Back to New York!

OK, after a few days looking at theme parks we'll get back to world's fairs. Here's a view I enjoy of the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. This was taken during the 1965 season, looking across from the Lake Amusement Area towards the Transportation Area. Carousel Park was a late addition to the Fair, offering a number of food choices and a merry-go-round. The carousel is still in the park today at a different spot, making it one of the few links to what was a great fair. My kids were on it a few times when they were young, and it's great that it's still there.

Palisades Park - Part 3

The computer is back in full working order so it's time again for more enjoyable pastimes. We're back at Palisades Park! One of the more unusual attractions was this giant swimming pool. Not only was it the biggest pool I had ever seen, at 400 by 600 feet, but it was filled with salt water. I believe it was the largest salt water pool in the world, and it may still hold that record. It was fun to go to Palisades, enjoy a cool swim in the pool during the heat of the day then go on the rides in the cooler night hours.

Palisades Park was high above the Hudson River, so besides the swims and rides you also got some great views from up there. I imagine the people living in the apartments built there enjoy their views, but I bet most of them never had fun in this pool.

No picture today

Too busy cleaning up the residue of a virus attack on my computer. Thankfully I have some good software and backups so everything looks ok, but scanning these large drives takes a lot of time so I'm just letting it run tonight.

What a pain...

Palisades Park - Part 2

Palisades Park was a bit of ride from our town on Long Island, so I didn't get there as often as some of the other parks in the area. Each time I did get there it was a fun trip. The rides were fun, and there was more junk food than my humble budget could afford. I remember going there with my family, the Boy Scouts, and some friends from high school. I don't remember if I ever used one of those discount coupons from my prized comic books though!

Palisades Park

Here's another great - and vanished - amusement park. This one was Palisades Park in New Jersey. You couldn't go long listening to the radio in the New York City area without hearing a commercial for the place, and it was also advertised regularly in Superman comic books. There was even a popular song about the place.

Yes sir, Palisades Park was THE place to be for many years. This view is from August 1962. We'll see some more of Palisades Park tomorrow.

Rockaways' Playland - Part 3

To me, a classic amusement park has to have a midway full of tacky games where you can win equally tacky prizes; plenty of opportunity to eat things that you really shouldn't; plenty of crowds and sounds to make the place interesting; and, most of all, a wooden rollercoaster. Rockaways' Playland sure had all of these and more.

The rollercoaster was a great way to know you were getting close to he park, as it stood out high above everything else in the area. Once at the park it was always right nearby, shuddering and shaking as carloads of screaming riders had fun tempting fate. It always sounded like it was ready to come apart at any moment, but I guess that was part of the fun. There are some sad pictures out there of the coaster being ripped apart when the park shut, for while some of the rides found new homes, the coaster was simply too big and too expensive to relocate.

Rockaways' Playland - Part 2

Rockaways' Playland opened in 1902 and was a popular spot, providing fun along the beach and an opportunity to escape the heat of the city. I was never there in winter, so I don't know if it was a year-round park or not. Knowing what New York winters can be like I would suspect it wasn't. But, as the sign says, it had "The Most Fun-Packed Midway in all America". This shot was taken in July 1963. Sadly, Playland closed in 1985. Imagine that.