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Building A & Northern San Francisco Waterfront
The Long Now Foundation in Fort Mason Center (FMC)’s Building A invites all to the Mechanicrawl — a fantastic summer event that lets you explore the many mechanical wonders on San Francisco’s northern waterfront. Mechanicrawl takes place along a very scenic stretch of California coastline from the Exploratorium in the Palace of Fine Arts to the USS Pampanito submarine at Pier 45.
Long Now encourages those with an interest in mechanical culture to walk, bike, drive a car, pilot a Segway or other alternative vehicle, ride MUNI, or cruise in a vessel along the Mechanicrawl route. Many mechanistic delights await those who venture into San Francisco’s Marina and Fisherman’s Wharf districts on Saturday July 12. Visitors can also see some areas generally not open to the public, such as the Pampanito’s conning tower and electro-mechanical torpedo control computer.
“We’re trying to reach out for local support to get more San Francisco residents interested in this area,” said Alexander Rose, Long Now’s Executive Director. “There are a lot of great things around here. We have good neighbors and we need to take advantage of what’s available here.”
 Rose thinks thought-provoking interactive exhibits at the Exploratorium and Long Now Foundation have a lot in common with interesting technologies from different eras on display at the Hyde Street Pier and Pier 45, including exhibits at the National Maritime Historical Park, Musée Mécanique, the SS Jeremiah O’Brien Liberty Ship, and the Pampanito. From the turn-of-the-20th-century Musée automata to the engine rooms of World War II-era vessels, Mechanicrawl has something for everybody.
Rose hopes the Mechanicrawl event attracts mechanically inclined people who craft ingenious devices at events such as the Maker Faire, robot wars, the Renegade Craft Fair (also at FMC on July 12-13), and Burning Man. He envisions an entire subculture of dedicated techno-enthusiasts who might be charmed by the antics of the Musée’s Laffing Sal, intrigued by the Long Now’s 10,000-year clock, or mesmerized by the O’Brien’s enormous steam engine.
“We want to stimulate membership in these organizations,” Rose said of the Mechanicrawl collaborators. “Cross-pollination among all these groups could lead to more interest in preserving these mechanical wonders.”
Sign up for a truly unique experience that could only happen in San Francisco and take the Mechanicrawl tour. For event details, see July 12 in the calendar. For more information about the Mechanicrawl venues and route, go to www.mechanicrawl.org.
— Claudia Willen
Images:
Musée Mécanique’s Laffing Sal, Photo: Janice Tong
Alexander Rose, Long Now's Executive Director, Photo: Ron Tierney
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The Machine Lovers Crawl
