New York World's Fair, September 1965
Oh boy - I hope that you are sitting down (and wearing pants), because it's time for more choice photos from the New York World's Fair, circa September, 1965!
I love this first image, taken over in the fabulous Transportation Zone, where companies like General Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler had some of the most amazing pavilions at the Fair. Dead ahead we can see some of the Chrysler pavilion, including the giant car (it looks a lot like my Honda), and the rocket that looks like a party decoration, next to the angular building painted in the 1965 colors of pink and orange. Luminaire alert! Do not be alarmed! Please walk (do not run) to the nearest exit! But then come right back, you fraidy cat. To the right is the Port Authority building, which was irresistible to helicopters. The man with the striped shirt is holding a Yugoslavian flag. Just sayin'.
Fair guests could have never imagined that rockets would eventually look just like this example! Again, pink and orange - it makes me think of rainbow sherbet (yum). In the distance is the Ford pavilion, while to our right is the Lowenbrau Gardens - if there's one thing that we need in our transportation sector, it's a beer pavilion.
Here's an interesting angle on the Swiss Sky Ride terminal. I like the orange and yellow paint scheme, those colors would be big in the 1970s. In one of the highest rides at the Fair, cabins holding four passengers each are suspended on cables 113 feet in the air. The cables run between the Korean and Swiss pavilion; a one-way trip covers 1,875 feet, takes four minutes and provides panoramic views not only of the fairgrounds but of Manhattan Island. Tickets may be purchased at booths near the two pavilions.
Folks are walking along the Avenue of Peace, with the Belgian Village right in front of us - one of the largest pavilions of the entire Fair. The Vatican pavilion is mostly out of frame to our left, and it's possible that our photographer just crossed the Meadow Lake Bridge (which would be out of frame to our right) over the Long Island Expressway, where the Amusement Zone was.
What a Fair!
13 comments:
Major-
Boy oh boy... 'Swiss waffles' and 'Belgian waffles'. Decisions, decisions. I'm beside myself with glee. Or, perhaps I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl - I can't decide.
Thanks, Major.
1) The guy in the center with the marigold-colored lei has one of those heavy-duty, unpoppable balloons that we saw in the last installment (or two) of the '64 Fair here at GDB.
2) Strange to see the shocking pink and orange color combo on the Chrysler rocket and pavilion. I would've thought that was more of a late '60s thing. It looks like Barbie's Dream Rocket... Or like Sleeping Beauty Castle in a year or two.
3) Nanook, I wonder what the difference is between "Swiss Waffles" and "Belgian Waffles"? I mean, besides their accents, of course.
4) Why was that building on the right made to look distressed? It's selling waffles; again with the waffles! Presumably these are the Belgian variety.
In the distance, we can see where all those unpoppable balloons are coming from; at least, the pink and yellow ones. There's other, multi-colored balloons slightly to the left.
New York World's Fair photos, both '64 and '39, are always fun and exciting. Thanks, Major.
Looks like Rolly Crump and Mary Blair were doing some side work for Chrysler.
I’ve heard of Belgian Waffles…. But never Swiss Waffles : I think the whole story about Swiss Waffles being sold at the fair has holes in it.
Some of you Jr. Gorillas are rubbing off on me!
Major, I am sitting down, but please define "pants". OK...Skyway buckets that you enter at ground level...it IS possible...just saying...everyone is happy. No need to destroy Chalets as a result. Port Authority became a wedding venue and it's still there. I wish they would turn Port Authority in NYC to something else too...but maybe with not too much tule and taffeta. The Avenue of Peace looks a little "war torn Europe 1951"...what is all the messy-bessy on the left? Lots of color over there in Cars Land. I can see where the DCA inspiration came from. This became a parking lot, so maybe...the latter will too again? I hear that the Cars thing is pretty cool, so won't hate on it too much. I like 1960's cars, so I won't hate on this Cars Land either. Didn't know that Chrysler had a "rocket" period...very fanciful. The connected bucket benches by the pond look super cool and I would like one for my backyard please. Also to gaze at the giant colorful rocket out there. I think I mentioned in a previous post about this might look like a scene from one of the Planet of the Apes movies where people were worshipping a nuclear missile as a false God before, with their thoughts being transmitting by nodding their heads before taking off their human masks and revealing that they were monstrous hideocities...ooops...spoiler alert. Swiss Waffles/Belgian Waffles. There IS a difference. Belgian Waffles are square, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It is a "thing" to make the batter. If you don't want to bother with making from scratch...I recommend "Bellegem" waffle mix. VERY tasty. Swiss waffles COULD be heart shaped as their neighbors are to the very north. Generally they are just "waffles" made like waffles. Belgian are different and specific as we all know. Maybe IHOP has more info. I want Belgian Waffles for breakfast now.... I see Avis there, where I suppose you can rent a car to drive around the fair after a hearty tanker of beer at Lowenbrau. Fun fact: Avis was the first to offer rental cars at Airports. I rent Avis cars a lot. It's very sweet of them when they upgrade me to a fancy car, but I feel silly driving around in red Mustang Convertibles- it just reads "mid life crisis" to me. All that is missing is a license plate that reads "MACHO"....I feel a little guilty because I'm sure the young buck renters would rather have the "thing" I'm driving rather than their beige Toyota Corolla...I'm generally happy to turn down a car that is a little OTT. I pine for boring. I missed the Worlds Fair. As a kid I knew nothing of it at the time as I was in Europe. I very much knew what Disneyland was though! Marketing...Disney is a master.
