On the first day of our ventures into experiencing New York we undertook the borough of Queens. As we left Penn. Station at approximately 11:05 taking the subway into Times Square followed by taking the number 7 train all the way out to Shea Stadium, I was able to try and gather my thoughts of what I was going to be seeing throughout the day’s ventures. As we arrived we walked down the boardwalk towards the crowds waiting for the U.S. Open which is held every August at the Flushing Meadow-Corona Park lasting two weeks.
Walking around the crowds and long lines to attend the match, we were able to escape to the more secluded area of the park. Flushing Meadow-Corona Park is an amazing 1255 acres and has just as much history to hold up to its size. Originally this park was nothing more than a dumping ground! Tons of garbage was continuously dropped off here, making mountains of trash. Amazing to think that such a beautiful park was once a dirty dingy marshland that no one wanted to go near. Robert Moses saw more to this disgusting dump than anyone else cared to. He had a vision of transforming this ground into a useable terrain, and obviously from my personal experience, his visions became a reality. He was able to not only make this land useable and the water sources around it clean again, this area was then used for not only the 1939-40 World’s Fair, but the 1964-65 World’s Fair as well! (BG, 497)
The World’s Fair was an amazing achievement. Buildings were built specifically for this fair, including the Unisphere standing at a breathtaking 12 stories high , which was the center focal point representing the overall theme of “Peace through Understanding”(BG, 497). This globe and fair were meant to unite people from all over the world, all with different cultures, beliefs, and religions to all be represented in one area for all to blend together and experience the beautiful complexities in the differences we all share. During the 64-65 World ’s Fair there were 140 pavilions, 21 being state pavilions and 36 foreign. Due to the rise of the space age “Man’s Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe” was a also a main theme represented by the Unisphere.
One building that is still standing from the World’s Fair is now the Queens Museum. Originally this building was the New York City Building used for the World’s Fair in 1939-1940, and it has also been used as a headquarter for the United Nations (BG, 497). Inside they have on display one of the most amazing exhibits I have ever seen. The Panorama was built specifically for the World’s Fair and has been on display for visitors to come experience the sheer magnitude of the creation for years to come. Having been updated up until 1992, there are obvious changes that still need to be made, but the precision and time spent on this creation makes it hard to forget (BG,497-498). Robert Moses was the brains behind having this exhibit created, wanting his previous endeavors of creating numerous parkways, bridges and preserving beaches throughout the city to be showcased. The entire model is represented on a scale of 1 inch: 100 feet, interestingly enough the only pieces not to this scale are the numerous bridges, 20 of them connecting the boroughs, these bridges are actually on a larger scale to show the complexities of Robert Moses prior works.
Our next ventures once leaving the Queens museum was visiting the Museum of the Moving Image located in Astoria. This Museum has many different exhibitions ranging from old time cameras, microphones, and movies on display, to more modern up to date interactive exhibits that allow people of all ages to learn how to make a movie reel scene by scene, or do a voice over for classic movies to see Marilyn Monroe having their voice! They even have a section with costumes from well known movies, one of my favorites being the woman body suit Robin Williams wore in the unforgettably funny film "Mrs. Doubt Fire". This museum helps preserve the film industry and present it to people for years to come. One exhibit that is fun for all ages is Jim Henson’s Fantastic World. Jim Henson, being the creator of the Muppets and Sesame Street, has his imaginative work displayed in the museum of moving image. There are rooms full of his sketches and earliest drawings of the characters we’ve all grown to love and adore for over 25 years. His works span from his movie The Dark Crystal to the Muppet movies, the Muppet shows and Sesame Street. The most iconic characters are on display as well ,including Miss Piggy in her wedding gown (obviously wanting to marry the famous Kermit the frog), and Bert and Ernie the famous duo showing how opposites can still be best friends. The most intriguing aspects of his works to me were the innocence in his drawings. How he would simply jot down thoughts, of how a character should look, their temperament, and the personality he wanted to suggest through the design of the costume. Even the mechanics of how these characters would move and evoke life for audiences. Big Bird, for example, would be a 7 foot tall monster; to represent this he needed a man to not only have a full body suit, but for his arm to extend upwards with his hand being able to move the beak. All of these ideas are shown in their most immature state, yet anyone familiar with these characters can appreciate how they came to be.
One of our last stops was not to a museum per-say, but an outside exhibit for all to enjoy and appreciate an abstract art that doesn’t always have a good name attached to it. The graffiti at 5Points in Long Island City was originally created by Jonathan Cohen who had and still has many aspiring ideas for this artistry. This block long, 5 story high building, located at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street, has drawn artists from not only the 5 boroughs (representing the 5 points) but graffiti artists from around the world including Canada, Japan, and Brazil just to name a few. Dj’s, Musicians, Break Dancers, Film Makers and photographers all flock here to get a taste of the art that is farthest thing from ordinary. Graffiti has never truly gained respect of artistry, but no one can refute the amazing talent that is needed to execute works of art to this magnitude simply through spray paint. Jonathan Cohen even has hopes of opening an art school specifically for graffiti, to be able to share art techniques, along with the importance that teamwork holds in an art such as this.
Our trip to Queens was filled to the brim with new experiences for me. Everything from using the subways, to visiting numerous museums and walking around experiencing all the culture and personality that the city has to offer was something I had never done before. I find it amazing how even though I have two parents that grew up in Queens, I never knew any of the history behind any of it. Robert Moses was simply a beach I went to, never knowing the full magnitude of his projects and his importance to the city. I had never even heard of the World’s Fair before; forget about knowing how much effort had gone into creating it, how many people attended, and what it actually stood for representing so many different countries and trying to bring all the differences between us to mesh and allow us to be more accepting and understanding of each other…as per the theme “Peace through Understanding”. This trip was very insightful for me, and I can’t wait to see what next week will bring!
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