Postcards from San Francisco: I Love The NightLife

I haven't gotten off my dead ass and uploaded my most recent batch of outfit photos, so today you're getting a Postcard From San Francisco instead. Anyway, it was high time I posted another one, right? For an explanation of what this series is about, click here. To read the other posts in the series, click here.

Despite my recent rantings about the plight of child-free women like myself, I have to admit that San Francisco is a truly fantastic place for the kidless. We're talking about a town where dogs outnumber children, and where, according to the US Census Bureau, the number of people under 18 in the city is just 14.7% (compared with 25.5% statewide). As a result, there are tons of adult-friendly things to do in the city, including plenty of the usual stuff like dining out, cool bars, live music, theater, etc. Taking the adult-exclusiveness one step further is the weekly NightLife event at the Academy of Sciences. Yes, that's right; San Francisco offers up a place every Thursday night that would normally be teeming with tots, installs a bunch of bar tables and a DJ, and turns it into an adults-only party. Booze and learning, all in one convenient location!

Note the absence of children pressed against the glass and strollers obstructing the walkway.

Laura and I attended NightLife a couple of weeks ago for our Girls' Night Out, which coincidentally normally occurs on Thursdays. The fun thing about attending anything even vaguely scientific with Laura is that she somehow considers me the foremost expert in any and all scientific disciplines, from geology to medicine. I could tell you all sorts of stories about how I've bullshitted her on a lot of subjects that in truth I know next to nothing about, but that's a post for another time. At the Academy of Sciences however, I do happen to be fairly knowledgeable about a lot of the subject matter, having studied mostly biological sciences in college. So this place is right up my alley, and Laura is easy to amuse with interesting facts about frog reproduction or stories of how starfish can regrow severed legs.

The reptiles are my favorite. The Academy has one of the most extensive herpetology collections in the world and displays several live specimens, such as these beautiful Emerald Tree Boas and "Claude," the white alligator (of whom I did not get a good picture).

This was actually the first time I've visited the Academy since it reopened in its new location. The main reason I haven't been before now? You guessed it; I feared it would be packed to the gills with kids, and according to everyone else who's been there, it normally is. But when I found out about NightLife, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to check out the place on my own terms. The museum did not disappoint; the building itself is an amazing structure and a stunning example of sustainable design, and the exhibits were beautiful. Laura and I will most certainly be back.

The rainforest, which sits atop that aquarium tunnel you saw in the first picture. From below, you can see up

through the rainforest and from above you can see people walking beneath the fish.

A turtle cruised by overhead as we stood there sipping our wine. Beats sitting in a bar any day!

One of the amazing seahorses (correction: sea dragons!) on display in the aquarium.