Back in 1964 when I was 8 years old I was amazed by all the technology - the race to the moon, nuclear power, even formica. My dad worked for General Motors where the Futurama exhibit showed this huge machine rolling through the jungle, lasers cutting down trees, leaving a completed road already with traffic.

1964	1984

I've been collecting the stories people have sent; here are a few:

"I was 7 years old when I first visited the fair. Your photos have brought back many wonderful memories. Perhaps the most treasured is my dad giving me 50 cents to make a wax dino. It is strange that this simple act by my father would turn out to be the measuring stick for me to judge my most treasured childhood memories. We were not poor, so the money aspect was not significant, possibly it was the feeling that my father could be as excited by a toy the way I was." "I was 10 years old when the Fair was on. I was just blown away by the Fair and managed to go about 20 times. I remember being so excited at either the Hawaii or Florida Pavilion that I threw up on a moving sidewalk. It amazes me that so many other people besides myself still think about the fair." "The World's Fair was so magical to me, I cried when it closed (and when they demolished Belgian Village!) I always wanted to go see the 'ruins' but thought it might be too depressing. So I got to see them through your photos. Wonderful, wonderful...do you have more?"

Two World's Fairs took place on the Flushing fairgrounds: one in 1964 and the other in 1939. Admission in 1964/65 was $2.50 for adults and $1.00 for kids. In 1939/40 it was 75¢ for adults and 25¢ for kids. And if you lost something when you were there you might still try the lost and found phone number: WF 4-8470.

It's interesting to contrast the guide book introductions by each fair's president, one a utopian view on the eve of a World War and the other more Disney-like in the middle of a strong economy:

	Grover A. Whalen, President, New York World's Fair 1939:
	The talents and genius of many men and women - architects, designers, artists, engineers, industrialists, businessmen, civic leaders, and educators - have been assembled to give graphic demonstration to the dream of a better "World of Tomorrow:" that world which you and I and our millions of fellow citizens can build from the best of the tools available to us today. We show you here in New York World's Fair the best industrial techniques, social ideas and services, the most advanced scientific discoveries. And at the same time we convey to you the picture of the interdependence of man on man, class on class, nation on nation. We tell you of the immediate necessity of enlightened and harmonious co-operation to preserve and save the best of our modern civilization.
	Robert Moses, President, New York World's Fair 1964/1965:
	The Fair aims to be universal, to have something for everyone. What is it you want? Vast forces dormant in nuggets of imprisioned sunlight? Machines that fly, think, transport, fashion and do man's work? Spices, perfumes, ivory, apes and peacocks? Dead Sea Scrolls? Images divine and graven? Painted lillies and refined gold? The products of philosophy, which is the guide of life, and knowledge, which is power? We have them all. Study the Fair. Come often. When you get here, don't rush. Be wise. Space your visits; save your arches, spare your muscles, use your head; patronize buses, rolling stock, rides, ramps and escalators; spot the oases and cultivate repose in the midst of multifarious activities. We welcome you to the Fair.