New York State Pavilion

I've been obsessed with all things related to the two New York World's Fairs ever since I first laid eyes on the Unisphere four years ago. At first glance it may seem as if there is very little left from either fair—most buildings were designed to be temporary—but there are still quite a few remnants if you know where to look. Of course you don't have to look to hard to find the Unisphere—you may have even seen it as you flew into or out of LaGuardia—or its neighbor, the New York State Pavilion.

Designed by Philip Johnson in 1962, the NY State Pavilion comprises three separate parts: the Tent of Tomorrow, Theaterama and three observation towers. The Tent of Tomorrow and observation towers are technically in ruin (the Theaterama is home to the Queens Theatre) , but their fate isn't too dire (yet). Thanks to the New York State Pavilion Paint Project, it has received a new coat of paint, and I recently took an Untapped Cities tour of the usually-off-limits inside, led by Mitch Silverstein, co-founder of the Project. I'd been inside once before, during a World's Fair anniversary festival, but this tour was much more comprehensive.

When it was built, the elliptical Tent of Tomorrow had the largest cable suspension roof in the world, a ceiling made of colorful tiles, and the floor was covered in a terrazzo map of New York State. The tiles are long gone and the terrazzo map is in bad shape —it's been covered for some time to prevent further damage, but they have a few sections on display.

The Pavilion had another life in the 70s as a roller rink, but it closed when the structure started deteriorating. They filmed scenes for The Wiz inside of the Pavilion, and fairgoers were wowed by new technologies such as the microwave. I would give ANYthing to have been able to see the pavilion in all of its fair glory but it's pretty dreamy as a ruin—a state of being that apparently even Philip Johnson appreciated. He once wrote, "The New York State Pavilion at the 1964-65 World's Fair is now a ruin. In a way, the ruin is even more haunting than the original structure. There ought to be a university course in the pleasure of ruins."

Unisphere Fountains

Seeing the Unisphere for the first time was love at first sight. It was bitterly cold and had recently snowed, but after getting over the initial honeymoon phase, I dreamed of seeing it with its fountains turned on. The first time I caught a glimpse of the fountains was indeed magic, but it was woefully brief—they turned them off because it was windy and people complained of the over spray. The second time I saw them, I really got to experience them in all of their World's Fair glory and it was just as impressive as I had imagined. Seeing the Unisphere lit up like a shiny Christmas ornament at night was next on my list, and after I crossed off that iteration there was only one left—the Unisphere, with fountains, at night.

The fountains—part of the original, 1964 design to create the illusion that the globe is floating—are not on a regular schedule. They have been on a few times when I've visited Flushing Meadows in the summer, but I've seen them off more times than on. Getting to Flushing Meadows is a bit of time commitment, but I knew that US Open time was a (mostly) sure bet. I went two days before the finals and lucked out with perfect weather and a nearly-deserted park. 

I have almost no experience with night photography or long exposures (except these photos), so this was a great opportunity to play with my camera settings and really try to figure it out. There was a lot of trial and error, but somewhere in the process I accidentally discovered how to take "ghost" photographs. Someone wandered into my frame (my lifelong struggle), lingered for a minute and then walked out. I did a test with myself, and soon I was running in and out of the frame like a lunatic trying to get just the right shot. I couldn't resist taking my tripod around the park, trying to capture the New York State Pavilion, Queens theater and of course the Mister Softee Truck amidst the twinkling lights.

I was having so much fun that I completely lost track of time, and stayed long enough that the tennis match let out. I had to ride the 7 train back to Manhattan with the contents of an entire tennis stadium, but I was full of Mister Softee and high on that Unisphere magic, so I couldn't be too grumpy. 

Jersey City + White Mana Diner

This past weekend I decided that I would finally make the trek to Jersey City to see the White Mana Diner. The diner is a relic from the 1939 World's Fair, and I've known about it ever since I moved to New York and became obsessed with all things related to the two New York fairs. Add in the fact that it's a diner, and I have no excuse why it's taken me so long to pay it a visit.

