17
Flushing Meadows
Corona Park
Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the fourth biggest public
space in New York City. With 898 acres, it is 55 acres larger
than Manhattan’s Central Park with a wonderful mix of flora,
fauna, waterways, paths, athletic facilities, statues, and cultural
organizations.
Smack dab in the center is the borough’s most recognizable
structure: The Unisphere. Erected for the 1964 World’s Fair,
this 140-feet-high, 700,000-pound stainless steel globe rises
above a multi-spouted fountain. In fact, statues are everywhere
in this park, which was created from ash heaps (Read F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby) in order to host the
1939 World’s Fair. Other art works – such as Rocket Thrower,
a 43-foot-high, bronze sculpture by Donald De Lue – were
created for the 1964 World’s Fair.
Rowboats and paddleboats are available for rent at Meadow
Lake, which is the Big Apple’s largest body of fresh water. In
the same spot, the American Small Craft Association keeps more
than a dozen sloop-rigged sailboats, which are used for teaching
and racing. Meadow Lake also hosts the annual Hong Kong
Dragon Boat Festival, an international event during which teams
compete in rowing races every August.
Landlubbers can enjoy foot and bicycle paths, some of
which connect to the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway. Soccer,
volleyball, and cricket games abound in the numerous fields and
playgrounds, and the Aquatic Center boasts an Olympic-size
New York State Pavillion