Vending Machine Roundup #3

Once again it's time for another vending machine roundup. It has been a while, but I've continued to keep an eye out for the best vending machines that I encounter on my travels. Here are some of my favorites that I've found in the last six months or so. Highway rest stops are a great place to find vending machines, but they aren't always the most interesting. While you can't always find the novelty of a new machine at rest stops, sometimes you find surprising a surprising quantity of machines.

At this New Hampshire rest stop there were 16 machines which included the following:
1 Water machine
5 Soda machines
1 Sport drink machine
1 Energy drink machine
1 Ice cream machine
3 Chip machines
2 Candy bar machines
1 Nesquick machine
1 Coffee machine

While anyone of these machines alone would not be noteworthy, that they were all in the same place was quite extraordinary. Amongst the standard fare, I found packets of No-Doz and even chicken salad.

In the Zurich airport I found this vending machine that not only sold souvineers, but it also sold handy travel gadgets like earplugs, power adapters and AA batteries. Selling small travel gadgets s a great use for vending machines in airports for when you cannot find an open newsstand, and I hope to see similar machines in other airports around the world.
Before I left the Zurich airport, I spotted this coffee vending machine and thought of one of my coworkers that loves her espresso, but never with cream. I sent this photo to her and she's considering framing it.
If you've never seen this type of vending machine then you are missing out. A description really doesn't do it justice, but let's just say that it's a mechanical wonder. I'm hoping to take a video of it in the future. This machine was in a Connecticut highway rest stop.

This is perhaps the best vending machine that I've ever seen. Paperback books ranging in price from fifty cents to five dollars out of a repurposed snack machine; what's not to love? If you'd like to check out this machine, you can visit Lorem Ipsum Books in Cambridge, MA.

There you have it, another vending machine roundup. I hope that you enjoyed it. Please let me know if you've seen any interesting machines in your travels and I'll be sure to keep a sharp eye out for them. I'm still hunting for a french fry machine, but I'm starting to think that I'll never see another.


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