Wednesday, July 22, 2009

face to face with the boy king

We headed into the City again on Monday - three generations of us - to see the current de Young Museum exhibit that's the talk of the town: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. It's being advertised everywhere, including down on Fisherman's Wharf, where this enormous statue of Anubis watches over all the tourists (it looks to me like he's trying to spear that seagull for lunch):
I was lucky to see this traveling exhibit 30 years ago (yipe!), when I was the same age my son is now. Then, I was inCREDibly lucky to actually see King Tut's tomb in person in the mid-80's, when my mother and I traveled to Egypt and some of the surrounding countries in what amounted to a completely life-altering trip. I got to ride a camel around the Valley of the Kings and actually descend into the tomb (which was surprisingly cold, given the searing desert temps outside). Ancient Egyptians knew the death business inside and out, that's for sure.
There is so much to see and do in San Francisco that it's sometimes a bit overwhelming. That's one the reasons I love Golden Gate Park so much. There, you can simply stop and smell the flowers:

One of the neat kids' activities on the de Young site is the "Flat Anubis." Those of you who have grade school-aged kids have probably had some sort of "Flat Stanley" experience; Well, the Flat Anubis is basically the same thing. My son wanted his FA pic taken in front of the Conservatory of Flowers.

The old, glorious de Young building was, sadly, torn down and replaced by what I consider to be an architectural abomination, but what do I know. It's nice inside, though, and they do have a cute lily pad pond out front.

No cameras were allowed inside, so I don't have any actual pictures of the items in the exhibit (which is nicely enhanced by some theatrical technology and brilliantly narrated by Omar Sharif, both as you enter and if you purchase the audio tour, which I definitely recommend). All in all, coming "face to face with the boy king" is well worth it, so if you're in the Bay Area (or if Tut is coming to your town), be sure to go. After all, your kids may be as old as you are now the next time it comes around.

1 comment:

  1. I love that picture of nothing at the bottom of this entry. You've been influenced by Seinfeld I see.

    Seriously, welcome back to the blogosphere. Not much has happened in your absence except that a few skeptics have become a little more skeptical of themselves.

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