New York World's Fair
I have some more scans from the 1964 New York World's Fair for you!
We'll start with this look at the Hong Kong pavilion; from the official guidebook... The bustling commerce, scenic beauty and Oriental-European atmosphere of the famous British crown colony have been re-created in the Hong Kong pavilion and the adjoining Crown Colony Club, sponsored by the Hong Kong Trading Company, Inc. The pavilion - with upswept eaves, intense colors and intricate carvings - captures the spirit of Hong Kong architecture. It contains special Oriental exhibits and shops, and has a restaurant. The Crown Colony Club is a restaurant and night club. Set in a landscaped garden dominated by three Chinese junks, it may be entered either from the pavilion or through the stern of one of the trio of junks.
Over in the Amusement Zone you couldn't miss the Aerial Tower Ride, where four elegantly upholstered gondolas, each with a capacity of 15, majestically rise on cables to the top of a 120-foot tower. The smooth, slow ride provides a magnificent view of the Fair and lasts three to five minutes.
Strangely, next to the Aerial Tower Ride was a restaurant, which specializes in Bel-Gem Waffles - waffles served with combinations of powdered sugar, whipped cream and fresh strawberries. I hope those delicious waffles stay down while aboard the ride!
Next is a familiar view, looking across Grand Central Parkway toward the Transportation and Travel pavilion. Who doesn't love a green moon-shaped building? And there's a giant whitewall tire too, the U.S. Rubber Ferris wheel.
The Republic of China pavilion seems to have been very popular with photographers; I suppose it is pretty impressive to folks who were unused to giant pagodas. As for me, I am very used to them (long story). I love seeing the Sky Ride overhead, with the strings of colorful gondolas. Let's ride that back and forth several times!
The opulent red and gold pavilion is a reproduction of a tradtional imperial palace - the first of its kind which has ever been erected in the Western hemisphere. Within the structure are exhibits of ancient and modern Chinese culture, and many rare and beautiful art objects: bronzes, porcelains, jades, silks and carvings in ivory, wood and stone.
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the World's Fair!
19 comments:
Love the Entrance to the "Beer Garden of The Hungry Dragon". The Hong Kong pavilion looks great!
Do I get a side of gems with my waffle? Looks like there's a log flume nearby.
Always loved the "moon" dome and U.S. Royal Tire giant tire "Ferris" Wheel. Great icons of the NYWF. It must've been a great sight driving by on the expressway. No berm at this World's Fair. Thanks, Major.
Major-
What unusually-sharp images these are-! Such a delight for the 'ol eyeballs.
Thanks, Major.
Next to the Beer Garden of the Hungry Dragon, there is a sign proclaiming "Pearl Bearing Oysters". Not sure if that's meant to be a promise or a warning; like "beware of Greeks bearing gifts". I like all the busy, colorful architecture.
The Tower Ride: Hmmm, 120 feet up doesn't sound all that special. I mean, you could go up to the observation deck of any tallish New York building and be considerably higher. But I do have a thing for sight-seeing towers like this; I like the way they look.
In the "Waffles" close-up, below the "Log Flume Ride" sign, it says (I think) "Fun Games". Wonder what sort of games? Thank goodness they didn't go with their initial idea: "Tragic Games".
The Green Moon: (Hey, there aren't any 'moon berries' in this group of pictures... How can that be!?) Like Ken Martinez, I've always loved the U.S. Royal Tire ferris wheel; so iconic. Not sure if you could see much of a view at the top though. The cars look like they barely clear the Tire.
It sure seems deliberate that the Sky Ride gondolas look like Chinese lanterns above the China pavilion.
There's a gaggle of Scouts on the left. Major, you (or someone) told us that they served some sort of function at the Fair, but I can't remember what.
In the last photo, there's something about seeing the Sky Ride above the China pavilion that epitomizes what a World's Fair is all about. Recognizable anywhere.
Nice NYWF pictures, Major. Thanks.
Beautiful NY World's Fair pics today, Major!
I don't think we've seen photos of those Chinese junks here on GDB. Have we? They make for a pretty cool entrance to the restaurant.
The boy scout in the second to last photo has to go to the bathroom......REALLY bad!
Thanks for the trip to the 1964 NYWF, Major!
The BEER GARDEN OF THE HUNGRY DRAGON looks like an attraction like an outdoor dark ride!
That pattern on the Cineramma Dome is a work of art! It’s too bad so much of this Fair was torn down and trucked off to the the dump. And much of what little was saved has over the years been lost or destroyed.
But we have GORILLAS DONT BLOG to relive it again…
When I was in Egypt, I went to an "Oriental" restaurant only to find what I thought would be Chinese food, but was actually middle eastern/mediterranean food. Not a noodle to be seen! It's interesting how "of the Orient" can denote so many type of cultures, and places. At Port's o' Call Village near where I grew up here in the states there was an "Oriental" store that I LOVED, full of many things...and smelled of exotic spices, incense, etc. It was first place I experienced those edible rice paper wrapped rice candies, so I guess it was more Asian Fusion. It also had coconuts carved into pirate heads which I thought at the time very Pirates of the Caribbean. Port's o' Call is long gone, now in redevelopment for over 20+ years I think. Beer Garden of the Hungry Dragon...that seems like Munich and Hong Kong had a love child. Port's o' Call also had one of those "pick your own oyster" place, where you could either get a gigantic whopper pearl...or a dot...my mom usually got a dot. There is no way in Hell I would go up into those things dangling on strings. Looks frightfully precarious. I'm sure it was tested and tested, but no thank you. Bel Gem waffles are still around, and if you are looking for the perfect Belgian waffle mix, Williams Sonoma sells it. (not an ad). Belgian waffles I have found are a little hard to make, and I am generally not a "mix" guy...but that mix makes the waffles come out PERFECT. Crispy outside, and fluffy and soft on the inside. Mine made from scratch come out tough...I don't make them often enough to perfect my receipe. The Cinerama Dome is super cool, and takes me back to my Hollywood days where I could walk to that theatre, now closed, but scheduled for a "return". The largest curved screen in the world where it served as the premiere location for the often mentioned film on GDB: ...Mad Mad Mad ...World...This dome actually look WAY larger than the one in Hollywood, so I wonder if it had at that time the world record biggest screen (?) I like the giant tire too, and it looks like its made of actual rubber...could it be? I think that would smell like a Pep Boys store...a smell I do enjoy from time to time and takes me back to the Western Auto stores where I got my first bike. Wish list: photos from the NYWF I would like to see? The VIP lounges in each pavilion that inspired Club 33 to be built...doesn't look like there is much on the interspace...thanks Major!
I didn't realize the Cinerama film shown in the Transportation and Travel Pavilion (the "Moon Dome") was a retrospective on Jackie Gleason's career.
Nice to see that U.S. Royal tire when it was its original Ferris wheel. When I lived in Michigan I would see it regularly in its current permanent location along I-94 in Allen Park as the Uniroyal tire. https://www.instantstreetview.com/@42.271473,-83.208258,245.74h,9.25p,1z,cw8OB3x5DV8P9CRbe_Sn9g
Whole lotta junk in that first pic...
I really wish I had payed more attention when we were there. My brother David and I were only interested in checking out the girls and all things outer space. Youth really is wasted on the young. Heck I was ten, I thought the Helms Bakery truck was exciting. I am loving these snaps today, thanks Major.
….the barrel-bird cage crane ride: NOPE!!!
….the Swiss Skyride …… is it me or does that seem just way to high!???
In the pagoda shot you can see one if those electric Greyhound tour-carts. Did anyone see that episode a few years ago of AMERICAN RESTORATION where they completely restored one of those New York World Fair Greyhound carts? It turned out perfect! Even the Metalic flake-sparkle vinyl seat upholstery from vintage old stock ! My grandma had a 1969 White Nova with a similar Metalic - sparkle blue seats and interior lining … very futuristic… I wonder if a company makes that material for car restorations
@ Bu-
Turns out the screen size [width] of the Cinerama Dome Theatre is only 80-feet - the same size as that of the 80-foot Spacearium dome at the 1964 World's Fair.
Prior to the Cinerams Dome's construction in 1963, Cooper Theatres built the first Super Cinerama theatre in Denver, Colorado in 1962. (Three more locations were built in Minneapolis, St. Louis and Omaha, each designed from the ground up to screen 3-strip, Cinerama films. The St. Louis location purportedly had the largest screen, measuring a whopping 35 feet high with a 105-foot wide curve. [I've also seen that figure listed at 96-feet]. (I presume that "105-foot" figure refers to the measurement along the 'arc', and not a straight across measurement from edge-to-edge). And without knowing the depth of the curvature, it would be hard to determine if the '80-foot' and '105-foot' numbers are 'apples to apples" or "apples to oranges"...
Steve, I see what you did there! JB, Pearl Bearing Oysters was the most famous jazz singer in Hong Kong. She played all the best beer gardens in East Asia.
The waffles started selling a lot better when they stopped topping them with Brussels sprouts.
That guy in #5 is taking a picture of us! Everybody say cheese and make bunny ears behind the person next to you!
I can never get enough pictures of the Ferris Tire. Things that look like other things are some of my favorite things.
K. Martinez, it all looks so inviting, at least to my 2023 eyes! What a place. I feel like I would need a week to thoroughly explore the grounds. You get gems with your waffles, but they are not responsible for broken teeth. I love that moon dome too, and need one on my new mansion.
Nanook, glad you liked these! It’s always fun to visit the Fair.
JB, there used to be a place in Buena Park (“Japanese Gardens”) where you could get an oyster that was guaranteed to contain a pearl. It was probably mostly glass with a millionth of an inch of nacre, but they didn’t lie. I remember the smell was something awful. I know what you mean about 120 feet not sounding high, and yet… it looks pretty high here! I assume that the “fun games” were your standard carnival-style games, but I don’t really know. I’m sorry about the lack of moon berries, but there’s nothing I can do about it! I have also observed that the Sky Ride looks like lanterns above the Republic of China pavilion, not sure if it was intentional, or just a happy accident. Scouts from around the world supposedly wandered the Fairgrounds looking for people to help. “Here lady, let me lighten your wallet for you!”.
TokyoMagic!, I’m not sure if we’ve seen those junks before. It’s been so many years! :-) I remember a lot of the photos, but I can’t remember them all, sadly. That poor Boy Scout, he needs to find a tree.
Mike Cozart, an outdoor dark ride?! ;-) I agree, it seems almost criminal that most of this Fair was demolished, so much creativity and beauty, there for only a short time. I guess that’s what made it special.
Bu, I don’t know if I would have expected Chinese food in Egypt, but I’m also not sure I would have expected what we consider to be Middle Eastern food. When I was in Paris for a month, money was tight, so crepes and Chinese food kept me going. So much for fancy cuisine. I can practically imagine that “Oriental” store you described at Ports O’ Call. Those rice-paper wrapped candies, they had those at the Japanese Village in Buena Park. I did not care for them! That Sky Ride looks amazing, I’d want to ride it several times! I’ll bet once you were up there you wouldn’t be concerned. If your waffles were tough, you stirred the mix too much. Or so I’m told. I’ve never seen a movie at the Cinerama Dome, even though there was a time when I drove past often. My best friend saw a rerelease of “Lawrence of Arabia” there. I’d love to see those VIP lounges too, but I’m not exactly holding my breath.
Chuck, HA HA! “Alice….”!
Anonymous, cool that you used to see the giant tire all the time, but you are right, it’s kind of a shame that it is now a static display.
Steve DeGaetano, OUCH.
Jonathan, hey, at least you went! And checking out cute girls is never a waste of time. I used to tease my mom that she could have taken me to this Fair, but I wouldn’t have remembered a darn thing about it. Same with Woodstock!!
Mike Cozart, I would love to see that episode of American Restoration with the Greyhound “Glide’A-Ride” transport. And I used to love that sparkly naugahyde, I’d like to think that somebody out there still makes it, but maybe folks have to hope to find that old stock you mentioned.
There’s always time for more pictures of the NYWF!
I love the Waffle Shed, just a great photo.
I’m laughing at the food comments while I enjoy my ume’ musubi for breakfast.
Thanks Major!
JG
Nanook, I have the feeling that the screen was only part of what was beneath the moon dome. Perhaps there were some displays as well. I’d look it up, but am away from home today! It would have been kind of neat to see one of those old original Cinerama movies on those giant curved screens. I know that you can buy DVDs that have the curve simulated, but it’s not the same at four feet as it is at 80 or 90 feet!
Melissa, I made sure to never see Pearl Bearing Oysters in concert during a month that has “R” in it. There are a few people taking photos in the same direction as that guy, I wonder if the Unisphere is off in that direction? Again, I’d look it up but… I’ll have to do it later.
JG, I have no idea what ume’ musubi is, but I’ll bet it’s better with lots of ketchup.
Major-
"... but it’s not the same at four feet as it is at 80 or 90 feet!" As personal experience will attest - it most-assuredly is NOT.
On the other hand... the Blu-ray releases of ALL the [major] Cinerama and Cinemiracle films with the 'clean-up' work done in the digital domain: correcting faded color; correcting mis-matching colors; dust; tears; breaks; jitter and weave; "erasing" the [almost, always-present 'join lines']; and digitally-correcting the horizon line 'bending' caused by the cameras either shooting up or down - along with the application of 3D mapping technology to produce an image that approximates the curved screen, called SmileBox®, makes for a rather spectacular viewing experience, in spite of a 'miniaturized' screen.
Major, here's a map of what was in the Travel & Transportation pavilion.
Note the monorail beam on pylons in the background of the Waffle stand picture.
Nanook, I'm sure you are right! But as you said, the opportunity to watch these movies, restored and in the comfort of one's own home, is something to be celebrated. It wasn't that long ago that people would only have the chance to see a Cinerama movie once or twice in a lifetime, and only if you lived in a big city.
Dean Finder, thank you! That map is very helpful. I love nywf64.com, it is an incredibly rich and informative site. About every two years I write to Bill (the man who put it all together) to thank him.
Post a Comment