This was my second time in Jersey City—both times I took the PATH train to Journal Square, which takes almost no time at all from the World Trade Center transit hub. Away from the waterfront, Jersey City is a little rundown, a little suburban and filled with interesting things. I guess I hadn't really realized that the diner was so close to the PATH train, but it was only about a twenty minute walk (I kept passing things tagged with "Noodles" which is officially my favorite tag).

The White Mana Diner is a tiny, circular diner that was marketed as the "Diner of the Future" during the World's Fair. This is usually the part of the post where I tell you the history and post loads of photos, but although I did go inside of the diner, I don't have many photos—in fact, I took zero photos inside even though the diner was theentire pointof my day. Here's why: I actually struggle a lot with taking photos in front of people, as silly as that might sound. I was so pumped to see (and eat at) the diner, and I even tried to strengthen my resolve on my walk, telling myself that I wouldn't be shy and that I'd get my photos.

But then, I walked into the diner and it's tiny and filled with locals. A man immediately turns to me, pats the stool next to him, and invites me to sit down, which I do. He starts talking to me—about astrology, World War II,  my nationality, Trump, Melania—and didn't stop the entire time I was there. I've definitely grown leaps and bounds in the past few years to the point where I can actually talk to strangers without wanting to die, but I still can't bring myself to whip out my camera and start shooting while all eyes are on me.

I beat myself up about it the entire walk back, feeling so dumb that I let my insecurities rule, but I have to remember that a few years ago just the idea of going to the diner alone would have been too much for me to handle. I have to constantly remind myself that the only photos I regret are the ones I don't take, that virtually no one really cares if I'm taking photos or thinks I look dumb doing so (except me), and that ordering one cheeseburger at a place famous for their sliders is a total amateur move.

Unisphere: Fountains

I've been captivated by all things World's Fair-related since I first visited Flushing Meadows-Corona park three years ago. There isn't much left from the fair, but the main sites—the NY State Pavilion, Queens Museum, Panorama of the City of New York and the Unisphere—are some of my favorite things in the city. I've visited them all many times since I moved here, and I've taken many friends on mini tours (very often their first time in the park or even in Queens).

For a few years my Worlds Fair "white whale" was seeing the Unisphere fountains. The fountains were a part of the original design—to create the illusion that the globe was floating—but are no longer turned on consistently. We briefly saw them on during a 50th anniversary World's Fair celebration, but were disappointed when they were switched off 20 minutes after we arrived. I vowed to catch them on again, and during the recent US Open, I knew I'd have a good chance.

The US Open takes place in a stadium right next door to the Queens Museum and the Unisphere. After confirming via Instagram that the fountains were indeed turned on, I headed there on Saturday hoping to spend some quality time partying like it was 1964 in the mist of the fountains. In the summer it's frustratingly difficult to get a preview of the fountains from the 7 train and with the trees in full bloom, you can barely see them at all until you emerge from the pathway into the open plaza. 

The suspense was intense, but luckily they were on, and stayed on for my entire visit. I don't know how effectively they obscure the base, but they sure are impressive to see in person. Even the Unisphere still manages to amaze me no matter how many times I see it (night and day, winter, spring or summer). The presence of the fountains does manage to somehow make me wish even more than I normally do that I could travel back in time to see the Fair in all of its glory. 

I slowly keep visiting pieces of both Queens World Fairs —now scattered in parking lots and parks across the country—but I can't help but wish I could know what it was like when it was whole, risen from the ashes of the former Corona Ash Dumps; a magical place that gave us the Mustang, It's a Small World and the Belgian Waffle; a place that couldn't exist in the Internet Age; a place with a 12-story steel globe at its center, whose fountains still manage to inspire awe in this still-relatively-new New Yorker, more than 50 years later.

