The Qwirky Musee Mecanique

I visited the Musee Mecanique on a sunny Sunday afternoon, together with my husband and my daughter. It reminded me of the sounds at a County Fair, or of a Hollywood movie depicting the 1940s or 1950s.

The first sound that welcomed us was that of Laffin Sal. Just hearing that sound and watching the large automaton made me laugh. This place is amazing. There are so many different machines to explore. I began putting coins into the different machines, such as the Carnival. Suddenly, there was music, a little brass band playing, the carousel turning, the man trying his luck at the shooting gallery, so cute!

Then, more coins into the piano player, and that's when the music exploded. Ragtime! It was so much fun to watch little children studying the wheels and pedals and then mimicking piano playing.


The Royal Court, a mechanical diorama, played a Chopin Waltz, while the dancers moved round and round. According to the display, this mechanical diorama was originally displayed at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.

I also enjoyed reading the large displays with history of penny arcades in the United States. Wow! these machines used to work on just a penny? Now you need to pay one, two or three quarters to get them working. I put money into a music box, but it did not work!

I even found Regina music box, in beautiful condition. It was a darker color than the one pictured here, but still has a beautiful sound. I had recently seen an episode of "How it's Made" where music boxes were made. It is an intricate process and calibration is essential to get the most beautiful sound possible.

Another fun area had video machines. There was a ping pong video game and I also found a video game similar to one my father played once. You are a driver, and you control your car by turning the steering wheel. The better you drive, and the faster you go, the more points you make. If you are fast enough and don't "crash", you win! This brought back memories.

So, it was a fun visit and I recommend the Musee Mecanique for anyone who wants a bit of old fashioned entertainment. Entrance is free, but fill your pockets with quarters so you can feed the machines. Oh, and save two quarters and a penny to get your very own San Francisco souvenir.

Visit to the Asian Art Museum

Synchronicities. They happen all the time. Sometimes we are aware of them, sometimes we are too busy to notice. But, they happen just the same.
Today, I visited the Asian Art Museum. I looked around once again, this is my fourth visit to the AAM, and I was searching for images and for things that perhaps I had missed before.
Having taken Hannah Sigur's Art of Japan last year and this semester, Art of East Asia, there certainly were pieces that caught my eye and I see now that I have become a more discerning viewer, able to understand a bit more the origins, the themes, and patterns in the sweep of time.
But, that is not why I write this time. This just puts everything in perspective, and lets you see why I talk about synchronicity.
When I arrived on the second floor, there was a group of docents listening to a visiting lecturer in the Japanese Wing. There is a new exhibit on display relating to Japan's Ambassadors (in art and culture) to the United States. I walked around the group and continued my search through the Japan, Korea and China wings. A couple of hours later, I returned to the spot where the group had stood earlier.
There, in the vitrine were pictures of The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and of Mr. Hagiwara taken in the early 1900's.



Only last week, Chi had told us about this family and about the Intervention that she and Tanae had done. I found her talk very interesting and was pleasantly surprised by the exhibit. Photos, a sketch, drawings and tea implements with the Hagiwara name were on display. So, here I share some of what I found with you.


Synchronicity. It happens everywhere.