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It really doesn't matter
whether you're 5 or 105, the fun collection of mechanical games and toys
at Musee Mecanique is 100% sure to please.
The decidedly low tech arcade is among the last remnants of Playland
at the Beach, San Francisco's long gone oceanfront amusement park, along
with the former Playland carousel at Zeum,
Camera Obscura, the Doggie
Dinner mascot on Sloat Blvd., and the It's-It
bar. Some of Musee Mecanique's quirky machines are enough to make a grown
man giddy. The mop topped and always happy Laughing Sal, who delighted teenage
sweethearts and children of all ages for more than 50 years at Playland,
lords over the entire loony collection. All kidding aside, when you see
Laughing Sal start to giggle, gyrate, and guffaw it's impossible to be in
a bad mood. The museum is free except for all the quarters you'll use here.
Astonishingly, the machines are maintained in perfect working order! Musee
Mecanique is located in the lower level of the Cliff
House near Ocean Beach.
(Musee
Macanique is being housed at Pier 45 through 2004 while the Cliff House
undergoes remodeling.)
Laughing
Sal I
Laughing
Sal II
Hear
Laughing Sal!
Arm
Wrestling Machine
Barber
Shop "Quart"
Grandma Fortune Teller
Early
Hand Organ
Photobooth
Harold
Lloyd "On the Beam"
A
Message from the Sea
Sex
Appeal Meter
Tom
Mix, "Quick on the Trigger"
More
about Playland at the Beach |
