September 29, 2002 - California Science Center - Los Angeles, CA

Along with their permanent exhibits, the California Science Center has one of those large 20 foot tall rocks that visitors can attempt to climb. Over the years, we've seen them at fairs and at places like Universal City Walk. Most recently, at the Las Vegas Coca-Cola Museum, Megan and I watched as a young girl climbed to the top of a 50 foot high rock shaped like what else -- a Coca-Cola bottle. Meg thought that was pretty cool, and when we saw the rock at the Science Center, she really wanted to do it.

 

We'd visited California Science Center before and felt it was a good way to ease our way back into Museum Madness. It's essentially an expanded, re-invented, and renamed version of what once was The California Museum of Science and Industry. In 1998, the year it opened to rave reviews, we visited twice.

Getting there isn't necessarily a breeze. Although the exit off the busy and intensive 110 South Freeway is Exposition Park, you do have to make some tricky maneuvering into a rather poorly marked location. Once we paid $6.00 for parking, they routed us past the California Science Center, and through the middle of Exposition Park.

We ended up in a remote parking lot some 300 yards away. But it did give us a chance to walk back through the Park, past the Museum of Natural History and the LA Coliseum, and to enjoy the gorgeous, cool and breezy day we were having [it feels like it's been hot here since early 1999]. It was great to see the California Science Center from what's considered to be the main entrance

Beautifully designed by architectural firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership http://www.zgf.com, the striking, bright colors, bold stroke shapes, an interesting and intriguing open-air rotunda, and wonderful details, the main entrance really creates a sense of adventure. [top of this page]

I find it a good sign when visitors are hovering in a common area and enjoying a space. And that certainly was happening here in this rotunda. Along with a healthy line-up for the IMAX theatre, youngsters were running around, others were just sitting -- and it created a great sense of fun. Stand in the rotunda and look up -- what an amazing view.

Did I mention that admission to California Science Center is free? Well, it is. And that certainly is a welcome sight to see.

The interiors in the open air lobby are bright and light - but not in a sterile and antiseptic fashion like we saw at the Museum of Television and Radio. Instead, the three story lobby feels new, up-to-date, clean, fresh, and alive. Skylights flood the area with bright sunshine. It's kind of a rush.

The museum is divided into three floors

1st Floor: The lobby - the museum shop ExploraStore, IMAX theatre box office and information desk.
2nd Floor: Two exhibit spaces -- Creative World - and World of Life
3rd Floor: More Creative World - and the Weingart Special Exhibits Gallery

We started with the World of Life, a series of exhibits dedicated to all living things.

 

Exhibit interiors are designed by a firm called West Office Exhibition Design http://www.woed.com/index.htm

No longer the dark, cavernous museums of my childhood, where exhibits felt like an out-of-date encyclopedia, these spaces are open, interactive and immediately grab you.

We couldn't help but notice the Disney Theme Park influence throughout. Bright colors, bold pictures, eye-catching graphics and lights, lots of 'push-a-button-and-stuff-happens' -- the overall vibe is definitely raucous, rowdy and busy.