Philosophy
Robert LeRoy Ripley
December 25th, 1890 to May 27th, 1949
In my youth I recall passing among my buddies [and budettes] worn paperbacks of Ripley's Believe It or Not...a curious collection of a world full of natural and human oddities.
The Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium in San Francisco has reopened at Fisherman's Wharf after a $5 million renovation.
New additions to the attraction, which reopened Wednesday, include the Marvelous Mirror Maze, a candy shop where visitors can buy candy by the pound, and more than 70 new interactive and hands-on exhibits.
Oddities in the collection include a wedding dress made from toilet paper and a ball of hair weighing 167 pounds. But the Odditorium also has a new emphasis on the Bay Area, with artifacts related to local history and icons, including a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge made from a single toothpick, the restraint chair from the gas chamber of San Quentin Prison, and a car in which an earthquake survivor spent 89 hours under tons of rubble before being rescued following the 1989 quake.
The Mirror Maze challenges visitors to navigate a course that appears to be filled with dead ends amid 200 mirrors in 2,000 square feet.
Ripley's grew out of a newspaper series called Ripley's Believe It or Not, compiled by Robert Ripley, who was born in Santa Rosa, Calif. Ripley joined the San Francisco Bulletin as a cartoonist in 1909 and moved to the San Francisco Chronicle until 1912, when he moved to New York.
Ripley's, located at 175 Jefferson St., opens daily at 9 a.m. It closes at 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and at midnight Friday-Saturday through Labor Day. Admission is $18 for ages 13 and up, $10 for 5-12, with additional admission to the Mirror Maze of $10 per person (combination tickets, $23 or $15 for kids).
Ripley's Believe It or Not! [Wikipedia]
Robert LeRoy Ripley [Wikipedia]
- Trick Or Treat?
Once again, we took the short people trick or treating last night. It's really not fair. They go door to door collecting attractive little packages of candy they are not allowed to have. Taking kids who can't have candy trick or treating is a...
- "dreamland's" "sleeping Woman" From The 1901 Pan-american Expo Survives
Amazing that something as large and old as this still exists today in Buffalo, New York. Leilani wrote at her blog... Back during the Expo, the massive face acted as an entrance into one of the amusement rides called "Dreamland". The ride consisted...
- Jeremy Mayer's Typewriter Art
I am not ready to transform my typewriter into art but Jeremy Mayer has done just that. "‘Sexy’ 6-Foot Sculpture Nude IV Is Made of Typewriter Parts" by Lewis Wallace January 31st, 2010 Wired Jeremy Mayer spent more than 1,400 hours at the typewriter...
- California Science Center Considering Admission Fee
"California Science Center might begin charging" by Lindsay Berg January 20th, 2010 Daily Trojan Students looking for a weekend activity that doesn’t drain their wallets have always had the option of visiting the California Science Center, which...
- Death Of An "atom Smasher"
"Historic Atom Smasher Reduced to Rubble and Revelry" by Alexis Madrigal July 8th, 2009 Wired Science BERKELEY, California — What was once the world's biggest atom smasher will soon be nothing more than a collection of old photos and the dust...
Philosophy
Ripley's Believe It or Not!...reopens
Robert LeRoy Ripley
December 25th, 1890 to May 27th, 1949
In my youth I recall passing among my buddies [and budettes] worn paperbacks of Ripley's Believe It or Not...a curious collection of a world full of natural and human oddities."Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium reopens at Fisherman's Wharf"
July 5th, 2010
USA TODAY
July 5th, 2010
USA TODAY
The Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium in San Francisco has reopened at Fisherman's Wharf after a $5 million renovation.
New additions to the attraction, which reopened Wednesday, include the Marvelous Mirror Maze, a candy shop where visitors can buy candy by the pound, and more than 70 new interactive and hands-on exhibits.
Oddities in the collection include a wedding dress made from toilet paper and a ball of hair weighing 167 pounds. But the Odditorium also has a new emphasis on the Bay Area, with artifacts related to local history and icons, including a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge made from a single toothpick, the restraint chair from the gas chamber of San Quentin Prison, and a car in which an earthquake survivor spent 89 hours under tons of rubble before being rescued following the 1989 quake.
The Mirror Maze challenges visitors to navigate a course that appears to be filled with dead ends amid 200 mirrors in 2,000 square feet.
Ripley's grew out of a newspaper series called Ripley's Believe It or Not, compiled by Robert Ripley, who was born in Santa Rosa, Calif. Ripley joined the San Francisco Bulletin as a cartoonist in 1909 and moved to the San Francisco Chronicle until 1912, when he moved to New York.
Ripley's, located at 175 Jefferson St., opens daily at 9 a.m. It closes at 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and at midnight Friday-Saturday through Labor Day. Admission is $18 for ages 13 and up, $10 for 5-12, with additional admission to the Mirror Maze of $10 per person (combination tickets, $23 or $15 for kids).
Ripley's Believe It or Not! [Wikipedia]
Robert LeRoy Ripley [Wikipedia]
- Trick Or Treat?
Once again, we took the short people trick or treating last night. It's really not fair. They go door to door collecting attractive little packages of candy they are not allowed to have. Taking kids who can't have candy trick or treating is a...
- "dreamland's" "sleeping Woman" From The 1901 Pan-american Expo Survives
Amazing that something as large and old as this still exists today in Buffalo, New York. Leilani wrote at her blog... Back during the Expo, the massive face acted as an entrance into one of the amusement rides called "Dreamland". The ride consisted...
- Jeremy Mayer's Typewriter Art
I am not ready to transform my typewriter into art but Jeremy Mayer has done just that. "‘Sexy’ 6-Foot Sculpture Nude IV Is Made of Typewriter Parts" by Lewis Wallace January 31st, 2010 Wired Jeremy Mayer spent more than 1,400 hours at the typewriter...
- California Science Center Considering Admission Fee
"California Science Center might begin charging" by Lindsay Berg January 20th, 2010 Daily Trojan Students looking for a weekend activity that doesn’t drain their wallets have always had the option of visiting the California Science Center, which...
- Death Of An "atom Smasher"
"Historic Atom Smasher Reduced to Rubble and Revelry" by Alexis Madrigal July 8th, 2009 Wired Science BERKELEY, California — What was once the world's biggest atom smasher will soon be nothing more than a collection of old photos and the dust...