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Asphalt Oasis: 1965

Tropical greenery notwithstanding, this isn't Bora Bora, Anaheim or even Orlando. "1965. Monorail station, New York World's Fair, Flushing Meadows" is the caption. Over to the left: "Florida Exhibits and Porpoise Show." Medium format color transparency, photographer unknown. View full size.

Tropical greenery notwithstanding, this isn't Bora Bora, Anaheim or even Orlando. "1965. Monorail station, New York World's Fair, Flushing Meadows" is the caption. Over to the left: "Florida Exhibits and Porpoise Show." Medium format color transparency, photographer unknown. View full size.

 

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New York State Pavilion still lives

50 years later the only thing that is still extant in this photo is the New York State pavilion, the tan circular (actually oval) edifice held up by white columns (the "Tent of Tomorrow") seen to the lower right of the monorail station. Just to the left of it you can just make out the two observation towers that had a starring role in the movie "Men in Black". The floor of the Tent of Tomorrow was a large terrazzo map of New York State - long gone now.

The structures are currently being repainted for the first time ever, so at least the superstructure will look like it did when it first opened in 1964.

Sponsor

The sponsor for the monorail was AMF and it went around the lagoon where the Florida pavilion, water ski and porpoise shows, among other things, were located at the fairs.

YES! The Goldfinger Aston Martin

I remember seeing that car like it was yesterday. A model showed off the car and used a handheld device with a telephone dial on it to activate the special 007 features - bullet proof shield, revolving license plate, machine guns behind front turn signals, etc.. I got to brag about it to my buddies for years.

Wonderful ride

Being only 16 at the time of the 1964-65 World's Fair, I don't remember exactly what part(s) of the fairgrounds the monorail covered, but I recall that this was a ride my mom really loved. She definitely did NOT like the open gondolas of the cable-car ride, which swung from side to side as my brother and I would jostle around in the bucket to get the best view (and for me to take pictures). Mom felt more comfortable in the enclosed monorail car.

Should've taken a tip from Walt

The operators of the Worlds Fair in New York should've taken a tip from Walt Disney: the patrons appreciate a clean park. The garbage on the walkways seen in these shots would not occur in 1965, or 2015, Disneyland. Walt employed an army of cleaners keeping his park spotless at all times.

007's Car

The "James Bond 007 car" in the poster would have been the Aston Martin DB5 "road car" used in Goldfinger, which was released in Sept. 1964.

According to this site, "With the release of Goldfinger, it soon became apparent that the DB5 had created a sensation, and the movie cars were sent out on promotional duty, with FMP 7B [the UK license plate] making a display appearance at the New York World's Fair in 1965."

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