I wasn’t around to attend the dazzling New York World’s Fair that was held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in 1964 so a week ago when I saw a poster announcing a festival on Sunday to celebrate its 50th anniversary, I knew exactly where I’d be.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park was the site of both the 1939 and 1964 New York World’s Fairs, which celebrated art, culture, technology, the Space Age, transportation and American ingenuity. (Space was clearly on the minds of the organizers as old photos of the Fair show several futuristic displays. One poster I saw claimed to have “seen the future.”)
Today, the park is more recognizable as the home of tennis in New York. Flushing Meadows (isn’t that just the best place name you’ve ever heard?) is also a popular weekend destination for Queens residents and on that sun drenched Sunday, the perfect place to be.
I was pretty excited as the Number 7 train pulled closer to Flushing Meadows and I could see the Unisphere, the 12-story high stainless steel replica of the globe, the symbol of the Fair, peeking out above the trees.
Following the directions I had gotten from Hopstop, I got off at the 111 Street Station and checked with the attendant to make sure I was at the closest entrance to the sprawling 1,255-acre park. Pointing, he told me follow 111 Street for five blocks and I’d see it. When I descended the stairs from the elevated station, I double-checked with two police officers at street level to make sure I was heading in the right direction.
As I walked towards the park, it struck me that I had seen more posters in subway stations in Manhattan than I’d seen at 111th Street. Except for police officers who were manning the intersections along the street, nothing else advertised the festival.
One Hundred and Eleventh Street skirts part of one end of the Park and it took about 15 minutes from the subway station to the Festival, which was sponsored by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
By the time I got there, a little after 1:30 p.m., the place was humming with people who were checking out the vintage car display, including a Mustang, which was at the World’s Fair. (Somehow, I didn’t get a photo of the Mustang. I’m not sure if this was the same one that the Ford Motor Company unveiled at the Fair.) The cars were all in mint condition as if each had just rolled off the showroom floor.
The star of the show was the Batmobile. It occupied its own space away from the vintage cars and was cordoned off by red coiled wire which was just as well because, I’m sure people would want to sit in it and have their photo taken.
The second New York World’s Fair opened on April 22, 1964 and ran until October 18, 1964. It had as its theme, Peace Through Understanding. Opening exactly five months to the date President John Kennedy was assassinated, it was, I’m sure a huge morale booster. It resumed from April 21 to October 17, 1965.
The Fair attracted more than 50 million people who visited pavilions showcasing the best from each state and several countries including Mexico, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Vatican City, Austria, Sweden and Spain.
At the Vatican Pavilion, they saw Michelangelo’s Pietà. Ford introduced the Mustang, Bell showed off its videophone and IBM gave demonstrations of what computers could do. Visitors also sampled foods, like Belgian waffles and shish kebabs, which were introduced at the Fair. There were rides for children, futuristic displays and sculptures commissioned especially for the Fair.
When I showed a co-worker some of my cell phone photos, her eyes lit up. “I’d never seen anything like it,” she gushed. “It was all space-agey and just out of this world fantastic. If you’ve been to Disney, you’ll have an idea of what the Fair was really like.”
Walt Disney had a huge impact on the Fair, designing several shows and introducing the song, It’s a Small World, in tribute to the world’s children.
The posters and the slogans that advertised the Fair spoke of a future of ground breaking technological innovations. In some instances, I’m thinking now of the videophone that Bell showed off, they were spot on. The technology was revolutionary for its time but it’s difficult not to compare it with what we have now.
Generally speaking, the festival felt flat to me. I realized later that a part of me was expecting it to capture the feeling of the Fair – the excitement, the sense of wonder I imagine people felt them. But honestly, it would have been impossible to do. An event as monumental as the New York World’s Fair can probably never be duplicated and now feels redundant – especially when we have Disney as a fixture in our lives.
Other activities celebrating the anniversary of the 1964 New York World’s Fair will take place through October. Check out this link for details and photos from the Fair.
Linking up this week with Noel’s Travel Photo Mondays and Nancie’s Travel Photo Thursday.
