Ninna Gaensler-Debs

Yesterday was opening day for the new and improved Exploratorium over in San Francisco's Embarcadero. Right around Pier 15, the new space boasts 330,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibits, 150 of them brand new. It also hopes to become the largest net-zero energy museum in the United States — if not the world.

A surfer takes on a Maverick wave.  A writer acquires an unexpected tenant – and his house plant. These stories and more told live on stage at the Victoria Theater in San Francisco. Fri. April 12 at 8pm.

KALW 91.7FM presents “Heard Here,” an interactive evening of storytelling. Inspired by real people in the Bay Area, this show will feature stories of ordinary locals who have gone through extraordinary circumstances – all told by some of the Bay's best writers, radio producers, and performers.

This past summer, Peet's Coffee, founded in Berkeley back in 1966, was purchased by a German Company for $1 billion. Over the last half-century, on its way to becoming a billion dollar company, Peet's helped launch the Bay Area craft coffee movement, spawning places like Four Barrel, Blue Bottle, Philz, and other independent coffee shops. Today, there's a wealth of coffee shops to be found, each with its own distinctive flavor and fans.

Yes, President’s Day is over. No, we don’t have another three day weekend until May, not that I’m counting. But buck up kids, the weekend will not only bring sun, but also the promise of international celebration with Russian festivals, Chinese New Year parades, record-setting rappers, and the glamour of the red carpet as stars gather for the 85th Academy Awards. So, grab your fur hat and a glass of champagne and prepare yourself for a weekend that just might live up to its three-day long predecessor...

Science is rarely easy to understand and even harder to explain. But here at the Exploratorium, science isn’t hard – it’s fun. Why? In order to learn, you have to play.

Isidro Demry is playing with the Soap Bubble Tray exhibit. The name says it all: it’s a big tray with pools of soapy water. It’s simple, but surprisingly cool. Especially because I played with the same exhibit when I was six years old, then again when I was ten, and now, I watch as it’s used for what must be close to the last time before it leaves for a new home.