# 2019 SUMMER ARCADE TOUR STOP 7: Musée Mécanique - San Francisco's Antique Penny Arcade (July 2019)

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2019-07-01  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/2019-summer-arcade-tour-stop-7-mus-e-m-canique-san-francisco-s-antique-penny-arcade-july-2019

---

## Analysis

A visit to Musée Mécanique, a free-entry coin-op museum in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, featuring a small selection of pinball machines (mix of EM and DMD era games) alongside a larger collection of vintage video games and mechanical attractions. The author sampled several Gottlieb EM titles they hadn't played before, finding it a worthwhile but non-essential gaming destination.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Musée Mécanique is located five minutes from the author's hotel in San Francisco — _Direct statement about venue proximity_
- [HIGH] The venue is free to enter — _Direct statement: 'Musée Mécanique is free to enter'_
- [HIGH] The venue features eight pinball machines including titles like The Addams Family, Pirates of the Caribbean, and various Gottlieb EM games — _Curated list from Pinball Map sourced by author_
- [HIGH] Sing Along (Gottlieb, 1967) was the author's favorite among the EM titles played — _Direct statement: 'Sing Along was my favorite of the group'_
- [HIGH] The arcade has significantly more video games than pinball machines — _Direct observation: 'The arcade had way more video games than pins'_

### Notable Quotes

> "It's not the normal type of arcade that I go to, it's more of a museum of the history of Coin-Op."
> — **Knapp (author)**, Early in article
> _Establishes that Musée Mécanique is a museum/historical venue rather than a traditional gaming arcade_

> "It's filled with the oldest and most unique coin operated machines that I've ever seen...fortune tellers, player pianos, strange dancing people, feats of strength, Flip movies and last but most importantly games."
> — **Knapp (author)**, Venue description section
> _Characterizes the breadth and uniqueness of the museum's mechanical attractions_

> "You don't see games called 'Opium Den' any more lol"
> — **Knapp (author)**, Closing remarks
> _Humorous observation about the historical and sometimes controversial nature of older arcade games_

> "It wouldn't be my go to spot for gaming but it's neat to see things that you probably will never see anywhere else"
> — **Knapp (author)**, Closing assessment
> _Balanced evaluation positioning the venue as educational/unique rather than a practical gaming destination_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Musée Mécanique | venue | Free-entry coin-op museum located in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf with pinball machines and vintage arcade/mechanical games |
| Fisherman's Wharf | location | San Francisco neighborhood where Musée Mécanique is located |
| Knapp Arcade | person/creator | Content creator/author conducting 2019 summer arcade tour |
| The Addams Family | game | Bally pinball game (1992) present at venue |
| Fun Land | game | Gottlieb pinball game (1968) present at venue |
| Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure | game | Williams pinball game (1993) present at venue |
| Olympics | game | Gottlieb pinball game (1962) present at venue |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | game | Stern pinball game (2006) present at venue |
| Sing Along | game | Gottlieb pinball game (1967) present at venue; author's favorite EM title played |
| Upper Deck | game | Williams pinball game (1973) present at venue |
| Road Race | game | Gottlieb pinball game present at venue |
| Pinball Map | organization | Community database providing pinball machine location/inventory data used by author |
| Asteroids | game | Classic video arcade game present at venue |
| Sunset Riders | game | Arcade game present at venue, described as less common |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Musée Mécanique venue characteristics and layout, Gottlieb EM pinball machine gameplay experience, San Francisco arcade/gaming venues
- **Secondary:** Coin-op and mechanical arcade history, Vintage video arcade games, Museum vs. arcade distinction

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.7) — Author expresses appreciation for the unique historical nature and variety of machines, while maintaining realistic assessment that it's not an ideal competitive or frequent gaming destination. Tone is enthusiastic but balanced.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** 2019 Summer Arcade Tour series by Knapp Arcade visiting multiple arcade venues including Musée Mécanique (confidence: high) — Article title and tour context frame this as part of a multi-stop summer arcade tour series

---

## Transcript

I wasn’t planning on hitting Musée Mécanique on this leg of my trip, but it’s five minutes from my hotel so I had to do it. It’s not the normal type of arcade that I go to, it’s more of a museum of the history of Coin-Op. 

Located right in the middle of a bustling section of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, Musée Mécanique is free to enter. As such, even in the middle of a weekday afternoon it’s pretty crowded. It’s filled with the oldest and most unique coin operated machines that I’ve ever seen...fortune tellers, player pianos, strange dancing people, feats of strength, Flip movies and last but most importantly games. 

The venue has a small selection of pinball machines that I used to add several EMs that I have never played before to my Pindigo list. Here’s the pins that are there courtesy of Pinball Map: 

The Addams Family (Bally, 1992)

Fun Land (Gottlieb, 1968)

Indiana Hilton Jones: The Pinball Adventure (Williams, 1993)

Olympics (Gottlieb, 1962)

Pirates of the Caribbean (Stern, 2006)

Sing Along (Gottlieb, 1967)

Upper Deck (Williams, 1973)

Road Race (Gottlieb)

I’ve played all of the DMD games before, so I spent my quarters on Gottlieb Sing Along, Gottlieb Fun Land, Gottlieb Road Race and Gottlieb Olympics. Sing Along was my favorite of the group. 

The arcade had way more video games than pins. There was several drivers and shooters, a bunch of the classics like Asteroids, Millipede, Star Wars, a 4 Slot Neo Geo, etc. there was less common games like Sunset Riders and Death Race too. 

Visiting Musée Mécanique was an interesting experience. It wouldn’t be my go to spot for gaming but it’s neat to see things that you probably will never see anywhere else (You don’t see games called “Opium Den” any more lol) and as an added bonus, it’s located in a cool section of San Fran with lots of other fun things to do so it’s not a big commitment. It’s worth a trip if you’re in the area.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 8de7dbc2-7d00-4224-a6c9-d5ddd81a5fc7*