About a dozen members and friends enjoyed a day at the newly-re-opened Oakland Museum on this Sunday. It was a “free” day so we got there an hour early just to make sure. I normally avoid “free” days since they are typically very crowded but even though the line was about 200ft. long by opening, we never felt squeezed and were able to easily see everything. The Oakland Museum has always been a favorite of mine for the natural settings of its California History sections and its ease of parking, but the large special Pixar exhibit and the zero price tag were really the frosting on the cake. We saw how many characters of the Pixar movies had been developed through early sketches and clay models and saw a number of short films detailing the process and some early films before Pixar had been “discovered”. We learned how animated movies are built up from a story board and about some of the technical problems encountered along the way in this ground-breaking form of entertainment.
As usual, our tour leader Karen Soo had a suggestion for food after the show at a local dim sum place. Great food and cheap prices, but on the way back, we passed a highly-recommended bakery and dim sum shop where many of us loaded up on still more goodies. There was still more time before closing, so we toured the newly-organized California History sections and the eclectic fine arts sections. Take our advice and go to this place. You will not be disappointed. Thanks to Karen for leading this great trip.
