A Day in New York: The Biggest Road Map Ever!

The NY State Pavilion

22nd April 2014 was the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the 1964-65 World's Fair in what's now known as Flushing Meadows Corona Park. There has been an active effort to restore the New York State Pavilion. It's an iconic structure, and has the potential to be a great attraction. I'm not just talking out of my hat here: Today's viewing event drew thousands. One of the organisers said they expected like 800 people to show up. My DP and I went-and we got there early- the event started at 11.00am, and we got there at 10, and the line was incredible even then: we waited on line to get a number for two hours and another hour and a half to get our number called. We left the park at 3.00 pm, and one of my friends from a band said he had gotten his number, and was waiting to get in and wondered if we were still about. This was at 4 pm.

One of the features of the Pavilion is that the floor is a giant NY State roadmap by Rand McNally, and sponsored by Texaco. Sadly, with the neglect of the pavilion, and due to the construction of the map(Terrazo on plywood on sand), the map has deteriorated pretty badly. New York State Pavilion Paint Project has taken steps to prevent further damage to the map by covering it with sand and gravel. Part of the map was taken up and put in storage-the tiles covering eastern Long Island.

Part of today's event featured a display of four of the tiles:

The eventual plan is to restore all of the map(and the rest of the pavilion).

One of the features of Flushing Meadows Corona Park is that it's bounded by the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway, as well as bisected by the Long Island Expressway, giving the Roads Scholar opportunity to get some decent shots of these roads on foot.

Grand Central Pkwy looking north:

BJK is for Billie Jean King.

Long Island Expressway at the Van Wyck.

Comments

North Carolina Continues to Move Forward with Rail

2023 and the first half of 2024 have seen continued growth in North Carolina's passenger rail system. From increased daily trains from Raleigh to Charlotte, federal funds for studying additional corridors, and receiving a historic grant to begin the construction of high-speed rail between Raleigh and Richmond, the last 18 months have been a flurry of activity at NCDOT's Rail Division. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. As ridership and routes increase - the engine of North Carolina passenger rail trains will become a more common sight. (Adam Prince) Increased Passenger Train Service: On July 10, 2023, a fourth Piedmont round-trip rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte commenced. The four Piedmont trains plus the daily Carolinian (to Washington, DC, and New York) bring the total of trains serving the two cities daily to five. The current daily Piedmont and Carolinian schedule between Charlotte and Raleigh (NCDOT) The result was over 641,000 passengers utilized pa

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County. The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s. US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935. US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68. As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934. US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County . The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County. D

The Midway Palm and Pine of US Route 99

Along modern day California State Route 99 south of Avenue 11 just outside the City limits of Madera one can find the Midway Palm and Pine in the center median of the freeway. The Midway Palm and Pine denotes the halfway point between the Mexican Border and Oregon State Line on what was US Route 99. The Midway Palm is intended to represent Southern California whereas the Midway Pine is intended to represent Northern California. Pictured above the Midway Palm and Pine can be seen from the northbound lanes of the California State Route 99 Freeway. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page. For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The history of the Midway Palm and Pine The true timeframe for when the Midway Palm and Pine (originally a Deadora Cedar Tree) were planted is unknown. In fact, the origin of the Midway Palm and Pine w

Gribblenation

Search This Blog