Bonus World's Fair delights! The NY State Pavilion // Rocket Thrower Statue // Port Authority Heliport (now a wedding venue)

Magic Forest: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

I'm eternally fascinated by relics from past World's Fairs, particularly anything from the 1939/40 and 1964/65 fairs held in Queens. I had forgotten that the Magic Forest claims to have a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs attraction from the 1939 World's Fair, so when the lady who sold us our tickets mentioned it, I think I actually squealed with recognition and delight.

I did some more research on the exhibit when I returned home, and it turns out that it's (probably) not actually from a World's Fair (or even made by Disney), but was created for a department store by a papier-mâché company in Ohio licensed to create window displays with Disney characters. I'll admit that I'm still a bit bummed that I have to take it off my list of World's Fair relics I've seen (Sinclair dinosaurs, muffler man, NY State Pavilion, Unisphere, Panorama), but it's still very old, historical and slightly weird so I'm glad we got a chance to see it.

The figures are original and made of papier-mâché, although they have been repainted and reclothed at various times since 1937. The figures move in limited ways, powered by wooden cams and rods. The animation is crude by today's standards, of course, but in a world of video screens and crazy technology it's really charming to see something so simple. The restoration work varies from hardly noticeable (or not-at-all-noticeable) to pretty obvious, although I'm sure it's difficult to maintain so many figures/scenes, especially when most pieces are constantly in motion. 

I spent longer than I thought I would in the exhibit—I'm not a huge Snow White fan, and it's a pretty small room, but the figures are full of personality and the sets are interestingly detailed. The exhibit has a very It's a Small World feel, complete with repeating stuck-in-your-head-for-days-soundtrack and figures that are obviously cartoonish, but just real enough to imagine them coming to life at night, when everyone goes home.

Muffler Men: Bunyans

Muffler men—large, fiberglass sculptures mainly used for advertising in the 1960s—are quintessential roadside America. Although they're called "muffler" men, the first one was made as a Paul Bunyan character, holding an axe. There are many variations on this general theme—including women, clowns, astronauts, Indians, half-wits and at least one Chicken Boy—but the Paul Bunyan ones are my favorite. During our trip to Lake George we saw five muffler men, two of which are in the classic style.

The first one we saw is from the 1964/65 World's Fair, and currently resides at the Around The World mini golf course, right across from Lake George. He's on the "Around the World" course—not the "Around the U.S." course—which is a bit perplexing. He originally stood in front of the Oregon pavilion at the World's Fair, and is now (mis)representing the Canada hole. The sign next to him also wrongly uses the symbol for the '39 World's Fair, but confusion aside I'm so glad he's still around.

The second Bunyan is visible from the parking lot of the Magic Forest, off of Route 9 a few minutes south of the lake. He was technically the first muffler man I ever saw, back when I had my Wally World moment and arrived to find that the park had closed for the season. It was great to be able to see him almost exactly a year later, and get the 360-view since I actually got inside of the Magic Forest on this trip. There must be some reason why he isn't holding his axe horizontally, although I do appreciate the log set-up, and his plaid shirt makes him my favorite of all the muffler men I've seen so far.

World's Fair Dinosaurs

I spent last weekend in Texas visiting my sister, brother-in-law and niece and on Sunday we took a trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park. My sister had been telling me about the park for a while, mainly because they have two of the fiberglass dinosaurs from the Sinclair Oil "Dinoland" exhibit at the 1964/65 World's Fair (held in Queens). It would be an understatement to say that I'm interested in all things World's Fair-related—and I'm especially obsessed with visiting pieces and buildings that had once been a part of the fair (see previous posts about the World's Fair here).

The Dinoland exhibit included nine life-sized dinosaurs in total, all of which were barged down the Hudson River on their way to Queens—what I wouldn't give to be able to watch that happen. Dinosaur Valley State Park has the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Apatosaurus, the latter being the dino featured prominently in the Sinclair Oil logo.

It was so amazing to finally meet these two cool dudes in person after hearing about them for so long, and they were even better than I expected. They were really large and intricate, but felt surprisingly light when we touched them (if touching is allowed... if not, then they just looked really light).

