If you love video games then you probably love arcades too. Unfortunately, there are very few arcades left anymore. The good news is that there is one arcade that is not only an arcade but it is also a museum. This arcade is located in a popular tourist destination at the end of Fisherman’s Wharf on Pier 45 in San Fransisco, California, so you can go to the Musee Mecanique and still have lots to see.
The Musee Mecanique is the best arcade ever. While the Musee Mecanique has few modern video games it does have tons of old arcades. Teh Musee Mecanique has arcades that date back to the 1800s. The Musee Mecanique has many one of a kind arcades, as well as many favorites too. The age of the games range from the late 1800s all the way up to the present day.
While the back of the Musee Mecanique does have modern games they are not a big part of the Musee Mecanique. The modern video games may not be a large part of the Musee Mecanique but they do take a larger area then some other small arcades I have been too. The modern video game section also does not have as large of crowds at the game. There are other video games here as well that are classic games including an original pong, but the older video games are also only a small part of the museum.
You may wonder if the Musee Mecanique does not have many video games then what does it have? The museum has all kinds of interesting and often unique coin-op machines. Some of the old machines show little vignettes with very old animatronics. There are many old fortune tellers, strength testers, fortune tellers, crane games, shooters, pinball, and many other classic arcade games.
You will want to make sure to bring plenty of quarters when you come. Most games cost only a quarter but some cost more. Many of the arcades you can stand near and watch when someone else puts in their quarter and get to see what the machine does without spending your own money. There are still many machines you will have to pay for if you want to see, for example there are tons of old machines where you look in and can see movies or pictures, some are in 3-D, and many are of the San Fransisco earthquake, also popular are supposed peep shows but most are just teases or are less revealing then what you would see at the beach now.
Just because a machine has a cool name does not mean it will be neat, for instance the Opium Den sounds the best but it is really a disappointment. Remember that many of the machines are very old and they do not do much. Some of the best machines to play are the competitive games. They have a rock em sock em style robot machine that is very popular, old soccer game, air hockey along with an old school hockey game, and many other two player games. There are also many games that are single player but that you can play with a friend to see who gets the highest score.
There is also a lot of information about old arcades and amusement parks. Some items are on the wall and there are a few large standing signs that have all kinds of pictures and information about old theme parks of Coney Island, Disneyland, old beach theme parks, and many more parks. You should at the very least look at some of the old pictures and if you have the time you should read them as well.
The worst part of the Musee Mecanique is that in San Fransisco it is hard to find a parking space so if you are limited for time because you have to put money in a meter or you want to make it before you are parked to long then you will have a tough time seeing everything. I could easily spend hours and lots of money at the Musee Mecanique. The Musee Mecanique is by far the best arcade ever. A trip to San Fransisco is worth a trip to the Musee Mecanique.
