Dropping Coins at the Musee Mecanique

Editor's note: If you're planning a trip to San Francisco, make time to visit the Musee Mecanique. You not only get a glimpse of gaming's past, but you also get a chance to learn a little about San Francisco in the old days. -Jason

Not to brag, but gamers in the Bay Area have it pretty good.

We have community meet-ups; massive,Â Brigadoon-likeÂ arcades; a PlayStation store (at least for the moment);Â pinball museums;Â beach boardwalks; a world-classÂ convention; the largest concentration of game developers and press in the country; and, located just west of the schlocky shenanigans of Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf, the fantasticÂ Musee Mecanique.

The Musee Mecanique packs 100 years of arcade history into an old shipping warehouse on Pier 45. The machines inside run the gamut from old mechanical nickelodeons offering to show you what goes on in the "Opium Den" and stereoscopes promising a peek at what a belly dancer does on her day off to modern electronic games likeÂ Centipede andÂ Sunset Riders. Most of the machines cost only a quarter or two; you could easily spend hours there on a scant 10 bucks.

Whenever guests visit me, I try to work in an excursion to the museum. This July I played tour guide twice -- and yup, I took both groups to the Musee Mecanique. While I was there, I shot these photos for your viewing pleasure.

(And hey, if you like what you see, come visit! California could use your tourist dollars.)

Simply looking at the entrance transports you back 100 years.

Laffing Sal greets visitors and then gives them lasting nightmares.

Mrs. Bally's second-grade class made these ballplayers.

Bitmobbers Jeff Grubb (left) and Derek Lavigne engage in a little co-op gaming.

This game is incredibly difficult.

Madden 10....1910, that is.

Yup, yesteryear's nickelodeons were just as violent (and a lot less politically correct) as today's games.

After-hours in the opium den.

Creepy dolls? Suggestive phrases? It's fun for the whole family!

An especially elaborate mechanical fair.

"Squeeze and let go." That's what...ah, nevermind. It's too easy.

*SPOILER* She drops the kids off at school and then paints her toenails while watching The People's Court.

In the sultan's harem, women dance in fruit bowls.

Claw games have been around since the dawn of arcades.

Something about the note to "shoot slowly" really tickles me.

The French: known for mimes, pretentious people, and executions.

If you think swinging a Wii-mote is tiring, wait until you play this.

Amusement parks past.

With cabinet art this bad-ass, surely the game itself is totally sweet.

Bust! 1970s technology, you've let me down.

Everything about this cabinet art screams awesome.

Sunset Riders was one of my favorite arcade games growing up.

Sure, the picture's blurry, butÂ Moon Patrol is so damn fun that I included it anyway.

Bonus Shot: Later that day, we took a boat to Alcatraz but ended up in Silent Hill. Creepy!

Follow me atÂ twitter.com/bbretterson.

(15)

Dan "Shoe" Hsu

August 01, 2009

I love this place. I highly recommend it for all tourists. I always take my visiting friends here.

Jason Wilson

Pier 45 also has a World War II-vintage sub and transport ship open for tours as well.

K. M. Fox

Almost makes me wish I was American. Almost.

Brett Bates

@Shoe: And they've got a Phoenix machine! I didn't play it, but on your Mobcast recommendation, I'll try it the next time I'm there.

@Jason: We didn't have time to check out the submarine, but I found the WWII ship (the USS Jeremiah O'Brien) to be surprisingly interesting. Definitely recommended to visitors.

@K.M.: You know, you don't have to be an American just to visit...

It would certainly make it easier. Just crossing the border from Windsor to Detroit is becoming a hassle. In the past I could just drive over with my license and birth certificate, but now I have to my passport and all that jazz as well.

Lance Darnell

I am very jealous, for the Arcade I grew up in, called "Wizards", closed down 8 years ago.

Omar Yusuf

In Canada, most arcades can't sustain themselves financially. As a result, the few that exist find themselves inside cinema theaters, and usually only have unfairly popular games: Time Crisis, Marvel vs. Capcom etc.

I knew one place that sported a pretty cool selection of vintage and modern arcade machines. It was in Ottawa, and it was called "Mr. Arcade". The owner was a creepy woman sitting on a tall chair with a coin dispenser around her waist.

In the back, there was a guy named "Melvin". He always wore the same dirty, ratty-ass t-shirt. He would roam around the arcade, and if a kid was about to die in a Street Fighter match, or if there lives were just about finished in Streets of Rage, Melvin would give them a code, a cheat or a tip...for a price. His going rate for live-saving strategies was around 75 cents Canadian. A steep price to continue gaming. I wonder what happened to him...he was such a weird guy.

Also....@K.M. Fox. All my friends from Windsor tell me that there's no point in going to Detroit ever since the customs laws have been tightened State-side. I used to use a ferry to get into Michigan. But now there's no point. What used to be a "brisk afternoon bike-ride into the American Great-Lakes region" has recently turned into "Guantanamo Afternoon from Hell".

I exaggerate. But you get my point, I'm sure! :P

August 02, 2009

@Omar - You can still get across the Winsdor/Detroit border, just say you are going to see the Red Wings, Pistons, or Lions. Actually, it is tough, but I have still got across a few times lately with no passport. When I was a kid the Borders were so easy to cross, now.... >:(

@Canucks: Can you guys really blame us? With your communist medical care and suspiciously friendly ways...you scare Americans! :)

Alexandr Beran

Great photos! Is this the arcade near The Beach Chalet brewery? If so, I've been there before as a youngster. I remember it being slightly less cool than my equipped Gargoyle's Quest playing Gameboy.

@Alexandr: It used to be located out that way, but now it's in a bigger space at Pier 45, just behind the big Boudin bakery. Maybe you'd find it more cool now!

Joe Atienza

August 03, 2009

I've been to this place once. It was pretty cool to see how far we've come with our interactive media. Too bad there are very few 'modern' arcades in the San Fran.

@Lance: Up until the end of July they were still allowing people through the border who didn't have their passports, but from what I understand, that was unofficial, and only because they knew most people didn't have them yet. They're supposed to be cracking down harder now, but I haven't tried for a couple weeks.

Michael Pangelina

Hm, I'll definately have to check some of these places out next time I'm in town. Actually, I went to the Metreon a couple weeks ago, and to my horror I found that the Playstation store is no more. Is it really gone, or did they just move it?

August 05, 2009

The PlayStation store is dead and gone for good. In fact, the whole Metreon is being retooled into a foodie mecca.

We'll see if that succeeds.