The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 4 years to get that many views.
Originally created as a “Japanese Village” exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition, the site originally spanned about one acre and showcased a Japanese style garden.
Japanese landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara and superintendent John McLaren reached a gentleman’s agreement, allowing Mr. Hagiwara to create and maintain a permanent Japanese style garden as a gift for posterity. He became caretaker of the property, pouring all of his personal wealth, passion, and creative talents into creating a garden of utmost perfection. Mr. Hagiwara expanded the garden to its current size of approximately 5 acres. The garden currently features classic japanese garden elements including: an arched drum bridge, pagodas, stone lanterns, stepping stone paths, native Japanese plants, serene koi ponds and a zen garden. Cherry blossom trees bloom throughout the garden in March and April.
Today, the Japanese Tea Garden continues to be recognized as one of the greatest man-made Japanese Gardens in the world and it is one of the most popular attractions in San Francisco.
Hours
Open Daily, no holiday closures.
Summer (3/1 through 10/31): 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Winter (11/1 through 2/28): 9:00 am to 4:45 pm
Admission
Mon, Wed, Fri: FREE admission if entered by 10:00 am
Adult: $5.00 (Residents), $7.00 (Non-Residents)
Senior (65+) and Youth (12-17):
$3.00 (Residents), $5.00 (Non-Residents)
Child (5-11): $1.50 (Residents), $2.00 (Non-Residents) Child (4 and under): Free
For more information visit http://www.japaneseteagardensf.com/
@ Yerba Buena Ice Skating Center
Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center is San Francisco ‘s only year-round ice skating center. They are open for various programs on an average of 18 hours a days, 7 days a week. We offer a wide variety of regular programs in our schedule – fun and exciting opportunities include:
Public Skating,
Freestyle sessions for competitive skaters,
Skating School for both figure skating and hockey skating,
Special Skaters Learn-to-Skate program,
Birthday Parties,
Private Instruction,
Youth Hockey League,
Adult Hockey League,
Adult pick-up hockey,
Skating sessions especially for adults and seniors,
Synchronized Team skating for youth and adults and
Former Olympian Brian Boitano’s Youth Skate Program.
The building capacity is 1,100 persons; With 500-600 skaters, the regulation hockey size surface is usually 2/3’s filled. They have permanent seating for approximately 300 spectators.
Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center
750 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: 415-820-3532
For more information on rates, hours of operation etc. visit: Public Skating at Yerba Buena …
It has been 35 years and I believe the late Abbie Hoffman summed it up best when he said “The lesson of the sixties is that people who cared enough to do right could change history.”
Golden Gate Park is over 1000 acres and is the third most visited park in the United States of America. Although is is often called New York Central Park’s “little sister.” Golden Gate Park possesses a wide array of unique and one-of a-kind features that sets it apart from other urban settings. Plans were put into motion to transform the bleak sand and shore dunes that decorated San Francisco into a usable, inviting park for the all to enjoy during the 1860s.
Entrance to the park is free to visit during the day, popular attractions charge admission, such as deYoung Museum, California Academy of Sciences and Conservatory of Flowers. The park is filled with gardens: AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE, BOTANICAL GARDEN, JAPANESE TEA GARDEN IN GOLDEN GATE PARK, QUEEN WILHELMINA TULIP GARDEN, ROSE GARDEN and the world famous CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS.
There are also plenty of opportunities to participate in sports on the Golden Gate Park Archery Range, Golden Gate Park Golf Course, Polo Fields, Stow Lake Boathouse, and Kezar Stadium. Browse the site for information on parking, maps, weddings, hotels, permits, making reservations, transportation, contact numbers, and the history of Golden Gate Park. For more information please visit: GOLDEN GATE PARK.
Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most famous attractions because of its rich history, fine foods, and unusual experiences. I have listed several of my favorites in this post but for a complete listing please click Attractions Located in Fisherman’s Wharf .
ATTRACTIONS:
Aquarium of the Bay
Address: PIER 39, The Embarcadero at Beach,
Phone: 1-888 SEA DIVE
Website: www.aquariumofthebay.org
National Liberty Ship Memorial (SS. Jeremiah O’Brien)
Address: Pier 45
Phone: 415-544-0100
Website: www.ssjeremiahobrien.org
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum
Address: 175 Jefferson Street
Phone: 415-771-6188
Website: www.ripleysf.com
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Address: Bldg. E, Room 265, Lower Fort Mason
Phone: 415-561-7006
Website: http://www.nps.gov
RESTAURANTS
Alioto’s Restaurant 
Address: 8 Fisherman’s Wharf
Phone: 415-673-0183
Website: www.aliotos.com
Boudin at the Wharf
Address: 160 Jefferson Street
Phone: 415-928-1849
Website: www.boudinbakery.com/at-the-wharf
Photo by Gayle Laird
© Exploratorium, http://www.exploratorium.edu
The Exploritorium is often referred to as the museum of science, art and human perception!
