San Francisco | Museum of Ice Cream - Pink Overload

PART 1: PINK OVERLOAD

If you have any aversions to pink,  I would advise for you to avoid visiting Museum of Ice Cream. Well, granted you could first score that ever elusive $38 per person ticket. Lucky for me, BFF is a lucky charm. She got us tickets months in advance for a pre-Christmas holiday visit in December.

So, what is Museum of Ice Cream? I will try to explain it in my own words and based on our 45-minute visit to this pop-up "museum". In San Francisco, it is housed at a historic landmark that was built in 1910. The venue was an old bank, then  housed the Georgio Armani department store. Currently and temporarily, it is the home of Museum of Ice Cream. 

Back to my original question, I honestly am still not sure what MOIC really is about. Being honest with my own thoughts, it is an overpriced, hyped up event that caters to Instagram culture. It showcases ice cream -- its history and trivia related to ice cream such as the celebrities and political figures who worked at ice cream shops in their youth. Nothing much in terms of more substantial information. There were some pretentious pseudo political statements about inclusion, diversity and what not. Appreciated? Yes. BS? Yes as well. Why? Because I found it highly patronizing.   I was there for fun and entertainment. Pink ice cream and $38 per pop were just not the proper venue. Period.  So, please spare us.  I work in the real field of advocacy. Save it for people like us who are at the front lines fighting the real fight. Let us have fun and eat ice cream, instead, in peace.

Okay, with that said and I probably already killed it for you. (But I have to be real.  This is my blog, after all.)  Please do not be disheartened. Because I  truly had lots of fun with BFF. And I am truly grateful that she got us the tickets. The $38 was nothing compared to the unforgettable BFF moments that I will always treasure.  Spending the morning with her at MOIC was one of the highlights of my holidays.

I was surprised that Museum of Ice Cream was supposed to really cater to kids. I thought that it was really a playground for adults -- most especially adults who love pictures and Instagram. Imagine my shock when we were teamed up with a bunch of   ROWDY little kids. Before you call me a cynical, children-hating old woman (cynical -- yes/children-hating and old -- no and no), let me explain. After your ticket is verified, about a dozen or so strangers are put into teams. You are supposed to stay together but not really, in the end, you will all lose each other. The overly enthusiastic host asked each one of us what our fave ice cream flavors were. The six kids took forever to answer.  Then to our dismay, those kids dominated every room at first, meaning,  photo ops were difficult to come by. Sorry but not sorry -- I wanted my own photo and BFF photo moments as much as those kids. I am not blaming the kids or parents. I just want to warn you that if you ever go -- stay away from ROWDY kids if you wish to take lots of pictures! There were time limits on some of the rooms. Fighting with the adults for that perfect picture by the unicorn was difficult enough. (Some adults even brought their own photographers, most likely bloggers.) So, BFF and I just lagged behind until we gave the kids  enough head start. 

In the food department, we got two samplings of mini ice cream cones (one from CREAM), half of a mochi ice cream, a cotton candy and holiday pop rocks. Do not expect MOIC to fully satisfy your ice cream cravings  but the samples were good enough for me.

Stay tuned for Part 2. The next post will be more fun and less whining, I promise.

(The people in the photos above were of strangers and not of us.)

Next:  Cherries and Unicorn

Museum of Ice Cream:  Pink Overload | Museum of Ice Cream:  Magic Unicorn Milk Ice Cream | Museum of Ice Cream: Sprinkle Pool, Etc