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#22145 - 07/24/03 03:40 PM Valencia: City of Arts and Sciences
Roy Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 07/21/03
Posts: 5
Loc: Chicago
Has anyone been to the Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciencies / Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencas / City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia? It is a huge new complex with an oceanarium, planetarium, theaters (not all finished yet). There is an article about it in the Rough News newsletter by the Rough Guides people.

Their website is < http://www.cac.es> .

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#22146 - 08/09/03 01:49 PM Re: Valencia: City of Arts and Sciences
GuiaGuiri Offline
Member

Registered: 10/28/02
Posts: 107
Loc: New England, USA/València, Esp...
I have driven by often, but I have only gone in once (I prefer to haunt the Gothic Quarter when in Valencia). It has an interactive museum which is pretty interesting (open), like a space-age fun house in many ways. I missed the Imax theatre (also now open), but it is probably as much fun as any Imax theatre anywhere, and the planetarium should be worth the visit if it is done yet (?). The whole compound is an overall beautiful place, nicely finished, but quite vast - a perfect place to use Kamen's Ginger personal transort device. Wear those walking shoes when visiting there. City buses are convenient to get to it, and it is a reasonable walk from the city center. If you think of it, stop in any tabacalera ("tobacco store") and buy a "Bonobus" ticket for half price bus fairs - the bus in Valencia is a great deal.
The staff is friendly and helpful (normal in Valencia), I took a handicapped friend one day and they treated him like a prince.
The bottom line is that it is very entertaining just to visit it "as is" in it's un-finished state, but check first to see which parts are open for business. it is also very interesting to simply look at it from the city bus on the way to the ocean beaches - it's huge buildings are nicely set in the extensive public gardens that rest in the old river bed (the Turia has long since been re-routed, and the city had the good sense to use the space as a garden instead of a freeway).
the complex is sited in a way that is most intriguing, without appearing to loom over the city, and is worth the visit.
One interesting note, there seems to have been a budget issue, or perhaps some oversight, as the acres of glass curtain wall of the science museum have no "built-in" cleaning system, and some parts often seems to need a good rinse.
_________________________
"Art, the other white meat!"
www.edhuse.com/valencia.html

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#22147 - 08/11/03 11:56 PM Re: Valencia: City of Arts and Sciences
GuiaGuiri Offline
Member

Registered: 10/28/02
Posts: 107
Loc: New England, USA/València, Esp...
PD, a fly in the ointment appears. This comes froma n article in the 12aug03 issue of "Levante Mercantile", (http://www.levante-emv.com/)describing the public's dissatifaction with having to wait in line forever for tickets from only two open ticket booths-
"...La Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, a pesar de las denuncias de los usuarios, presentadas la semana pasada, sigue sin dar ninguna solución a las protestas que se suceden en l´Oceanogràfic. Medio centenar de personas tuvo que soportar durante más de una hora las altas temperaturas que se registraron, y ante esto el centro aún no ha tomado medidas.

Aguantar más de 40 grados en la cola que daba la vuelta al recinto contribuyó a que creciera el malestar entre la gente que esperaba para la visita. «No han hecho caso a las reclamaciones porque este descontrol sigue estando presente», afirmaron visitantes de l´Oceanogràfic..."
_________________________
"Art, the other white meat!"
www.edhuse.com/valencia.html

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