New York City!
So I am home from my big vacation in NYC and quite sad about being home. The trip was a blast and I completely fell in love with New York. Now I understand why my niece (who lives there) calls it "The Center of the Universe".
I was fortunate enough to stay with a friend in her family home out in Flushing, which is probably the reason I was able to afford the trip in the first place. Thank you, Sue, for your generosity and for your most excellent company on the trip. Courtesy of a 7-day unlimited transit pass, we were able to come and go as we pleased. It pleased me to visit Manhattan four days out of the six I was there.
However, one of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting Flushing Meadows|Corona Park, the site of the 1964-65 World's Fair. My first trip to New York City was to attend that Fair with my family. I was 12 at the time - nearly 50 years ago - and this visit brought back so many memories. It's a very nice park nowadays, with a big tennis center, athletic fields, picnic grounds, playgrounds, an art museum in what used to be the New York City pavilion. I tried to recall how the site looked and felt half a century (!) ago - all concrete and pavilions and bustling crowds, and failed.
We were fortunate that the day was absolutely glorious. A cloudless sky and warm temperatures, with a nice breeze. You can see in the pictures what a nice day it was.
A few things have been preserved and I took some photos. If you're familiar with the movie "Men in Black", you'll recognize the observation towers from the New York State pavilion. The pavilion itself, with a glorious glass roof, is in rusty disrepair. The Unisphere remains, the surrounding fountains long dry. The long stretch of fountains from the Unisphere to the other end of the park are also dry, but they once provided cool relief on a hot summer day. I'd completely forgotten about the marble etched maps between the Unisphere and the fountains so I took some pictures to capture them. They are undulled by the millions of feet that have crossed them.
Ages ago (like about 10 years ago now) I started an MFU fanfic that took place at the World's Fair. I'm hoping that this recent visit will rekindle my motivation to finish the story.
So, here are a few pics of the Flushing Meadows. I've compressed them down to web size, so they may not be the best quality in the world, but maybe it'll give you a sense of what it was like.
Here's the plaque at the entrance gate, commemorating both the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs held at this site.
A long shot of the fountains stretching between the Unisphere and the end of the Park. A statue of Prometheus is just visible.
The marble etchings in front of the fountains. This one is a map of the Fair's layout.
The etching of the Pieta and above it, the skycars.
The Unisphere.
The Towers of the NY State pavilion.
The New York State pavilion, in all its rusty glory.
Next post, I'll share some pictures of the Village and tell you about our dinner at Veselka.
I was fortunate enough to stay with a friend in her family home out in Flushing, which is probably the reason I was able to afford the trip in the first place. Thank you, Sue, for your generosity and for your most excellent company on the trip. Courtesy of a 7-day unlimited transit pass, we were able to come and go as we pleased. It pleased me to visit Manhattan four days out of the six I was there.
However, one of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting Flushing Meadows|Corona Park, the site of the 1964-65 World's Fair. My first trip to New York City was to attend that Fair with my family. I was 12 at the time - nearly 50 years ago - and this visit brought back so many memories. It's a very nice park nowadays, with a big tennis center, athletic fields, picnic grounds, playgrounds, an art museum in what used to be the New York City pavilion. I tried to recall how the site looked and felt half a century (!) ago - all concrete and pavilions and bustling crowds, and failed.
We were fortunate that the day was absolutely glorious. A cloudless sky and warm temperatures, with a nice breeze. You can see in the pictures what a nice day it was.
A few things have been preserved and I took some photos. If you're familiar with the movie "Men in Black", you'll recognize the observation towers from the New York State pavilion. The pavilion itself, with a glorious glass roof, is in rusty disrepair. The Unisphere remains, the surrounding fountains long dry. The long stretch of fountains from the Unisphere to the other end of the park are also dry, but they once provided cool relief on a hot summer day. I'd completely forgotten about the marble etched maps between the Unisphere and the fountains so I took some pictures to capture them. They are undulled by the millions of feet that have crossed them.
Ages ago (like about 10 years ago now) I started an MFU fanfic that took place at the World's Fair. I'm hoping that this recent visit will rekindle my motivation to finish the story.
So, here are a few pics of the Flushing Meadows. I've compressed them down to web size, so they may not be the best quality in the world, but maybe it'll give you a sense of what it was like.
Here's the plaque at the entrance gate, commemorating both the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs held at this site.
A long shot of the fountains stretching between the Unisphere and the end of the Park. A statue of Prometheus is just visible.
The marble etchings in front of the fountains. This one is a map of the Fair's layout.
The etching of the Pieta and above it, the skycars.
The Unisphere.
The Towers of the NY State pavilion.
The New York State pavilion, in all its rusty glory.
Next post, I'll share some pictures of the Village and tell you about our dinner at Veselka.