Not another science lecture
August 20, 2004 | 12:00am
LOS ANGELES – The best thing about La-la-land is that there are so many things to enjoy other than the never-ending stargazing at glitzy Hollywood functions, shameless revelries on the feral Sunset Strip and the singles’ nights out on the irreverent Santa Monica Boulevard. When the partying hits an ultimate high, detox is the only way to go.
"Let’s check out the museums, for a change," suggested a friend, Mitz Cusi. And so we took an indefinite leave from the night scene to enjoy the world in broad daylight.
One of the more popular museums in SoCal is currently making noise as the temporary home of Body Worlds, the world-famous exhibition of human anatomy. But the California Science Center has more to offer in its main building, the Howard F. Ahmanson Building that encompasses 245,000 square feet.
Among the four permanent exhibits, two "worlds" are now open. The Creative World is a testament to how advantageous and disadvantageous human inventions are to human life. In it are the different technological advancements in structures, transportation and communications – computer technology, digital imaging, solar cars, and earthquake-resistant buildings. It showcases both the wonders as well as the consequences of human innovation. World of Life deals with the living world; from the single-celled bacterium to the 100 trillion-celled human being. (Let’s not get carried away with this science lecture bit.)
The Air and Space Gallery is separate from the main building and stands on its own 16,000 square feet of exhibits and artifacts display. And within each of the four main galleries are Discovery Rooms where families, school groups, adults and young children can learn from live demonstrations, explore innovative programs, and engage in interactive exhibits.
The World of the Pacific is an invitation to visitors to swim past a 15-foot by 25-foot long sculpted rock outcropping in a kelp forest. A 211-gallon saltwater tank with live sea creatures immerses the visitor in the beauty and diversity of the habitats around the Pacific Rim. Worlds Beyond allows visitors to experience both aircraft and spaceflight through a state-of-the-art motion-based simulator. Like real Navy pilots, visitors can choose to fly a simulated mission with the Blue Angels aerobatic team. Or they can choose to voyage into space via the simulator for a close-up tour of the International Space Station. A High-Wire Bicycle allows visitors to pedal across a guide wire 43 feet above the floor, giving the rides in Magic Mountain a run for their money.
The California Science Center is a department of the State of California that opened its doors to the public on February 7, 1998. But the current structure is only the first phase of a three-part master plan for the historic Exposition Park in downtown Los Angeles. Nearly 1.5 million visitors troop to the museum annually, including 300,000 school children.
Rancho La Brea is frequently referred to as "Tar Pits" because it has one of the richest and most famous asphalt deposits of Ice Age fossils in the whole world. Since 1908, more than one million fossil bones dating 10,000 to 40,000 years old have been recovered and are housed at the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of Los Angeles.
Through the windows at the Page Museum Laboratory, visitors can watch bones being cleaned and repaired. Last June 26, the museum even opened a section called "Pit 91" where the annual excavation of Ice Age fossils takes place. For two months every summer, Page Museum paleontologists work on excavating fossils from Pit 91 which is only one of more than 100 tar pits located within the 23 acres of Hancock Park.
During this season, visitors are allowed to watch from a special observation area as paleontologists and volunteers recover bones from extinct mammals like the saber-toothed cats, dire wolves and giant ground sloths that died in sticky asphalt deposits 28,000 years ago.
Entrance to both museums is free. If you’re planning to go on a US-trip soon and know that you’ve got plenty of time to explore, these are two interesting stops. Science need not be highfalutin or boring. I actually enjoyed the experience. But then, again, perhaps it holds true — once a geek, always a geek?
"Let’s check out the museums, for a change," suggested a friend, Mitz Cusi. And so we took an indefinite leave from the night scene to enjoy the world in broad daylight.
Among the four permanent exhibits, two "worlds" are now open. The Creative World is a testament to how advantageous and disadvantageous human inventions are to human life. In it are the different technological advancements in structures, transportation and communications – computer technology, digital imaging, solar cars, and earthquake-resistant buildings. It showcases both the wonders as well as the consequences of human innovation. World of Life deals with the living world; from the single-celled bacterium to the 100 trillion-celled human being. (Let’s not get carried away with this science lecture bit.)
The Air and Space Gallery is separate from the main building and stands on its own 16,000 square feet of exhibits and artifacts display. And within each of the four main galleries are Discovery Rooms where families, school groups, adults and young children can learn from live demonstrations, explore innovative programs, and engage in interactive exhibits.
The World of the Pacific is an invitation to visitors to swim past a 15-foot by 25-foot long sculpted rock outcropping in a kelp forest. A 211-gallon saltwater tank with live sea creatures immerses the visitor in the beauty and diversity of the habitats around the Pacific Rim. Worlds Beyond allows visitors to experience both aircraft and spaceflight through a state-of-the-art motion-based simulator. Like real Navy pilots, visitors can choose to fly a simulated mission with the Blue Angels aerobatic team. Or they can choose to voyage into space via the simulator for a close-up tour of the International Space Station. A High-Wire Bicycle allows visitors to pedal across a guide wire 43 feet above the floor, giving the rides in Magic Mountain a run for their money.
The California Science Center is a department of the State of California that opened its doors to the public on February 7, 1998. But the current structure is only the first phase of a three-part master plan for the historic Exposition Park in downtown Los Angeles. Nearly 1.5 million visitors troop to the museum annually, including 300,000 school children.
Through the windows at the Page Museum Laboratory, visitors can watch bones being cleaned and repaired. Last June 26, the museum even opened a section called "Pit 91" where the annual excavation of Ice Age fossils takes place. For two months every summer, Page Museum paleontologists work on excavating fossils from Pit 91 which is only one of more than 100 tar pits located within the 23 acres of Hancock Park.
During this season, visitors are allowed to watch from a special observation area as paleontologists and volunteers recover bones from extinct mammals like the saber-toothed cats, dire wolves and giant ground sloths that died in sticky asphalt deposits 28,000 years ago.
Entrance to both museums is free. If you’re planning to go on a US-trip soon and know that you’ve got plenty of time to explore, these are two interesting stops. Science need not be highfalutin or boring. I actually enjoyed the experience. But then, again, perhaps it holds true — once a geek, always a geek?
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