F I R S TP R E V366NEXTLAST

Musee Mecanique, Fisherman's Wharf
This free museum on Fisherman's Wharf contains over 300 antique coin-operated, mechanical wonders. Collected by Edward Zelinsky the museum features automated musical instruments, fortune-tellers, acrobats, games, and dioramas. One peep show offers you a glimpse of a belly dancer on her day off while the Kiss-o-meter gauges your romantic prowess (I still say it was defective). Many of the items in the collection were rescued from Playland at the Beach, San Francisco's old torn-down seaside amusement park. The museum is worth seeing if you're at the Wharf, although by today's Disney-influenced standards many of mechanical characters seem more menacing than charming. You can see more of the collection here.
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