Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Day 2 -- San Francisco

Summary
(:)(:)(:) Academy of Art and Sciences
(:)(:)(:)(:) Ghostwriter at the Balboa
(:)(:)(:)(:)(:) Shanghai Dumpling King on Balboa in Upper Richmond, SF

Day spent at the recently refurbished Academy of Arts and Sciences. People are right. The building is astonishing, particularly the Living Roof. What a revelation to plant all over the roof. The rainforest, a pretty long wait, was disappointing. The Rainforest in the Buffalo Zoo is much better because it has a jaguar and monkeys. This mostly has 100s of other people in a hot structure with some butterflies. The penguins are worth seeing--hot biologist in a wetsuit and the whole thing. It was really fun to see one male adolescent penguin flit back and forth between two females causing one female to attack they other and pull a huge tuft of feathers out of her--cool! So middle school!

Unexpected successful attempt to see Ghostwriter at the Balboa Theater in the upper Richmond. I really enjoyed this movie. I have to say that escaped criminal notwithstanding, Roman Polanski can direct a film. I really loved that it was edge of your seat suspenseful the whole time with only one very quick incident of violence. That may come from having a really old director going old school like Hitchcock. I wish more movies like this were made. It was too predictable but I so enjoyed the theme and the suspense and Ewen MacGregor (where has he been since Moulin Rouge? and what is the deal with Pierce Brosnan? Is he like in every single movie this year or what?)

Dinner at Shanghai Noodle King nearby the Balboa on Balboa. Our second trip there having learned of it when visiting friends who live nearby. Man, that restaurant is quite the schlepp from downtown SF but pretty much worth it. I don't think I've had better Chinese food on the west coast since the early 80's in Portland, Oregon. The garlic eggplant is out of this world and people swear by their dumplings.

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