airport art exhibits Archives - Page 3 of 3

Love the layover: slots at SFO

Most people try to avoid connecting flights when they’re flying from one part of the country to another. But if I can book a trip that offers the chance to spend an hour or two at San Francisco International Airport, I take it.

That’s because, with an airport museum program that organizes a few dozen exhibits a year, it’s a good bet there will be something fun and educational to see. And earlier this week I finally had an unhurried hour at SFO to tour the exhibit of more than 90 vintage gambling devices on display in Terminal 3.

For Amusement Only: Slot Machines and Other Gambling Devices of the Mechanical Age includes slot machines, guessing banks, coin drops, poker machines and punchboards dating from the late 19^th through mid-20^th centuries. The machines are on loan from Joe Welch’s San Bruno American Antique Museum and will be on exhibit through May, 2010.

Once you’ve toured the gambling machine exhibit, head on over to the International Terminal, where there’s an exhibit of 36 vintage pinball machines, including a few you can play for free.

Classic games of chance at SFO International Airport

If Lady Luck is on your side, then your next plane trip will include a long layover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Thanks to the San Francisco Airport Museums program, SFO always has about two dozen temporary and permanent exhibitions on display to keep travelers entertained. Two of the current shows are thematically linked – and especially intriguing.

The colorful history of pinball is explored in Pinball: from Bagatelle to Twilight Zone, on display in the International Terminal through April 2010.

Games on display are from the Pacific Pinball Museum and various private collections and range from the earliest and very basic pinball games from the late 1800’s to the multi-player, feature-filled games of the 1970’s and 80’s.

Over in Terminal 3, there are more games.

For Amusement Only: Slot Machines and Other Gambling Devices of the Mechanical Age includes more than 90 slot machines, guessing banks, coin drops, poker machines and punchboards from the late 19^th to mid 20^th centuries.

These objects are courtesy of Joe Welch’s San Bruno American Antique Museum and are located post-security in Boarding Area F until May, 2010.

You can find out more about these and other exhibitions at San Francisco International Airport on the San Francisco Airport Museums Web site.