This one was strutting around the reindeer pen. The reindeer must still be exhausted from their Christmas Eve deliveries because they just sat on the ground. I saw absolutely no reindeer games.

    Didn’t see any lions at the Lion House. I did see two tigers circling around in their pens. The Lion House is a great place to warm up. Nice and toasty inside.

    The cold weather did not bother the penguins. They were frolicking around in their pond.

    This tapir was one of the more active animals. The tapir pen is next to the rhino pen. In cartoons, rhinos are often portrayed as bullies or foot soldiers, but the one we saw seemed quite docile as it busily munched away at a lunch of lettuce and celery. The missing horn also made the rhino look less intimidating.

    Four dollars buys two spins around the track of the Little Puffer steam train.

    The San Francisco Zoo features a lot of bronze animals just waiting for children to climb on top.

    I spotted a pink color bear. I think the polar bears got dyed for the holidays.

    At the South American Tropical Forest exhibit, I spotted a pair of macaws engaging in some tomfoolery.

    Kangaroos! Last of the fun animal exhibits.

  • Great Dickens Christmas Fair, San Francisco, CA

    Last Sunday, I attended the Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party at the Cow Palace in Daly City. Having never been to the Cow Palace or a Dickens Fair, I was not sure what exactly to expect.

    The Dickens Fair was a magical experience. At the entrance, we were transported to Fezziwig’s Warehouse for a holiday party complete with talented musicians and dancers. Actually, it was hard to tell who was a performer and who was a guest because many guests had dressed up for the occasion. Not sure where everyone is stashing their Georgian costumes.

    While the Dickens Fair is at the Cow Palace, it was really located at a series of low-slung buildings next to the cavernous arena. Nevertheless, the Dickens Fair includes more than enough space to replicate an English town. Next to Fezziwig’s Warehouse is the Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall, which featured a fusion fairy tale performance: Aladdin & Cinderella Meet the Monkey King. As if those three are not enough, the big bad wolf also features prominently in the cast of characters.

    Actually, the fair contains numerous stages featuring ongoing performances throughout the day. I found this band while waiting for a juggling performance to begin.

    The highlight of the excursion was the Wild Safari merry go round. I had never seen a hand-powered merry go round before. That’s truly keeping in the spirit of the times.

  • Old Mandarin Islamic 清真老北京

    I first heard of Old Mandarin Islamic through the Check, Please! Bay Area television show on KQED. You can view that episode on the KQED website or download the free episode from iTunes. Anyways, I finally made my way to San Francisco this past weekend for a taste test and ended up enjoying a feast at Old Mandarin Islamic.

    First off, I’ve been to many Chinese-Islamic restaurants in the Bay Area and in Los Angeles. Usually, I opt for the noodles and sesame bread。 However, based on my recent re-discovered fondness for hot pot, we ended up with hot pot and a bunch of other dishes.

    As you can see, the Old Mandarin Islamic hot pot is quite different from the Little Sheep Mongolian hot pot. Besides the different cooking vessels, the Old Mandarin Islamic broth was much clearer and lacked the distinct medicinal taste of the broth from Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. Since the Old Mandarin Islamic meat coming out of the broth was not as strongly flavored, the restaurant provided some dipping sauces.

    The lamb from Old Mandarin Islamic is as tender and paper thin as the one from Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. However, if you compare the photos, the Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot lamb appears a bit more fatty. Besides the hot pot, we also tried the 生煎包, the cumin beef, and a vinegary napa cabbage dish. I really should have picked up the take-out menu so I could be more precise with the names of the dishes.

    The real stand-out dish was the lamb stew. I cannot recall the English or Chinese name, but this stew had a rich, savory sauce with the most tender pieces of bone-on lamb I have ever tasted. I would return to the restaurant for this dish alone. It was that good.

  • Koret Children’s Quarter at Golden Gate Park

    The Koret Children’s Quarter is located at 320 Bowling Green Drive in Golden Gate Park. Also known as the Children’s Playground, the Koret Children’s Quarter features an abundance of activities for young children, including swings, an artificial (concrete) surf with larger-than-life hermit crabs and other marine animals, a sandbox, and two climbing and play structures that include the usual ladders, tunnels and slides. The Koret Children’s Quarter also offers a two-track concrete slide where young children can ride down the concrete hill on a side of cardboard or in a cardboard box. Cardboard boxes from Costco appear to be particularly popular.

    Nearby is the Golden Gate Park carousel, which is housed in the rotunda with doric columns.

    A $2.00 fee buys you a ride. For children 6-12, the price of admission is only $1.00. Children 5 and under ride free when accompanied by a paying adult.

    Had no idea where the brass ring was hidden, so no free ride for me. Besides the usual ponies, you can also hop aboard a lion, billy goat and rooster, if you so inclined.

    Simply a great place to spend a morning or an afternoon. The only downside is that parking may be difficult to find if you arrive late and the park (and parking) fills up quickly.

  • San Francisco Zoo: San Francisco, CA

    giraffe

    The San Francisco Zoo is a fun place for children and adults. Located near Lake Merced, the zoo showcases a broad spectrum of animals in various habitats. Some exhibits, like the giraffes at the African Savanna, appear expansive and more modern. Others, like the Lion House and the various playgrounds, seem dated. Overall, the zoo is a wonderful destination to visit. The park is large and walkable. The bonus is the Little Puffer Steam Train that loops around one section of the park. Children just love train rides.