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Originally Posted by Reminiscence
Did anyone happen to attend Opening Day at the California Academy of Sciences? From what I've seen, it looks like a glorious building already derserving of monumental status. I myself would have gladly went but was already buried with work from new classes, sigh.
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I was particularly impressed with the rainforest exhibit, an interesting mixture of architecture and nature. It's quite humid and extremely well-designed so that you truly feel like you are somewhere in Borneo or Madagascar. The small underwater tube is also spectacular... The giant fish and natural light streaming through the green water make for an incredible scene. It's clear a lot of work went into that particular exhibit--I spent several hours alone just going through the various levels of the rainforest. The Philippine coral reef exhibit was also amazing, just for the sheer diversity of colors.
From an design point of view, I like it... It's extremely airy and bright, and there's so many different vantage points--catwalks flying all over the place, viewing areas on the sides and roof, and several of the exhibits you can see from different angles or levels (the swamp, rainforest)... From the outside, the building looks small, but I spent a good six hours or so in there, and by the time I left, my feet were killing me. You can definitely visit to enjoy the design of both the exhibits and the building itself.