World's Fair Wide Angle Wednesday

Tent of Tomorrow
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 100ISO, 11mm

This Sunday, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will have a celebration for the closing of the World's Fairs from 1939 and 1964, the 75th and 50th Anniversaries. Back on April 22nd of this year, I got the chance to go inside the New York State Pavilion for a one day opening to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the 1964 World's Fair. The opening of the Pavilion was presented by the People for the Pavilion, the organization responsible for helping the process of the restoration.

Still a long wait ahead
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/320sec, 100ISO, 11mm

This is going to be a long post, as I have been meaning to do it for quite sometime. Tomorrow will feature the shots taken with another lens, but since today is Wide Angle Wednesday, all of today's shots will be wide angle!

Boro Taxi
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/800sec, 100ISO, 12mm

I am not a fan of standing in lines, of waiting around. That day, I waited for over three hours to obtain a ticket and was told to return 90 minutes later for access inside. A coworker of mine had also made the trek out, so I had some company while I waited, otherwise I probably would have headed home. If you are familiar with the park, the line wrapped around the pavilion, then headed down the overpass of the Grand Central and started near the carousel, which was assembled from two former carousels from Coney Island for the Fair, though it was in a different location until 1968.

After obtaining our tickets, we headed to the Queens Zoo, since I am a member and it is located just across the Grand Central Parkway from the Pavilion. The aviary in the Queens Zoo is another vestige of the 1964 World's Fair. The aviary is a geodesic dome that had served as the indoor meeting assembly hall. 

The Queens Museum, though normally closed on Tuesdays, had opened its doors for visitors to see the Panorama of the City of New York, which was commissioned by Robert Moses for the 1964 World's Fair. The building itself dates back to the 1939 World's Fair and has seen many uses through the years; it hosted the United Nations from 1946 through 1950. The museum was recently renovated as well.

Queens Museum Lobby
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/9, 1/200sec, 640ISO, 11mm

The Panorama is one of the gems of Queens that I love. I have always loved scale models, and to see the entire five boroughs in miniature form is pretty impressive. As I do when flying into LaGuardia, I enjoy finding places I have lived, places I have worked, places I love to frequent. It was a nice distraction from the waiting. I love that they even have little planes flying into and out of LGA.

Panorama of the City of New York Stitched up
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/2.8, 1/40sec, 640ISO, 11mm

The time was up for us to finally gain access to the interior of the New York State Pavilion, the Tent of Tomorrow. But this wasn't the first time I had seen the inside. Back in February of 2005, I had designed lighting for an Off Off Broadway show called Taxi to Jannah, that had a performance at Queens Theatre In The Park, or QTIP. QTIP occupies the Theaterama portion of the Pavilion. The scene shop was a little utility closet located in the outer ring of the Tent of Tomorrow, so I had a chance to glimpse the map that was the floor. Well, the parts of the map that weren't covered by snow.

Almost in!
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/320sec, 125ISO, 11mm

Since 2005, an effort has been made to restore the Pavilion. It has received a fresh coat of paint. And unfortunately, the map has been covered over with gravel to protect it from the elements.

To the Mezzanine Level
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/160sec, 125ISO, 11mm

I wish I could have seen the Pavilion in its grandeur. The ceiling of the Tent of Tomorrow used to be covered with stained glass. At one point in time, it used to be the world's largest cable suspension ceiling.

Moriches
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 125ISO, 16mm

Montauk
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/400sec, 125ISO, 16mm

The Pavilion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. In July of this year, $5.8 million dollars had been raised the restoration, and The New York Mets had also donated some funds. Unfortunately, July also saw vandals break portions of the map and set a fire to the tarp covering the same relief map.

Restaurant
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 125ISO, 11mm

Portions of this post that I didn't already know have been researched via Wikipedia.org. Links have been embedded in the above post where relevant.

Tent of Tomorrow Towards Observation Towers
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/200sec, 125ISO, 16mm

If you enjoyed this post, and you wish to help out with the restoration efforts of the Pavilion, visit http://nyspavilion.org/ to learn what the People for the Pavilion are doing in their efforts.

Lines and Circles
Canon 60D, Tokina Pro DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8, f/8, 1/500sec, 125ISO, 11mm