Hither and Yon!
It's time to leave the safe, comfortable environs of Disneyland, and head out into the strange, scary world. Don't be a-scared!
Here's a nice picture from New York's famous Coney Island, circa 1969. The sun has just set, and thousands of lights have been turned on. Silhouetted against the dramatic red horizon is the Cyclone, the legendary roller coaster built in 1927. In the foreground you can see the Tilt-a-Whirl, found at so many amusement parks and carnivals. And of course there is the Wonder Wheel, the Ferris wheel that opened in 1920. It is 150 feet tall and can hold 144 riders; it still stands, and today it looks considerably more spectacular covered in colorful neon. 
Now we're in beautiful Palos Verdes (sometime in the 1960's) with a great exterior view of Marineland's main "seaquarium". Instead of stairs or elevators, guests could walk up long zig-zagging ramps, which also had the added benefit of being wheelchair friendly (or burning off a few calories). From the top rows, you not only had a great view of the dolphins and pilot whales, you had a glorious view of the Pacific Ocean.
Across the Atlantic, and back to 1958, we head to the Brussels World's Fair. This was the first post-war Fair; most of the buildings were originally from the 1935 Brussels International Exhibition (held on the same site). But the landmark of the '58 Fair was this structure... the Atomium! It was supposed to be a giant model of a "unit cell of an iron crystal (each sphere representing an atom)", magnified 165 billion times. As you can see in this photo, it is very striking in a modern, abstract way! There are escalators in the tubes, and you can ride up to the spheres for a panoramic view. The Atomium still stands, and is one of the most popular attractions in Brussels! 
9 comments:
Bet there's some Coney Island fans that would eat up that top pic!
2nd:
Maude: "Who are all these nice people looking at us in this photograph Henry?"
Henry: "Can't say I recognize anyone yet Maude, but that I am glad I wore my new hat."
Neat seeing Marineland. Vaguely remember being there in the '80s. Amazing it's all gone.
I wish Marineland was still around! I want to see the Atomium in person! I think I remember reading that it was in disrepair and got a major renovation recently. Is the Cyclone still standing at Coney Island?
The good old Ramps of Marineland - Oh how I dreamed of going down those ramps on my skateboard!
The "Atomium" is amazing, how cool! I want one for my back yard, heck, put it in the Front Yard!
Oh, Marineland. Another vicitm of corporate greed. On that beautiful spot of land now sits some faceless office buildings and vacant lots.
...the Coney Island sunset is so beautiful, love the red sky and the rainbow of colored lights
i went to Marineland once in Niagara Falls when my daughter was about 3...she just turned 20 the other day...WOW! has time gone by too fast! i remember that the whales would not perform, and after about 20 minutes they took them backstage and that was that...
i would love a ride in the Atomium! i am a fan of BIG stuff, tho i dont know why....aircraft carriers, B52s, the Saturn V rocket, Spaceship Earth. i would say this fits right in....
a great post today! :D
Nancy, the exact same thing happened at the Marineland here in CA during a childhood visit. They filled the entire stadium and then Orky (or was it Corky?) wouldn't perform. We thought it was a joke at first....like part of the show, but they aplogized and then asked everyone to leave. I feel bad for those animals! That's why I have never gone to Sea World....that and the fact that THEY are the ones that bought Marineland and then immediately shut it down.
What can I say Mike, you're right and I'm wrong! Sometimes I write these things in a hurry, but that's not much of an excuse...
You don't need excuses Maj, you're only gorilla ah I mean, human and anyway it's kind of you to post and we appreciate all of them. :)
Thanks for sharing the photo of Marineland of the Pacific. It was a sad day when this classic oceanarium closed . . . even Johnny Carson mentioned it during his opening monologue! Marineland was for many years the largest and most famous oceanarium in the world. Then, Sea World of San Diego became competition and eventually sabotaged their attendance resulting in Sea World buying and closing Marineland. wqas foris idtH
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