World's Fair at Night!

Today's photos give a tantalizing glimpse into what it might have been like to visit the 1964 World's Fair at night. Of course you don't get the sounds and the movement and the smells, but it must have been a beautiful sight.

The Eastman Kodak pavilion looms in the background, with the giant color photos glowing brightly. They look like backlit transparencies, but they were actually color prints (30 feet by 36 feet!). In the foreground, a souvenir stand sells hats, hats, and more hats. I've seen some of my Disneyland favorites - the kind with the brightly dyed ostrich plumes - at the fair. Balloons can be had nearby; something tells me that sales of hats and balloons were not as brisk at night.


The General Motors building was almost as impressive outside as it was inside. The big 110 foot tall, curved canopy was one of the icons of the Fair. What a sight it must have been with the red/pink lights! Speaking of lights, notice the wonderful street lights, called "luminaires". These were made in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Some of them were relatively small and simple, others were pretty massive. After the fair, these wound up all over the country, and on occasion they will be offered for sale. Me want.


Apparently, Coca-Cola was a popular soft drink back in 1964. I wonder what ever happened to it? I prefer Moxie, anyhow. You can sort of see the carillon (610 bells, folks!) inside the 120-foot spire. A description of one of the exhibits intrigues me: "During a 15 to 20 minute walk, fairgoers visit such faraway places as a bustling Hong Kong street, a serene Indian garden, a Bavarian ski lodge, a Cambodian forest, and the harbor of Rio de Janeiro ."