I do think it's funny that I had to go all the way to Glenn Rose, Texas to see another piece of a World's Fair that took place in New York. After the fair, the dinosaurs went on tour—including an appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade—and then they all went in various directions. I now have an unbearable urge to go visit all the others—except the Ornitholestes, which was apparently stolen. Although it disappoints the completionist in me, anyone who manages to successfully steal a life-size dinosaur probably deserves to keep it.

And if these photos of me and my sister and niece are any indication, we learned that I'm probably the last person you would want with you during a sudden dinosaur attack.

Panorama of the City of New York

One of my reasons for taking my friend JMP to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was to show her the Panorama of the City of New York, a remnant of the 1964-65 World's Fair. "Conceived as a celebration of the City’s municipal infrastructure by urban mastermind and World’s Fair President Robert Moses for the 1964 Fair, the Panorama was built by a team of more than 100 people working for the great architectural model makers Raymond Lester & Associates over the course of three years," according to the Queens Museum (where the Panorama is currently on permanent display).

It has been updated a few times since its debut, with the most recent complete overhaul taking place in 1992. Since then buildings have been updated or added sporadically and you can actually "adopt" a building for as little as $50 (who wants to buy me the Chrysler Building?).

Like the Unisphere, the Panorama still astounds me every time I see it. The Queens Museum just underwent an extensive renovation and it's a beautiful space but the exhibits are sparse—that being said, the Panorama is more than reason enough to make the trip out to Queens.

The first time I ever saw it, most of the museum was still closed for construction—in fact the only thing we saw during that visit was the Panorama and I definitely didn't leave disappointed.

There are walkways around the entire perimeter of the Panorama, tracing the route that the original indoor helicopter ride took during the World's Fair. The model is built to a scale of 1:1200 where one inch equals 100 feet—the Empire State Building is just 15 inches tall.

It is endlessly entertaining to stare at each borough, picking out landmarks like Yankee Stadium, the Flatiron Building, the original World Trade Towers and all of the museums, parks and bridges that I love so much—there are even little mini planes "taking off" and "landing" in a continuous loop at LaGuardia airport. It's also fun to try and find your own address—especially easy in Manhattan where you can count the street grid using major buildings as a guide.

Everything looks better in miniature and the city is no exception. The thing I like most about the Panorama, however, is that it really serves no discernible purpose. Although it was originally meant to be repurposed after the Fair as an urban planning tool, today the Panorama really serves no function past being incredibly awesome to behold. To use a phrase from one of my favorite tour guides ever, the Panorama of the City of New York is truly "just for fancy," making it one of my favorite attractions in all of New York.

Unisphere At Night

I said a few weeks ago that I've been surprised to find myself enjoying the sun setting so early because it means I get to see some of my favorite places at night. I'm definitely not a night owl—my weekday bedtime is usually around 9 or 10pm—so the bulk of my exploring is done in the daylight.

Last weekend my friend JMP was in town and I thought it was time I showed her one of my favorite places in New York, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. The park's World's Fair(s) pedigree has always fascinated me, even more so now that I just finished this book. Queens also happened to be the last of the five boroughs that JMP hadn't seen (I'm surprised she got to Staten Island before Queens, even if I was the one who took her there).

We walked around the park a while before heading into the Queens Museum to pay our respects to the Panorama, which is always amazing no matter how many times I see it. The Unisphere also always manages to awe me, no matter how many times I stand underneath it and crane my neck to take in all 12 stories of its curving steel.

I was immensely delighted to find that as the sun set, the Unisphere was lit up like a football stadium—the bright lights making the shiny steel sparkle in the most wonderful way against the dark night sky.

I've already seen the Unisphere in the snow, peeking out from behind the cherry blossoms and with its fountains turned on earlier this year. Pretty much the only iteration I haven't seen yet is with the fountains on and lit up at night, but I'll have to wait until its summer again to check that view off of my list.

