Flushing Meadows

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Doesn't everyone of us have our very own individual spot that we feel almost magically drawn to without really knowing why? It could be a bench at the lake, a street or even a whole neighborhood. For me Flushing Meadows is one of those places.

Since the US Open in early september I consider the Flushing Meadows Corona Park my american backyard. Not only is Flushing Meadows the venue for the annual US Open, it is furthermore the location where the World Fair 1964/1965 took place. An entire city had been built with numerous different pavilions ranging from Coca Cola over IBM to Ford and the likes, all presenting their ideas of the modern age. Firing up the proverbial really big guns! The fair, which was split up in two 6 months running seasons, was over shadowed by rumours of heavy mismanagement and budget corrections. So some forty years later, all that's left is the (still) magnificent Unisphere, the (not so pretty) observatory tower and the (heavily damaged) New York State Pavilion. The architect of that certain pavilion said that nowadays, the ruin is even more haunting than the original structure which is definitely true, when you compare the now and then photos.

Flushing is so far one of the most impressive examples of long-time-gone beauty and once-upon-a-time glamour I have ever seen. Quite a historical site for my weekly jogging route...

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