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 The Greatest Museum in the World (It even has live penguins!) By Heather Millar
CULTURE
THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY of Sciences has long been a heavyweight in scientific circles, with its 300 or so researchers fanning out around the globe to investigate the natural world and one of the planet’s largest collections of scientific specimens — around 20 million in all. But the San Francisco institution’s museum was a bit outdated. Imagine a Victorian library with fish, alligators, and dioramas instead of books.
Next month, though, that will all change, and in a big way. At the end of September, the Academy will throw open the doors to its completely remodeled facility: an aquarium, a planetarium, and a natural-history museum all in one. The museum’s website trumpets the Academy as “poised to become one of the greatest and greenest museums in the world.”
 And that’s not just PR hype. The remodeled Academy has quite a few claims to greatness: a price tag nearing $500 million, a cutting-edge design by Italian architect Renzo Piano, green building techniques for helping the museum blend into its Golden Gate Park setting and to create a new sustainability standard for public buildings, areas of research collections that are open to visitors, an expanded education program, hundreds of jewel tanks to showcase the stunning diversity of aquatic life, and live animals throughout the building — including penguins in the updated African Hall.
Here are a few of the coolest reasons to make the Academy part of your next trip to the West Coast:
1 A four-story living rain forest Beneath a glass dome that’s 90 feet across, walk up a spiraling ramp through three stories of tropical life: orchids; 1,600 animals, including 600 free-flying birds and butterflies; lizards that “fly”; chameleons; and even a bat cave, to introduce you to the rain forests of Madagascar, Borneo, and Costa Rica. Then, take an elevator to the Amazonian Flooded Forest to view the fish and electric eels from an underwater tunnel.
2 The world’s deepest coral-reef display From the surface or from five windows at different levels in the 25-foot-deep tank, you can take in the beauty of a living Philippine coral reef, one of the most assorted coral reefs in the world. The 212,000-gallon tank will house hard and soft corals, sharks, rays, and more than 4,000 colorful reef fishes.
3 A planetarium featuring “immersive digital video” The new Morrison Planetarium seeks to be like an IMAX movie theater, enveloping the audience. You’ll feel like you’re on Mars or exploring extrasolar planets (in other words, planets that lie beyond our solar system) as you take in shows that use a combination of projection technology and software advances made possible by video-game companies in nearby Silicon Valley.
4 A roof that’s really a hilltop As you leave the Academy, take a look at the 2.5-acre green roof, perhaps the world’s most complex: It’s designed to mimic the surrounding hills of San Francisco. The undulating surface has been planted with an eye toward creating an ecosystem. Beach strawberries, miniature lupine, and seven other native species will provide habitats for endangered birds and butterflies.
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TECHNOLOGY
The Social Hour
Are
e-mail, text messaging, social-networking sites, and the dinosaur of
communication — the plain old cell phone — enough to make you feel
adequately connected these days? Assuming you didn’t just get an
immediate urge to grow a foot-long beard and hole up in a remote
mountain shack, a free networking tool might be worth adding to your
e-repertoire. To help you sift through all the offerings, we offer this
nifty chart. —Ben Detrick
| NETWORKING | STAYING
CONNECTED
| SOCIALIZING |
Dopplr Designed for frequent business travelers, Dopplr lets users swap
itineraries with friends and associates. After plugging in your trip
details or synchronizing the site with an online calendar, match up
your schedule with fellow globe-trotters within your network. (Dopplr
can import from Gmail, Facebook, and Flickr.) After finding colleagues
who have also landed in Budapest, use the Tips page to discover a bar
for a good pálinka. www.dopplr.com
Twitter By limiting
participants to 140- character micro-blogs, Twitter is built for firing
out one-way announcements, not conversations. The web-based application
works on computers as well as on mobile devices, making it ideal for
sending out quick company-wide directives or informing clients of your
latest products and services. Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama used it to broadcast campaign announcements.
www.twitter.com | Jaiku This Helsinki-based utility adds “lifestreaming” — continual
updates of users’ Flickr photos, Last.fm music playlists, blogs, and
other digital minutiae — to instant messaging. The Jaiku mobile
application can be used as a phone book, showing activity streams and
locations of fellow members. Recently acquired by Google, Jaiku is
currently closed to new users (although current members can invite
their friends to join), but have no fear — Jaiku will return, and, as
with everything that Google touches, it will surely come back even
better. www.jaiku.com
Kyte While Kyte allows users to send
photos and to chat, it’s more of a broadcasting tool than a media
manager, specializing in streaming digital video content. After signing
up for your channel, upload your footage and instantly broadcast it on
blogs, mobile devices, and social networks (such as Facebook). It’s an
excellent way for families to share special moments. www.kyte.tv
| Dodgeball Designed to put the social in social networking, Dodgeball
encourages real-world interaction. Using a mobile text-messaging
system, participants announce their location at parties, bars, music
venues, etc., via a text to the Dodgeball site that is then sent to all
of the user’s Dodgeball.com friends. The matchmakers at Dodgeball even
make it possible to learn when a crush is nearby, if you and the object
of your affection are in one of the 22 U.S. cities currently in the
company’s network. www.dodgeball.com
Pownce Made public in early
2008, Pownce merges social networking with file sharing. Once you
upload your MP3s, friends can stream or download your selections. Plus,
you can send them messages, links, and information about events. Is
there an easier way to impress everyone with your knowledge of obscure
French house music? www.pownce.com
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DEBUTS
 What’s Hot Now
By Jodi Helmer
New to the Scene
Swimmingly Indulgent Do laps in the lap of luxury at Wet Republic at the MGM Grand,
where the allure of Las Vegas nightlife and the relaxation of an
upscale spa are combined to create an adults-only venue featuring six
spas, six waterfalls, two saltwater pools (the only ones on the Las
Vegas strip), and poolside cabanas. www.mgmgrand.com/wetrepublic
Splendor in the Village Check into the newly opened Greenwich Hotel
in New York to experience unparalleled attention to detail. No two
guest rooms in the 88-room hotel are alike, and the expansive,
2,500-square-foot penthouse (scheduled to open in 2009) will feature a
rooftop garden with a private hot tub. Oh, and did we mention that
Robert De Niro happens to be one of the four owners? From $625. (212)
941-8900, www.thegreenwichhotel.com
Fore!