World's Fair Festival: Part 2 - NY State Pavilion

While we were at the 50th Anniversary World's Fair Festival in Queens, we got the extraordinary opportunity to tour the inside of the New York State Pavilion. The Philip Johnson-designed complex was built for the 1964 World's Fair and included the Tent of Tomorrow, the Theaterama, three observation towers and a large scale terrazzo Texaco highway map of New York State on the main floor.

Unfortunately the structures have basically become ruins over time and are currently closed to the public (the Theaterama has been restored and is home to the Queens Theatre). I have been admiring the inside of the pavilion (through very tiny fence openings) since I first went to the park last year, and never dreamed that I'd actually be able to step inside of it (legally).

I tried, unsuccessfully to get inside during tours back in April but the demand was insane and I was totally bummed that I had missed out. When we got to the festival, by chance we heard a woman explaining to a long line of people waiting to sign up for walking tours that they were not in line to tour the pavilion — if they wished, they would have to go stand in a different line right outside of the pavilion. We immediately hurried over to the entrance and found that there was almost no line at all — in fact I confirmed with a volunteer that they were even doing tours because the line was so inexplicably short. We totally just lucked out though, because very soon enough it started to grow, and by the time we got out of the pavilion the line was appropriately (i.e. very) long.

We all had to put on hard hats before we entered, but then we were allowed to wander as we pleased. We were once gently told to hurry up, but not before I had already taken about a million photos and squealed with delight more times than I can remember.

There isn't much left inside of the pavilion, but just being able to step inside was thrilling beyond words. There were pieces of the terrazzo map on display, with the rest of it (or what's left, anyway) covered in gravel to protect it from any further decay. There were a few objects on display, including a piece of the "Otis Escal-Aire," a streamlined escalator that debuted at the fair and later was used by Diana Ross in The Wiz — you can still see the entire thing, although you couldn't get very close, and the upper mezzanine was not open for exploration.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the pavilion finally getting a major restoration, which I'm totally supportive of — we all signed a petition to help save the structures — but the ruins are also so amazing in their current state. No matter what ends up happening with the pavilion, I'll always be glad that I saw how it looked during its 50th year, and sad I never got to experience it in its full '60s glory.

World's Fair Festival: Part 1

On Sunday my friends and I went to Flushing-Meadows Corona Park for the 50th Anniversary World's Fair Festival. I had gone back in April for the actual anniversary of opening day, but this was an actual NY Parks-sanctioned festival so there was a lot more going on. The park was more crowded than I had ever seen it, and although I prefer my desolate January visits, it was nice to see so many people interested in the World's Fair sites.

Sunday was definitely one of those "I can't believe how wonderful my life is" magic New York days, beginning with the fact that the fountains around the Unisphere were turned on. I have been dreaming of the day that I would finally see them working, yet actually seeing them in person somehow managed to exceed my expectations. The Unisphere itself is always impressive, but the fountains take it to a whole different level. A few hours after we arrived, the fountains were actually turned off again— I read that they were blowing on people — and I'm sad that we didn't get to enjoy them for longer, but ecstatic that we saw them at all.

Shortly after arriving we also got to tour the New York State Pavilion and I took so many photos that it warrants its own post entirely. There were walking tours, memorabilia tents and a lot of food vendors — I was excited for the Belgian waffles, but they turned out to be from the Wafels and Dinges trucks, which are all over the city so it wasn't really worth standing in the insanely long line. Speaking of long lines, we did wait more than an hour for a completely average and ridiculously expensive pulled pork sandwich, which is probably as close to an authentic World's Fair experience as we'll ever get.

There were classic cars on display, including a Batmobile — complete with the very awesome BatPhone — a show with replica World's Fair structures made from Legos, and even a vintage Greyhound cart that was zipping around the grounds. We all agreed that they should make this a yearly event and I don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing the Unisphere fountains — I hope I get to catch them on periodically for at least another 50 years.

