Wildwood NJ sounds similar. Mostly tourists in the summer, but in the basement of the boardwalk mall there's a vintage arcade where you can still play some of these amazing games. I've found myself trying to beat my own score in super shifter.
Huh, who woulda thunk there was anything to see in san fran besides bums crapping on the sidewalks...
looks like a cool place. too bad it is in San Francisco. live 30 minutes from there and haven't been there in years. I can just go to the back yard if I want to step in crap.
Next time business or pleasure brings you to Michigan (the Woodward Dream Cruise might be worth the trip) add Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum to your itinerary for more of this kind of goodness. http://www.marvin3m.com/
We did the touristy thing a few years back and I enjoyed it because it was all new. We saw and ran through the Musee Mechanique at the end of the day but everyone was hungry and I didn't get to play anything. Would definitely go again, though I don't need to see the rest of the wharf. Wouldn't mind touring Alcatraz again, they were doing some renovations and once again, the family was nowhere nearly as interested as I was because of the historical angle. Our kids live out there, so I'm sure I'll go again and I'm doing the tourist thing by myself this time! Might even crap on the sidewalk just to join in on the fun.
I was at the wharf last year and missed it. Maybe next time I am visiting, if I can get by the stench trying to get there.. Cool stuff for sure. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for reminding me of some of the games of my youth. I miss those arcade games. Years ago, my son got some new play station games, one of which was a pinball game. Normally he could whup my a$$, but he could never beat me at pinball. He asked, Dad, how did you get so good? My reply was, a quarter at a time.
Death Race... the first banned video game. I have a 280zzzap and a championship sprint video game, that will be residing in the shop soon. Just another car related vice to feed.
Go down the coast and try out the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk when you get a chance. The front door of the arcade steps out onto the beach, and full size trains roll up at the back door. The street people crap parade is not quite as bad, and the whole place is much more small town.
Aquarius, my sign and my favorite pinball game, I wish I had one in the basement. Way back in the spring of 1974 there was a driving game that had a bucket seat and a 4 speed shifter with a t-handle on it. Behind the glass was a C3 Corvette, and a Christmas tree. The tree came down, and you made a pass. It was possible to redlight, and you could also miss a shift and blow the motor. The one I saw was in a traveling arcade, and disappointingly, I only saw it that one time, and there was always a line of us waiting to play. That would be another one I would like to have, I would have to put a 1/25 '55 Chevy in it instead of the Vette though.
Worth Every Quarter …nickels, dimes, and a pocket full of pennies, too. Hello, Great story on that particular, fun place! Those games were so much fun back in those early days. We have seen the games whenever we visited the Fisherman’s Wharf in S.F. But, we had our fill of these games at the So Cal location of the Pike on the shoreline of Long Beach. It was a long walk/short bicycle ride to the shoreline and the Pike from our house. When we visited the S.F. Fisherman’s Wharf and the Cliff House, we had seen similar games at the Pike. Our mom always scooted us toward the restaurants to eat at the Alioto’s. My mom and dad loved seafood and this was the place during these late 50's road trips. Plus, my mom did not have to cook, so she enjoyed the dinners out immensely. We did get to see the Musee Mecanique in person in the late 60s and 70s, during our Northern California photo trips. But, the one time in college in 1965, it was a fabulous Lobster Thermidor dinner at Alioto’s. It was with an old high school friend from Long Beach that just made a two-day stop over during her Pan Am flight schedule. That was a money scrimping, outstanding evening & meal if there ever was one during college. Jnaki We spent hours in the penny arcades with those fun mechanical arcade games and especially the crazy metal boxing figures. Our favorite at the Pike Arcade had a chip in one of the boxer’s head. The result of an errant swing and constant playing all through the day and night by most everyone that came into the place. The supervised and unsupervised visits to the “peep” show areas was always a challenge. With so many people going in and out of the arcade, there was so much supervision that the attendant could offer. So, the time was right to get a sneak peak. But, kids will be kids…ha! The memories that flow out of places like the Musee Mecanique are a great part of history. Not only in S.F. but, in most arcade laden cities from back in those good old days. These days, it is so difficult to get a parking spot anywhere around the tourist places, that it is not worth the effort to seek out an opening. Besides, there are so many other things to do in a great place like San Francisco.
Loved your post. Thanks for writing it. My son is now 33 years old, and I used to have as much fun as he did at the big arcades when he was little. Spent a ton of money on the big, sit down, Daytona 500 game. I wanted one of those for the living room, my now ex promised she'd divorce me if I got one. Should have bought it anyway, I could have been single again much faster. I agree, she's a keeper.
Wonderful story. Thank you. I was born in San Francisco but seldom return (I now live in the Sacramento Valley). The more rural or less populated areas of California are still great, but unfortunately the population centers are an embarrassment.
Been a long time since I was there but as I remember, North Beech had some interesting attractions for a guy site seeing alone.
Been there too. Coolest thing on the wharf for sure. And as a side note we grew up with the Road Race pinball machine at the house as a kid. Best present dad ever brought home for all the kids in the family. We got pretty good at it.
I grew up in Tiburon, across the bay from SF. Old man Zelinsky lived there and had a smaller version of the Musee Mecanique on Main Street. It was pretty cool, lots of old arcade machines, probably some of the stuff that ended up at Fisherman's Wharf. I had no idea he had a bigger version at Playland at the Beach. It's cool that all this stuff has stayed together and is available to see.
Funny that you say that. I'm actually from the metro Detroit area and my mom used to take my brother and I there regularly. I revisited the place during my high school years and it was still fun! Definitely worth a return trip. I snapped this photo in 2010 thinking about the H.A.M.B.!