There is a very special museum in San Francisco, on Pier 45. Tucked away. A little glass door. A sign above, but just one many things seeking attention on the tourist friendly waterfront.
We had had time to kill. The first full day of my parents and niece having joined us on holiday in San Francisco. We were slowly making our way from Aquatic Park to Pier 39. Letting the kids look around, peek in places, shops, just getting acquainted with the area and each others. Convenient for us as we were only two blocks away from the piers. Seeing things that attracted the kids interests and making a note for another time.
The kids started by playing on the beach, hysterically screaming with laughter as they ran down to the sea edge and then ran back giggling as the tide rushed up to meet their feet. Daring each other to leave it to the last moment, seeing who would be last.... who might get wet. Oh yes, get wet, so very very accidentally. Honestly. Accidentally.
We stopped to sit in the sun and watch the cable car turnaround. I've seen it before, so I just watched the kids faces. So this was a San Franciscan cable car that they had heard so much about!
From there on to Hyde Pier, to admire the historic ships from the outside. Cooing at the very reasonable prices that would await our return visit (I do like US historic parks, they are very.... accessible! We almost have a habit over here of making our history expensive to see and boring for children). I loved the fully rigged ship. The history of it made me smile. Built in Glasgow. Sailed from Cardiff. Journeyed to San Francisco. Visited by and Englishman who has friends in all three places. It really is a small world now, isn't it?
A short walk then til we made it to Pier 45. We were walking up to have a look at the WWII submarine berthed there so we scurried past the fresh sea food stalls holding our breath. The boy had a major start when a crab snapped its claws up from the ice box it was in.... he didn't QUITE expect it to be that fresh. He was very skittish walking past them from that point on. As we got to the end of the stalls we saw the big open doors to the historic car show being held there that weekend. It was hard to miss it as a few of them nearly ran us over. That wasn't what attracted our attention though, it was that little glass door below with a sign saying "Open" that caught our eye. Not bold. Not brash. Just there. Well ok, it was the sign above that said "free entry" that had something to do with it but shhhh I am being all travelogue here and pretending its culture that gets us going.
Anyway, this was the Musee Mecanique. A little hidden treasure. A mostly private collection of restored coin-operated mechanical diversions and antique arcade games. It was impossible not to smile and go "oh I remember", not matter what your age. From peep showreels of "What the belly dancer did on her evening off", to mechanical gyrating dolls or scenes. From "tell how sexy you are" machines to electro-shockers. From pac-man to starwars arcade games. Machines to draw your image... Penny stretches... bowling games... "Grab" games. Racing games. Sport games. Shooting games. Even coin operated telescopes. If you have ever put money into a machine and turned the dial and hoped it would work... they had that machine there. Playstation 3? Phooey. The kids had so much fun in that museum with a handful of quarters that we went back another three times. They loved it.
There was one machine though.. that I tried. I normally wouldn't have, but I loved its style. It was a fortune telling machine. Not one of the scary gypsies grinning down at you (they remind me too much of the film Big) but an old fashioned typewriter. Just insert 50cents, press your hands to the wooden case and let it reveal all about you. The typewriter typed away of it's own accord, one letter at a time, letting you read it as the words appeared, til it cut it off and the paper slipped out the chute into your hand.
So here it is. I think it was a fix! Everyone else in the family that tried it came out with a lovely reading! Grudgingly I won't admit how scarily accurate it was for me in some ways though...
YOU ARE INCLINED, AT TIMES, TO BE AGGRESSIVE ALMOST TO THE POINT OF ANTAGONISM. YOU ARE DEFINITELY THE MENTAL TYPE, AND IT SHOULD BE EASY FOR YOU TO OVERCOME THIS TENDANCY ONCE YOU ARE AWARE OF IT. YOUR MIND MOVES RAPIDLY, AND YOUR WITTY SPEECH SOMETIMES TURNS CYNICAL. REMEMBER YOUR FAULT, AND THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK.
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