The Golden Gate Park – De Young Museum -Tutankhamun Exhibition San Francisco

Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at3:40 pm by Wanda

Tutankhamun I am really looking forward to today. We are going to the de Young Museum to see the ‘TUT’ exhibition.

The story of mystery and magic surrounding the life and death of the boy king ‘Tutankahem’ has always been a favorite of mine.

We head into Union Square and then down to the Visitors Information Centre to find out how to get to the Golden Gate Park.

We had missed the 10:30am hop on hop off bus which only goes twice a day to the park.

An elderly gentleman behind the counter casually waved in some direction and said catch the 5 or 21 Muni (bus). I find that a number of Americans in the service industry are hopeless at giving directions to someone who has absolutely know idea of where things are.

So we head of along Market St looking for something that resembles a bus stop for either the 5 or 21 bus. While I am walking I am reminded of our time at the Grand Canyon when the receptionist told us the bus left from the bottom of the stairs. We assumed she meant the hotel stairs but she actually meant a set of stairs, that weren’t signposted, quite some distance from the hotel. I always think of the Denzel Washington statement in one of his movies, talk to me like I’m a child. Because when I don’t know where I am and what I should be doing, that is how you need to explain things to me. (okay rant over)

Well we stumble upon the bus stop and for the sum of $2.00 for adults and .075c for seniors, we travel out to the Golden Gate Park. Now the man at the information booth had told us to get off at 8th avenue, but the bus driver out of the blue says ’8th avenue for the California Academy of Science’ , next stop for the de Young Museum. So we stay on the bus and get off virtually across the road from the museum. Bonus, less walking.

At the Tutankhamun Exhibition The de Young is a beautiful building and before long we have our tickets and are ready to enter the exhibition at 12pm. There are only so many people admitted at a time so the ticket times are staggered. We stand in line for about 25 minutes and then it is our turn to go down the stairs to join the next queue. I ask Val if he wants to do the audio tour but he declines and as I am pretty much across the life and times of Tutankhamun I don’t bother either.

On entering the exhibition there is a short video narrated by Omar Sharif (the perfect person to do this narration). I off course am right at the back so I can’t see anything anyway and wait patiently for the film to finish and the doors to the exhibition proper to open.

Unfortunately I can’t share any of the exhibition with you as photos were not allowed. Suffice to say it is awesome with lots of artifacts such as funerary jars and if you get the chance to see it – Don’t miss it.

And because there is so much mystery surrounding this young king thing such as his ancestry line are preceded with wording such as “These may have been Tutenkhamun’s ancestors’ or ‘Tutenkhamun may have been buried with his two stillborn daughters’.

Nevertheless if you are interested in Egyptian antiquity this exhibition is a must see. I am quite enthralled by the fine craftsmanship on the hand beaten golden boxes and jewelery.

I have to have something to remember this exhibition by, so as much as I wanted the book and dvd I think of the extra weight to carry around and so I settle for a tee shirt.

After leaving exhibition we go through to have some lunch and stroll the art garden.

Art at de Young museum