When I visited the fairgrounds a few years ago with my dad, he mostly remembered going to the Lowenbrau Gardens, too.
Are Swiss Waffles in a cross shape like the flag, or full of holes like the cheese?
The sherbet colors of the Chrysler pavilion were a 1965 addition in hopes of increasing attendance. In the first year, that rocket looked much more NASA-like in white with black accents, like the early WDW Astro-Jets.
It's always odd to me that the skyride went between 2 countries rather than out to the amusement area. I think that would have helped all around.
JB, the Belgian village was supposed to look like it had been standing for hundreds of years so the "peeling plaster" was an intentional finish. The stuff to the left shows that the NYWF had somewhat lower show standards than Walt did. I don't remember if that was a pavilion that didn't return in 1965 or was never developed. Maybe it was the New Orleans pavilion that went bust after the first year and came back as a lower budget version of itself.
Bu, the Avis attraction was an antique car ride, like a Main Street USA autopia.
Major, every time you post photos of the Fair, I get more confused and bewildered. Always some new things and impossible to get oriented. The only thing familiar today is the Port Authority Building and the Belgian Village, complete with Hercule Poirot.
Thank you Dean Finder for explaining changes from year to year, this helps somewhat, especially the pile of “bad show” there at the end.
It would have been fun to visit for sure. Thank you!
JG
Nanook, Belgian waffles turned out to be such a hit at the Fair (even featured in LIFE magazine) that I’ll bet the Swiss pavilion figured they might as well take advantage!
JB, that balloon looks like the time that kids used to bop on a sturdy rubber band; seems like a strange thing for an older person to carry. The orange and pink is pretty shocking, but I sort of like it, as if it is predicting the psychedelic colors to come in a few years. Maybe Swiss waffles were savory instead of sweet? The distressed buildings to the right might be part of the “Bourbon Street” area, note the wrought iron. That area was not there in 1964!
Mike Cozart, those do look like some crazy Rolly Crump colors; I think that design trends tended to percolate in the industry, including the “wow” colors seen here. Sounds like you have been brainwashed by the Junior Gorillas!
Bu, I agree that loading the Sky Ride at ground level is a good idea, but the Fantasyland chalet was already there up on a hill; that was a large part of its charm. A wedding venue, gosh, that would have been perfect! But only for wedding parties of course, it wouldn’t do much good for everyone else. I’m not sure what that junk is to the left in that one photo, maybe it’s where construction workers stored their tools. Whatever the case, it sure looks bad. I’m sure that Chrysler wanted in on that sweet sweet NASA money just like every other major industry. I think it’s OK to spoil a Planet of the Apes movie that is over 50 years old! I have to wonder if the people at the Fair were as careful with their waffle styles as you are… after all, the Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream turned out to be a big hit. I don’t think I’ve ever had Belgian-style waffles! Though my dad sometimes liked to do “breakfast for dinner”, with waffles and bacon and sausages. Or sometimes omelettes instead of waffles. I was a bit too young for the NYWF, but I sure wish I could have seen it. What a fabulous event.
Dean Finder, I’ve only driven past the Fairgrounds heading from JFK airport into Manhattan, it’s still kind of a thrill (for me) to see the few buildings that still stand. I know that they repainted the Chrysler pavilion for the ’65 season, I wonder if it was successful in bringing more people in? The Louisiana pavilion did close after 1964, to reopen as Bourbon Street in 1965. That Sky Ride went so high, I’m sure that most riders had no complaints as far as views were concerned… it looks like it was WAY higher than the Disneyland version. Glad you enjoyed these photos!
JG, I’ll try to send you a good map of the Fair, it will help to orient you (it certainly helps me)!
I get the Sky Ride having a station at the Swiss Pavilion, considering Von Roll is a Swiss company, but I guess it went to the Korean pavilion because that just happened to be what was at the other end of a straight line they drew on the fair map. Works for me.
Thanks for the NYWF pictures, Major. We held my mother's Celebration of Life today, and she and my dad attended that fair the first year they were married. I think she's smiling. I know I am.
Wow, Chuck, perfect tribute post!
I always enjoy the comments on this fair, as I learn so much from you folks.
Thanks, Major.
Sue
Major-
That "lean-to" at the entrance to the Belgian Village clearly has a commercial-style walk-in refrigerator/freezer door; and that 'dog house' on the side could easily house one or more condenser/compressor packages supplying cold/frozen air to that structure. I know... it's the emergency beer refrigerator. You just can't have enough redundancy-! (But, why so awful-looking-?)
The stats on the Swiss Sky Ride indicate the gondolas traversed the fair at 112 feet up in the air. The beloved Disneyland Skyway was a mere 60 feet up in the air.
Chuck, I’m so sorry about your wonderful mother’s passing, but glad that you were able to celebrate her life today. What a beautiful thing. Thanks.
Sue, I can think of no better tribute to a person than to celebrate their life with a gathering of loved ones; everyone can laugh and cry and remember the good times.
Nanook, I will take your word for it… I sure would have never guessed that it was an “emergency refrigerator”. It looks so thrown-together! But hey, if it kept the beer cold, that’s all that mattered. I was too lazy to look up the height of the Swiss Sky Ride, so thanks for that.
Trivium: On the commentary on the Rankin-Bass film "Daydreamer", they say the Belgian Village was used as an exterior set for some of the live action scenes.
Well, I thought it was interesting.
Chuck, thinking of you here.
JG
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