The Exploratorium was the brainchild of Frank Oppenheimer. At various times, Dr. Oppenheimer was a professor, a high school teacher, a cattle rancher, and an experimental physicist.
While teaching at a university, Frank developed a “library of experiments” that enabled his students to explore scientific phenomena at their own pace, following their own curiosity. Alarmed by the public’s lack of understanding of science and technology, Frank used this model to create the Exploratorium, believing that visitors could learn about natural phenomena and gain confidence in their ability to understand science, and the world. This was a groundbreaking idea for a science museum in 1969 when the Exploratorium opened. And the rest is history.
The Exploratorium is located at the Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123. It uses 110,000 square feet of floor space within San Francisco’s historic Palace of Fine Arts, plus offices and exhibit building shops in adjacent Presidio buildings. Facilities include:
For a detailed list of holiday hours, visit our events calendar.
| Adult (18-64) | $15.00 |
| Student (18+ with ID) Seniors (65+) |
$12.00 |
| Youth (ages 13-17) People with Disabilities |
$12.00 |
| Children (ages 4-12) | $10.00 |
| Children (3 and under) | FREE |
| Tactile Dome (7+; general admission included) | $20.00 |
| Members Become a member |
FREE |
For more information about the Exploratorium visit: http://www.exploratorium.edu/
The de Young Museum, a favorite of San Francisco residents and visitors since 1895, is located at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
The de Young Museum had significant damage after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 and was renovated after a successful multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign re-opened on October 15, 2005. The de Young museum has successfully hosted artwork on loan from the Louvre, Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay, Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, Warhol Live, and The Quilts of Gee’s Bend.
| Tuesday through Sunday | 9:30 am to 5:15 pm |
| Friday (March 30 through November 30 only) | 9:30 am to 8:45 pm |
| Monday | Closed |
The de Young is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. The museum closes at 4 pm on December 24 (last special exhibition admission at 2:30 pm).
The Hamon Education Tower Observation Deck closes at 4:30 pm (8 pm Fridays from late March through November).
| Adults | $10 |
| Seniors 65+ | $7 |
| Youths 13–17 | $6 |
| College students with valid ID | $6 |
| Children 12 and under | Free |
| First Tuesday of the month | Free (special exhibition fees still apply) |
| FAMSF members | Free |
| Audio tour | $7 ($6 FAMSF members) |
Admission tickets to the de Young include same-day general admission to the Legion of Honor (special exhibition fees not included).
@ 2012 The Academy of Sciences
The Academy of Sciences is the only place in the world with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, a 3D theater, a lecture hall, a Naturalist Center, two restaurants, an adjacent garden and aviary, a roof terrace, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof, which is located in world-famous Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA. The Academy is a stunning architectural achievement with hundreds of unique exhibits and nearly 40,000 live animals.
The Academy of Sciences renovation took ten years to complete and cost $100 million privately funded dollars. The Academy’s commitment to sustainability earned the platinum rating (highest rating possible) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
The museum is open 363 days a year (closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas) Monday – Saturday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased on-site or online. During peak periods, a $5 admission surcharge is added to ticket purchases at the door. This surcharge does not apply to tickets purchased online, which are valid any day, including peak periods. More more information please visit http://www.calacademy.org/visit/
| General Admission | Buy Tickets |
| Adult | $29.95 |
| Senior (ages 65 and over) | $24.95 |
| Student | $24.95 |
| Youth (ages 12-17) | $24.95 |
| Child (ages 4-11) | $19.95 |
| Ages 3 and under | FREE |
Beach Blanket Babylon, the longest running musical revue in theatre history. It captures both modern day politics and the history of San Francisco at the same time! Characters are often developed from pop culture, world historical events to create hilarious parodies of current events and popular icons as todays headlines unfold. Nothing is sacred and no hold are barred!
So when in San Francisco, plan a special evening at Club Fugazi on (678 Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard (Green Street), San Francisco CA 94133 to see what all the laughter is about! Prices range from $25.00 – $130.00 for premium tickets.
Visit http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com/ for more information.
Address: 2847 Taylor Street
Sammie Love 