Play a round of golf at the only course in Canada to feature 36 holes
of Jack Nicklaus-- designed golf. The first nine holes of the 18-hole,
par-72 course open this month at the Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort & Spa in Victoria, British Columbia, and the final nine will open at the end of 2008. Greens fees start at $64. www.bearmountain.ca
Cocktail Hour Next time you’re in Chicago, head straight to the recently opened Potters
at the Palmer House Hilton. Patrons dine on gourmet bar dishes (we
favor the truffled potato chips and goat cheese in a mini-crock) while
sipping on retro cocktails like the Kir Royale and the Singapore Sling.
www.chicagohilton.com
Cool Gear
Directionally Challenged No matter where you go, you’ll know exactly where you are with the TomTom GO 930
($500). The GPS has voice address input, hands-free calling, and maps
of the United States, Canada, and Europe. The system also offers IQ
Routes, which help you find the fastest route based on average road
speeds, plus an enhanced emergency menu. www.tomtom.com
Control Your Weight Avoid those overweight-luggage fees by weighing your bags before you leave for the airport. The Balanzza
($25) is the first digital luggage scale designed for travelers. It can
hold up to 100 pounds and displays weight in pounds and kilograms. www.balanzza.com
A Simple Spritz Freshen up with a fragrance designed for travelers. Prada’s Parfum de Sac
($68) for women is a nifty signature perfume case with an attachable
snap hook; available in two scents (Classic and Tendre). The men’s Vaporisateur de Voyage
($60) version sports the same tiny design minus the hook and chain.
Slip (or attach) the refillable stainless steel vaporizer into your
bag, and you’ll have your favorite fragrance at your fingertips. www.prada.com
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FOOD
 Cooking Up the Perfect Vacation
You
could spend your next vacation eating meals prepared by top chefs at
five-star restaurants. Or, you could put on an apron and learn to make
the same dishes yourself. Culinary vacations are more popular than
ever. Here are a few worth checking out. -- Jodi Helmer
1 The Culinary Institute of America
The world-renowned cooking school has introduced a new program at its
Napa campus called the Sophisticated Palate. Enroll in courses that
include Live Fire Cooking and Foods and Flavors of the California
Harvest, and you can spend your day (or the entire weekend) learning
the latest cooking techniques from CIA chef-instructors. From $495.
(800) 888-7850, www.ciachef.edu
2 Peggy Markel’s Culinary Adventures
Immerse yourself in Moroccan culinary traditions. Make mint tea with
fresh herbs from the Medina, bake bread in traditional clay ovens, and
try your hand at making couscous. The one-week program includes a tour
of the spice market, cooking demonstrations by local chefs, and
opportunities to try authentic Moroccan cuisine at nearby restaurants.
From $4,595. (800) 988-2851, www.peggymarkel.com
3 Holland America Line
In any of the top-notch Culinary Arts Centers aboard Holland America’s
14 premium cruise ships, passengers can watch culinary demonstrations
or take cooking classes relating to their ports of call — think
margaritas and quesadillas in the Mexican riviera. The 2008 lineup
includes Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle and master mixologists Christy
Pope and Chad Solomon. Price varies. (877) 932-4259, www.hollandamerica.com
4 Culinary Vacations
Get a new stamp in your passport and discover how to make dishes from
around the world. Chef John Wilson has offered culinary programs in
France, Italy, and Spain for the past 10 years. This year, he’s added
Wine Week, a weeklong program in Italy that focuses on pairing regional
dishes with local wines. From $2,400. (888) 636-2073, www.culinaryvacationsinc.com
5 Tuscan Women Cook
Learn the basics of Italian cooking from women who grew up making
traditional Tuscan dishes. You’ll gather around a farmhouse table in a
villa in the thirteenth-century village of Montefollonico, an hour
south of Florence, to make gnocchi, tagliatelle, and other dishes
during the program, which lasts one week. The classes also include
tours and tastings at local farms and wineries. From $3,750. www.tuscanwomencook.com
Cooking the Books
Don’t have time right now to take a culinary dream vacation? No worries: Bring the trip to you with these handy cookbook tomes.
Around the World in 80 Dinners: The Ultimate Culinary Adventure
by Cheryl and Bill Jamison
Veteran cookbook authors detail their adventures on a culinary tour that winds through Europe, South America, and Asia. $25
Culinary Boot Camp: Five Days of Training at the Culinary Institute of America
by Martha Rose Shulman
A condensed version of the classes taught at the CIA, with step-by-step instructions for the most popular recipes. $30
Tales from a Tuscan Table
by John Wilson
Chronicles 10 years of culinary vacations in Italy and includes a selection of regional recipes. $18
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