Amazing this place is still intact and so well preserved, i love the additional car show and the batmobile – i can’t remember wasn’t it auctioned off for some ridiculous amount of money? Anyway, what a gorgeous day to be out and exploring the fair.
Interesting. Sounds a bit like Expo which I visited in Hannover once.
That is a huge park and I love the Globe. I love the name Flushing Meadows too. 🙂
I had an aunt that lived in Flushing at that time, so sad I didn’t visit her at that time.
I was in grade school in the Chicago area when the NY World’s Fair opened. I remember all the news about it and it seemed so exciting. I also remember about Michelangelo’s Pietà on display there. That was a big deal. Thanks for the walk down Memory Lane.
We had Expo 67 when I was a kid – a great affair with pavilions from around the world in Montreal. Our family made two special trips so we could visit and it was truly a thrill. I think it’s always hard to capture the feeling the second time around. The world has changed so much and we’re inundated with so much information – presented in compelling ways.
But – you went, and otherwise you would never have known.
The Batmobile looks dated!
I am with Noel, perfect day it appears to be at a fair and love that Batmobile!! (So are you in New York these days and not Jamaica? Or am I just mixed up– which wouldn’t be unusual for me 😉 )
I love that Batmobile!
Those old cars are great. I have the batman music running through my head now. My first “real” trip was to Expo 67 in Montreal. That was a fantastic world fair. Now the site hosts a casino!
The cars looks great…
What a great way to spend the day. I’m glad they celebrated the anniversary and gave a glimpse of the original fair. That Batmobile version is awesome! Sorry it didn’t capture the original magic and you’re right we’ve been exposed to so much to even be surprised. Love the photos though, Marcia.
Hi Marcia, thanks for reminding me about this event, I read about it sometime ago and didn’t realize it was already happening. It would be interesting to see how they introduced the “new” innovation back then. I know the original fair cannot be replicated but it should still fun to go on a nice day. It should be worth it for me just to see those vintage cars. They look pretty cool!
What a gorgeous photo of the UniSphere and the fountains! I’ve never heard of this place and would love to have seen the structures left after the fair when I was in NYC.
Thanks, Tonya. Sorry you didn’t get to see the UniSphere when you were here.
It really is quite a beautiful structure. Hope you get to see it next time.
Yes, the cars were amazing. I spent a lot of time looking at the Cobra, especially under the hood which was so clean, you could eat off it and that car with the picnic items at the back. The underwater cars were also interesting. There should be other events taking place later this year so I hope you get to catch some of it.
It was a perfect day, Mary. Yes, even though they didn’t recapture the magic I had fun. It’s worth seeing for the gadgets and the old cars.
Wow, you were lucky to go to Expo 67, Nancie. I bet it was a lot of fun for you.
Surprised it’s now a casino but I guess they’d have to find something large enough to fill the space, right?
You’re not mixed up, Jackie. I’m mostly in New York these days but Jamaica isn’t too far away.
Oh, you’re welcome, Cathy. It must have been lovely being here during the Fair.
I can only imagine the excitement.
It would have been a great time to visit. Wonder what she thought of the Fair.
Does anyone still organize a World Fair anymore? I cannot remember a current one ever being advertised. At DisneyWorld, we rode the Carousel of Progress which was originally created for the 1964 Fair. I liked it, but more for nostalgia reasons than as a look into the future. I can understand what you mean about the excitement missing. Maybe it’s because you are so worldly? Perhaps someone from a small town would enjoy it more as they would not typically have ready access to international foods and cultures as you do in NYC. I would have immediately jumped into that Batmobile if it had not been roped off.
I really love the old advertisements and photographs, truly a Disney World for any vintage/history lover! So great you got to experience this, Marcia!
The Fair Cobra is a one of its kind car that is available at the New York World’s Fair only since it was a limited version edition that experienced poor market performance. It is a rare exhibit just like the Batmobile and the Video Phone. Computer technology may have made serious breakthroughs in the field of wireless communications. These original inventions however, stay as rare exhibits to be enjoyed by every visitor. Thank you for bringing those memories back!