Come Back To The Fair

I only became interested in The 1939 New York World's Fair after my Dad died, which is longer ago than seems possible. In search of tangible mementos, talismans as it were, I dug into a beat-up old footlocker that had sat undisturbed for a very long time in my parents' (now just my mother's) basement. Inside were a few Fair souvenirs, nothing out-of-the-ordinary or especially valuable, but charming, nonetheless, particularly since my grandmother (my father's mother) had carefully and thoughtfully saved, for instance, even the cardboard shipping box that the Fair tray and coaster set had been mailed in.

At the Kodak exhibit: (left) my Uncle Buddy's 
girlfriend Stella and my grandmother; (right) my Dad

Over the years I've added to that collection, and I suppose I'll share the pieces here eventually. I haven't any one-of-a-kind items that you won't see anywhere else on the internet, just the usual and expected plates and pins, spoons and glassware, and the like.

From collecting I moved on to experiencing; I rode the 7 Train out to Flushing, dragging along good-natured and willing friends on frigid winter days to see the site where The Fair had stood, to see if I could feel The Fair. I tried to imagine what it was like to stand beneath the Trylon and Perisphere, which apparently would have dwarfed the Unisphere (symbol of the 1964-65 World's Fair) which occupies their former site. (Luckily for enthusiasts of the '64-'65 Fair, a visit to Flushing Meadows affords a much more evocative experience.)

Plenty has been written about the history and design of the Fair that was; my focus has been on the Fair that still is, however little that may be. A wonderful piece some years ago by David Dunlap in The New York Times gave an overview of what remains of The Fair (and also of the '64-'65 re-incarnation), which alas, is not much. But my own research has uncovered even more than Mr. Dunlap's excellent article, and I have been very pleased and very surprised to discover many remnants of The Fair that can still be seen and visited and enjoyed today.

Of all the souvenirs and mementos I have from The Fair, the most precious to me, the one I wouldn't part with even for all the money in the world, is my Dad's ticket book. It bears his 8-year-old's signature, and still has 15 unused tickets inside. It's my ticket back to The Fair; I invite you to come along.