I finally made it to the newly reopened and renovated Queens Museum on Sunday. I entered the museum from the Flushing Meadows Park side. Nothing new here: The museum has always had a great view of the Unisphere. I came out on the other side (more about what I saw in between later). Like stepping directly onto the Grand Central Parkway. That feels right for the Queens Museum, which owes its existence to the Worlds Fairs of 1939 and 1964--those celebrations of the Modern World. What epitomizes the that world better than the freedom and convenience of the automobile, and the highways that allow us to enjoy them?
The GCP was built in the early 1930s as one of New York City's glorious parkways. It was expanded, and became considerably less park-like, in 1961 in preparation for the World's Fair. Here's a picture of the museum and the parkway during the fair:
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