ILLUMINATION

ILLUMINATION - The Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park will be transformed with colored lights inspired by the tropical flowers contained therein and the flower power movement. In remembrance of the Haight Ashbury’s 1967 Summer of Love for the iconic event’s 50^th anniversary. The light display will be shown every night after sundown from June 21 through October 21.

http://conservatoryofflowers.org/exhibits-events/flower-power/

1915 PAN PACIFIC

1915 PAN PACIFIC - All aboard! An exhibit, titled 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition, can be seen until April 2016 at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The display is a miniature railroad that passes through iconic imagery of San Francisco’s yesteryear. The Pan Pacific was a World Fair held along the north shore, to showcase reconstruction after the devastation incurred by the 1906 earthquake. If you’re a regular visitor to my blog check out pics from past conservatory exhibits including Chomp, Playland, Boomtown and Butterflies. Model trains wind their way through plants and recreations; such as the Tower of Jewels and Palace of Fine Arts; along with other features/ memorabilia. SIDE NOTE - You can visit buildings from the exposition that still stand in the city today such as the Palace of Fine Arts and Civic Auditorium. Another curious fact is the Legion of Honor is a replica of the French Pavilion featured in the Pan Pacific Exposition. If you’ve never been, a trip to the Conservatory of Flowers is worthwhile; to take a trip into the city’s colorful past.

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/search/label/CONSERVATORY%20OF%20FLOWERS

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2014/07/chomp-they-came-from-swamp.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2013/06/butterflies-blooms.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/11/barbary-coast.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/01/playland-at-beach.html

CHOMP! They Came from the Swamp

CHOMP! They Came from the Swamp - What would happen if you set a horror story in a greenhouse full of plants? “Little Shop of Horrors”, you might answer. A better answer is: “CHOMP! They Came from the Swamp”, which is a new exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The exhibit is chockfull of meat-eating plants in a one-of-a-kind display like none other. Get a sense of the reasons why plants attract, capture, eat and hunt. There are several large models with a POV experience tiny insects feel when these voracious predators turn them into their next meal. The show runs through October 19, 2014, so make time to see it!

BUTTERFLIES & BLOOMS

BUTTERFLIES & BLOOMS – Spring is the magical time of year when buds transform to blooms and the chrysalis cracks open to reveal beautiful butterflies. An exhibit on display through October, titled Butterflies and Blooms, is now available at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. When you’re there you can see a dazzling array of butterflies including monarchs, swallowtails and admirals. If you’re a regular visitor to my blog check out pics from past conservatory exhibits including Playland at the Beach and Boomtown Barbary Coast. See beautiful examples of Mother Nature’s designs as they flit about roaming from daisies to sunflowers to zinnias as they drink nectar and become dusted by pollen. The Butterfly Bungalow protects free-flying insects as well as displays the transformations that occur inside the cocoon. The bug’s body liquefies reorganizing all of its cells from a caterpillar into a butterfly. This powerful message of change and transformation applies universally as we shed our winter layer and bask in the warmth of the spring sun. 

BARBARY COAST

BARBARY COAST - Those were the days when San Francisco was a port city, a destination for 49ers on their way to strike it rich working in a gold mine. Nightfall in Sin City transformed the Barbary Coast into a dangerous red light district with prostitutes, gamblers, saloons and opium dens. The exhibit at the Conservatory of Flowers is part of their continuing series of garden railway exhibits that runs through April. Last year I posted on a previous exhibit, Playland, go to my blog archive to view that post. The small scale railroad winds its way through miniature buildings, boats and plants. If you’ve never been, a trip to the conservatory is worthwhile; to take a trip into the city’s colorful past. Or, if you want to re-trace the steps of the long gone 49ers; walk around Maiden Lane near downtown, the former location of the red light district.  

PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH

PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH – An exhibit, titled Playland, can be seen until April 2012 at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The exhibit is a miniature railroad that passes through iconic imagery of San Francisco’s yesteryear. Playland used to exist beneath the Cliff House, along the Great Highway, beginning in 1921. The real amusement park is long gone, but it’s been re-created, to enjoy once again or to see it for the first time. The Playland landmarks include a Ferris wheel, Dutch windmill, Fun House, bison paddock, Big Dipper Rollercoaster, Diving Bell, Cliff House, Sutro Baths and Golden Gate Bridge. SIDE NOTE - You can still visit the Sutro Baths ruins and the Camera Obscura near the Cliff House. I suggest that you park at a metered space on Great Highway and take a walk on Ocean Beach. Then, have brunch at the Cliff House and make sure to ask for an ocean view table.  Also, you can visit many of the vintage amusements, which used to be featured at Playland.  Go to the Musee Mecanique, located at Fisherman’s Wharf Pier 45.

PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH