Saturday, August 2, 2008

Unisphere Closeup

This is a close-up shot from beneath the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. The 900,000 lb (409,000 kg) structure made of stainless steel was designed by landscape architect, Gilmore D. Clark for the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair. The structure and its surrounding area received a complete renovation in 1994-1995, which cost a couple millions of dollars.

The Unisphere is the unofficial symbol for the Borough of Queens.

So where around the globe would you like to be?

32 comments:

b13 said...

Bungee jumping from the top center towards the bottom center ring ;)

Messy Karen said...

for a couple of hours i would like to be that little girl with her younger sister that visited the fair in 1964. there was a small tent that our Mom let us go into by ourselves. it was full of trinkets like the ones you find in Chinatown. i remember that day. & i remember the globe.

Virginia said...

Thanks for giving us another perspective. I just think this is such a great site. Where would I like to be?? En France!

USelaine said...

Where? Hmm. Just for a visit, on a magic carpet, Cornwall and Brittany sound good just now. Pasties and crepes to eat, French wine to drink, while the natives go plunging into the ocean to cool off from the "heat", I'd probably still need my sweater.

Ann said...

The coast of Italy, preferably Sicily.

Hilda said...

Wow, that's a lot of steel!

Anywhere in the world, as long as it's on a quiet, white sand beach. :)

Gecko said...

Wow, amazing...that's over 400 tonnes!! WOW!

Where in the globe do I wanna be right now? Honestly I want to be sitting around a camp fire with good mates talking about utes, horses and cattle, preferably with a cute country boy sitting next to me...with a Bicardi rum in hand. I was hoping to have a good country day out today but when I got there I didn't know anyone there and was bored. But oh well.

Monika said...

In Barcelona, eating tapas and drinking wine.

Love the shot!

Anonymous said...

I love this shot and the one below. Where would I like to be? Anywhere!

Paz ;-)

Missy,Mrs and Mum said...

Well I know where missy and missy's mum will be on 1st november, that will be manhattan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shammickite said...

Wow what a wonderful globe, I haven't seen a picture of it before.
Where would I like to be? So many places. Perhaps wandering around the streets of Paris... or perhaps London or Rome. No... too citified. I'd like to be somewhere in the country, with a beautiful view, a view of the ocean preferably, sipping a glass of wine with my companion by my side. And it's sunny. And not too hot.

Changes in the wind said...

Taking a peek at this first hand:)

Isadora said...

I remember this when it was originally erected. It received publicity in Hungary - and that was before we left for the US :)

Where would I like to be right now? With my daughter in Thailand for the two weeks yoga camp she is enjoying and/or off to Mauritius.

You are more than welcome to visit me anytime you wish. I've a friend in NY (who was here a couple of years ago) he'll be heading to Moldavia at the end of the month with a layover in Budapest - so we'll randevue at Ferihegy. In March when I'm flying to Calif. I'll do the same at JFK. :)

Anonymous said...

Where?...at the Museum of Modern Art enjoying the Salvador Dalí's art show or at a cafe in Praga eating a langos.

Knoxville Girl said...

Now They Might Be Giants song is rattling around in my head:
"All alone at the'64 World's Fair
80 dolls yelling "small girl after all"
Who was at the Dupont Pavilion?
Why was the bench still warm? Who had been there?"
And where would I like to be? I'm there, dude. Viva KnoxVegas!
Wonderful photo!

Ken Mac said...

fantastic angle! the blue sky is eerily perfect...

Raquel Sabino Pereira said...

I'd like to be sailing AROUND the Globe! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Any where but LA! Hard to choose, but give me Manhattan or Paris any day.

Doris

Chris said...

Love the perspective of this photo, Ming. Hard to imagine something weighing that much, no?

Where would I like to be? Wow. . . .I *love* travel, so I think the thing that would suit me best would be a world cruise.

• Eliane • said...

Last time I saw the unisphere, there were kids skateboarding inside the fountain (never seen water in it though).

Saw your comment on Kitty's post (you were in synch!) - I did a little research about is a while ago, apparently its construction was motivated by feng shui to correct the bad karma of the building and traffic nonsense of the time.

Where in the world? Hmm... I am thi nking somewhere crazy like Tokyo, Shanghai or the total opposite like Bali or Papete.

USelaine said...

I love how you shot this. I forgot to mention that earlier. 8^)

Tash said...

Fantastic close-up!

Anonymous said...

Where would I like to be right now?
In N.Y !

Sharanya said...

I second the anonymous comment above me! NYC it is!

And the picture of the globe is really good. Silver against a blue-sky. I like it.

PJ said...

There's another globe like this for an Australian daily photo. I wonder how many others showed up.

Dorothy said...

Ming...this is a great close up...your good at this you know :)

Unknown said...

London? :-)

Todd HellsKitchen said...

Great shot... Lighting and background were perfect... Was that "serendipitous"??? Or did you have to wait for that to happen??

NormanTheDoxie said...

I may be aging myself, but I vividly remember going to the '64 World's Fair when I was in JHS. I was living in Queens at the time, within walking distance of the Jewel Avenue gate.... and there was a hole in the fence where we were able to squeeze through and avoid paying the entry fee.... which I believe was $4.00.

Ashley said...

Amazing shot and perspective! Where in the world would I like to be... I think Samui, Thailand. Relaxing on the beach, listening to the waves crash, and feeling the warm sand between my toes.

columbiacitygirl said...

I was born in 1964 and lived in Rego Park. My father used to tell me stories about taking me to the World's Fair when I was a baby. Every time I see this, I smile. Since I live in South Carolina now I don't get to see it often, so thanks for the post.

Christine P. said...

When my sister and I were kids, our parents would take us to Flushing Meadows to ride bikes. Loved that. That's what I think of whenever I see pics of the Unisphere or the pavillion. I remember some sort of bridge we'd always ride over and I'd hustle up one side and just cooooaaaast on down the other. Seemed like crazy speed at the time. Probably not as fast as I thought it was, though. :)