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San
Francisco has cultivated a reputation for eccentricity, one backed
by a batch of varied, unique museums. Whether your mood artsy or
erudite, curious or salty, the city will have a match. Here's an
odd lot of city galleries and repositories, famous and lesser-known:
Cable
Car Barn and Museum: The whirring, red-brick building on the
corner of Washington and Mason houses an industrial time capsule
that's uniquely San Franciscan. When Andrew Halladie ran his first
cable railway up Bush Street in 1873, he launched a transit system
that grew to symbolize the city itself. Part transportation museum,
part working powerhouse, the Cable Car Barn and Museum also functions
as the nerve center that powers San Francisco's tourist-clogged
cable cars. Giant sheaves pull the underground cables that tow those
funky cars up and down city hills at a steady 9 mph clip. 1201
Mason Street @ California, 474-1887
Exploratorium:
Build a tornado, test your curve ball, or lose yourself in the pitch-black,
sensory deprivation of the Tactile Dome. Hands-on and world-class,
this celebrated hall of science and discovery features hundreds
of interactive exhibits, with gadgets and props for kids of all
ages. Physics and chemistry never seemed so fun. 3601 Lyon Street,
397-5673
Cartoon
Art Museum: Can't draw a straight line to save your life? Get
to the Cartoon Art Museum straight away. You'll find inspiration
from the animators who broke rules, broke new ground, and made art
history along the way. Dedicated to preserving and heralding animation
in all its forms, the Cartoon Art Museum rotates in displays from
its permanent collection of comic books, comic strips, editorial
cartoons, and film stills. Favorites like Bullwinkle and Sylvester
the Cat adorn the walls, alongside R. Crumb calendars, a Dennis
the Menace ashtray set, and editorials satirizing Ronald Reagan.
655 Mission St., 227-8666
Musee
Mecanique: Load up on pocket change before hitting Musee Mecanique,
where vintage arcade games and amusements detail a century's worth
of mechanical curios. Now in its new Pier 45 location, the museum
has coin-op enticements for all comers, from player pianos and turn-of-the-century
picture machines, to modern games such as Centipede, Crusin' USA,
and Robotron. Many games came from San Francisco's bygone Playland-at-the-Beach,
most notably the coin-fed clown Laughing Sal, still scaring the
kids at 50 cents a pop. Taylor Street, Shed A, 346-2000
San
Francisco Fire Department Museum: Fire fighters get major props
in San Francisco, perhaps for saving the city from full conflagaration
several times. This old firehouse-turned-museum features antique
gear including the city's first hand-drawn pump cart, and telling
histories from the 1906 earthquake and fire. 655 Presidio Avenue,
558-3546
National
Maritime Museum: Not long ago, most new arrivals to San Francisco
came by ship. The Maritime Museum recalls that recent past, detailing
San Francisco's seafaring history with loads of artifacts and primary
documents, in an Art Deco building that's decked out like an ocean
liner, bayside at Aquatic Park. Afterwards, stroll the 100 yards
to the visit the old ships of the Hyde Street Pier. 900 Beach
Street, 556-8177
Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Historical Society: Long
a home for sexually diverse communities, San Francisco welcomed
the the GLBT Center in 2002. The museum preserves and promotes the
history, art, and culture of GLBT communities, with a reading room,
theatre, galleries, talks and events. 973 Market St., 777-5455
San
Francisco Airport Museums: That added time at the airport passes
easily at SFO, where a series of permanent and rotating exhibitions
detail a host of subjects, from international folk art ("Shadow
Puppets of Java and Bali") to documentary photography and aviation
history ("China Clipper: Pan American Airways' Route to Asia").
With more than 40 exhibitions produced each year, the airport has
evolved into San Francisco's largest museum without walls. Highway
101 South, 650-821-6508
–
Jay Cooke is a San Francisco-based travel, food, and culture writer.
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