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Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts

The Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco

Show it with flowers!. if you want to show your feelings with flowers, maybe you can visit this place to choose what is right flowers to show your feelings. The Conservatory of Flowers is a large botanical greenhouse in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, constructed in 1878. It houses an important collection of exotic plants. It is the oldest building in Golden Gate Park and the oldest municipal wooden conservatory remaining in the United States. It is also one of the first municipal conservatories constructed in the country. For these distinctions and for its associated historical, architectural, and engineering merits, the Conservatory of Flowers is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historic Places, is a California Historical Landmark, and a San Francisco Designated Landmark.
The conservatory of flowers is an amazing Victorian green house, containing tropical plants, palms, orchids, and some scary carnivorous plants as well. It is the oldest public conservatory in the u.s and one of the largest with 16.800 window panes. It has nearly 2000 plant species, 700 of those being orchids.

The conservatory of flowers offers an intimate up-close experience with rare and endangered plants unlike any other.This place was great, lots of different varieties of plants. They had a really cool butterfly inside there.

In Golden Gate Park, hosts over 2000 plant varieties, including a collection of tropical carnivorous pitcher plants. The East Wing is dominated by the aquatic plants pond, home to giant Amazon Lilies, the largest of which are strong enough to support the weight of a child. Climbing overhead, the Nepenthes pitcher plants (also known as 'monkey cups') survive on a diet of insects lured into their flower like opening, then trapped by the slick walls and lowered into a stew of digestive enzymes in the base of the cup. Named for the mythological elixir of the Egyptians given to Helen of Troy to erase her sorrows in Homer's Odyssey, the name means 'without sorrow' in Greek.

The building itself was first discovered in parts amongst the property of a wealthy local business man who died before it could be built. It was donated to the city, opened a year later in 1879, and is now the oldest wood & glass conservatory in western hemisphere. It suffered extensive damage from storm winds in 1995, and the the building was closed for several years while restoration efforts were underway. It was named one of the 100 most endangered sites of the World Monuments Fund, and was part of the national Save America's Treasures program. It was restored and reopened in 2003

image source : wikimedia

The War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco


If you want to travel to San Francisco, there is one place that seemed you have to visit for its uniqueness. This place is called the war memorial opera house. The War Memorial Opera House, one of the most beautiful and technologically advanced performing arts centers in the world, is a true San Francisco jewel.
The San Francisco War Memorial Opera House rivals Old World theaters with its elegant lines, vaulted and coffered ceiling, marble foyer and sweeping balconies. Built in 1932, the War Memorial Opera House is the 3,146-seat home to the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet.

Designed in the magnificent French Renaissance style by Arthur Brown Jr, architect of Coit Tower and City Hall, the War Memorial Opera House is both a local and international landmark. After opening its doors to audiences for the first time on October 15, 1932, the exquisite and stunning War Memorial Opera House also served as the birthplace of the United Nations. In fact, it was on San Francisco's very own Opera House stage where President Truman signed the United Nations charter on June 26, 1945.

Today, after a seismic retrofitting following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Opera House boasts state-of-the-art equipment, a refurbished interior graced with decadent beaux-arts trappings, 3,200 newly re-upholstered plush velvet seats, expanded access for people with disabilities, and numerous refreshment bars for the intermission crowds.

The war Memorial Opera House’s address is 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street, San Francisco, CA.
Although it may look like an Old World theater on the outside, but on the inside, it is quite technologically advanced. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, major damage was done to the opera house. Since the building would be receiving vast structural renovations as well as a seismic retrofit for protection from future earthquakes, technical improvements such as an up to date lighting system were added as well. Those who will be traveling to this area in order to attend an event should become aware of the cheap hotels in San Francisco near the War Memorial Opera House.

The War Memorial Opera House is also a part of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. The San Francisco Opera is based here, as is the San Francisco Symphony orchestra. The San Francisco Ballet also performs at the War Memorial Opera House. During renovations, 3200 velvet seats, refreshment bars, and disabled access were added to the Opera House, making it a comfortable and elegant place to enjoy the arts. Discount hotels near the War Memorial Opera House are quite popular, so once you know the dates of the performance you will be attending, book your room as soon as possible to insure that you can be accommodated.