As the Musée Mécanique museum & arcade in San Francisco, California prepared to reopen after a 15 month pandemic hiatus, I was invited for an intimate, behind-the-scenes look.
Dan Zelinsky, the owner and operator of the Musée motions far into the distance of the sprawling museum floor that sits on Pier 45 of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf: “I’ll be back there in the workshop. You, take pictures.” I nod. As he walks away, he pauses as if he forgot something. “Don't scratch anything," he requests.
A staff employee seemingly appears out of thin air and bops around the museum floor like a pinball in one of the Musée's 300 games, inserting quarters into multiple machines, creating a cacophonous chorus of amusement.
All of this bombast makes it clear: The legendary (& sorely missed) Musée Mécanique is back in play.