Remnants of the New York World's Fair Part 2

I've written about Flushing-Meadows Corona Park and the remnants of the World's Fairs before (I first went in January of 2013 and then again in January of this year), but the more I visit and the more I read about the fairs the more obsessed I become. Lucky for me this year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the 1964 World's Fair so there's been even more to see and read about than usual.

Last Tuesday was the anniversary of opening day and they decided to allow people into the New York State Pavilion for the first time in years. I actually had the day off because it was the last day of Passover, but I was flying back from Texas in the morning so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it. I dropped my luggage off at my apartment and headed right back out to Queens, but by the time I got there they had stopped handing out tickets and had closed the line. I later read that more than 2,500 people showed up to see the Pavilion and the wait ended up being hours and hours long.

I was initially bummed that I wasn't able to get in, but it looks like they were only letting people step in a few feet and I don't think there's really much left of the terrazzo New York State floor map after all of these years. You can see inside of the Pavilion just by peaking through the gates and if you look hard enough you can even see the old elevators that used to be hanging from the observation towers — they're just laying in a heap on the ground, rotting away like much of the rest of the Pavilion.

I spent the rest of the day walking around the park and discovering remnants of the fairs that I somehow managed either not to notice or hadn't known existed during my previous visits to the park. There are the art deco-style water fountains and the spacey/curvy benches, futuristic sculptures and granite markers for the pathways with awesome names like the "Avenue of Science," "Court of the President" and "Eisenhower Promenade."

I will never get tired of just walking around the park and soaking up the history and it was especially nice to be there on the anniversary of opening day. The blooming trees provided a gorgeous backdrop to the always-impressive Unisphere, although I was disappointed that the fountains weren't turned on — could there be a better reason to have them on than the 50th anniversary?

On May 18th there will be an actual World's Fair Anniversary Celebration in the park which has been on my calendar from the moment it was announced. I can't wait to eat a Belgian waffle in the same spot in which they were first introduced, and if I squint hard enough (or they finally turn on the Unisphere fountains) I might actually be able to convince myself that I'm back in 1964, if only for the day.

Remnants of the New York World's Fair Part 1

It's nothing new for me to be really into ruins and reminders of the past, but it seems like I've been extra interested in seeking them out lately. My friend Jim and I went to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and the Queens Museum a few weeks ago and had a great time hunting out the remnants of the '64/'65 World's Fair. I had been once before, around this time last year, but it was definitely a place I was eager to return to, and Jim had never been.

The Unisphere still tops my list of favorite New York attractions, and it's just as impressive and generally awesome as it was the first time I saw it. I love that the park feels like a total secret, and it has been basically deserted both times I've been. This feeling of isolation only adds to the sense that you're traveling back in time as you stumble upon leftover pieces and parts of the Fair.

The fate of the New York State Pavilion is actually a bit uncertain at the moment — it will apparently cost at least $52 million to restore the structure, and "only" $14 million to demolish it — but it's one of my favorite areas of the park to explore. What I wouldn't give to be able to walk over the 567-panel terrazzo road map of New York State on the floor of the pavilion, or land a helicopter on the top of the Port Authority's heliport — now an event venue called Terrace on the Park.

There are actually a lot of fair remnants (big and small) if you look hard enough — triangular canopies, the undulating New York Hall of Science building, futuristic-looking water fountains and a few remaining sculptures like the Rocket Thrower, which was restored in 2013.  There are even more pieces that we didn't know still existed, like the time capsule and avenue markers, so we're already planning a return trip in the spring.

The Queens Museum just went though an extensive remodel and recently reopened and I definitely recommend checking it out. The building is actually a leftover from the '39 World's Fair, and the New York panorama (from '64) is something that everyone should see at least once in their life. Since our trip, I've become even more obsessed with learning about the fairs, and I'll definitely be more prepared when we return. I can't find any information about the fountains around the Unisphere, except that they were restored in 2010, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to catch them on at some point this summer. Now if I could only track down one of these color-block lamps, I'd really be in heaven.