Tutankhamun: The Golden Age of the Pharaohs

Today I went with my sister-in-law Cullin into San Francisco to see the Tut Exhibit at the de Young Museum. It was a beautiful day and a short 45 minute drive into the city. I was excited. I had been wanting to see this exhibit since it began it's tour of the US!



The installation was amazing. The artifacts were breathtaking and so interestingly displayed. You were on the journey of King Tut's genealogy, working your way through the years and family artifacts. Each room was varied with lighting and types of artifacts. The displays were simple and well lit and the descriptions were concise. From jewelry and funerary objects to shrines and statues, the varied pieces were easy to digest and appreciate.



It was definitely the wave of the future for museum exhibit installations with high definition screens of some of the smaller artifacts, historical vignettes and an interesting animation rendering depicting Tut's sarcophagus and it's protective layers in the tomb. Moving this exhibit around must be quite the feat!



Another cool thing is that Zahi Hawass, Secretary General, The Supreme Council of Antiquities, is going to give a talk at the San Francisco Opera house on February 8th. If I am still here and can swing it, I would LOVE to go hear him speak! He is amazing!

The de Young is a Fine Arts museum located in Golden Gate Park which is a HUGE (1017 acres!) and amazing park. I would love to go explore more. It has so much to see including the California Academy of Sciences which houses the Natural History Museum, an Aquarium and a Planetarium, and the park also has a botanical garden and a Japanese Tea Garden. When everything is in bloom I am sure it is even more spectacular.

It was great to walk around the Music Concourse and see people doing Tai Chi, while other people were jogging, walking or attending one of the exhibits in the area. The culture out here is so chill and relaxed and people are very friendly. I keep telling Cullin that it's all the sunshine! Vitamin D is good!:)

After our morning in San Fran, we headed back over the Bay Bridge through Oakland to Berkley. We ate lunch at The Claremont Hotel, which is a large fancy hotel in the hills of Berkley. We ate at the Paragon Bar & Cafe on the terrace which has breathtaking views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a great day and I am excited to see what other adventures I can go on while I am here. I will post pictures Monday once Cullin uploads from her camera. I am hoping my pic from the Claremont terrace that I took with my camera phone comes out well enough to post!