New York World's Fair: Lake Amusement Area

Aerial Tower Ride and Waffle Restaurant
Food on land and gaily colored gondolas in the sky are the twin features of a typically European eat-and-ride attraction. The outdoor restaurant specializes in Bel-Gem Waffles-waffles served with combinations of powdered sugar, whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Beside the restaurant area four elegantly upholstered gondolas, each with a capacity of 15, majestically rise on cables to the top of a 120-foot tower. The smooth, slow ride provides a magnificent view of the Fair and lasts three to five minutes.

Amphitheater
Some of the biggest names in show business have created a two-million-dollar extravaganza, "Wonder World," in the only permanent open-air auditorium on the fairgrounds. An international cast of 250 includes singers and dancers, swimmers and divers, comedians and acrobats; the visual effects range from a giant waterfall, which pours 22,000 gallons of water a minute onto the stage, to the launching, in a cloud of smoke, of a "lady astronaut" in a "moon rocket."

The Amphitheater, site of Billy Rose's famous Aquacade at the 1939 World's Fair, has been completely refurbished. The new production takes place on a turntable 75 feet in diameter, one of the largest in the world; in a swimming pool in front of the stage; and on movable platforms that shuttle back and forth over the pool. On either side of the stage are acoustical shells for an orchestra and choral groups. The show is presented by society band leader Meyer Davis, directed by Leon Leonidoff of Radio City Music Hall, and alternately stars Chita Rivera and Gretchen Wyler. The choreographer and associate director is Broadway's Michael Kidd. Jule Styne of stage and movie fame wrote the music.

Chun King Inn
A pagoda-style restaurant and two connected teahouses are set in a restful lake-dotted Oriental garden that also has rickshaws parked about, primarily for the benefit of camera buffs. Operated by the Chun King Corporation, the complex can accommodate 600 diners indoors and outdoors. Two complete meals are served, each priced at 99 cents. One is a lunch or dinner with seven varieties of familiar Chinese foods, the other is a plate featuring a "Hong Kong Burger," a double-decker hamburger with bean sprouts, cheese, lettuce and a special sauce. Both meals include beverage. Chun King foods are also on sale at the 25 Brass Rail stands which are situated throughout the fairgrounds.

Continental Circus
A European-style one-ring circus has been assembled beneath a white and yellow plastic structure that seats 5,000 and has poles that do not obstruct the view. The complete performance lasts an hour and 20 minutes. A circus museum with historical exhibits provides an added attraction at no extra charge.

Dancing Waters
Formations of water tinted by a kaleidoscope of colored lights sway to dance rhythms in an unusual spectacle that has been successfully presented in a number of cities all over the world. Sitting at an organlike console that controls both the lights and the height and direction of more than 4,000 jets of water, an operator creates a variety of visual effects synchronized with the music while a "butterfly" dancing girl waves a pair of 20-foot wings. For this production, an inflated theater has been erected-a plastic bubble that seats 400 and is supported by air pressure maintained by blowers.

Florida
A 11O-foot tower topped by a giant plastic orange rises over the palm trees and carrousel-shaped structures of "Fabulous Florida." The other buildings in the tropical setting at Meadow Lake include a large State Exhibit Hall decorated in an appropriate motif (the state seal, maps, etc.); a Porpoise Pool and Stadium, seating 1,600 and covered by a suspended sun- and rain-roof made of plastic; a homesite area on the shore, including model houses, reached by a "Bridge to the Keys" boardwalk. Shops and refreshment stands are located about the area.

Flume Ride
In a three-and-a-half-minute ride, five-passenger boats shaped like hollow logs are propelled by rushing water at 10 feet a second along a channel of steep inclines and sharp curves. The ride winds up with a breath-taking splash as the "logs" whisk down a 45 degree slide into swirling rapids.

Hawaii
Drum, guitar and ukulele music sets hula skirts swishing in the "Spirit of Aloha" exhibit. The Aumakua Tower, 80 feet high, with a ring of flaming torches at the 55-foot level, forms the gateway to a complex of structures: the Aloha Theme Pavilion, a Tourism and Industrial Exhibits building, the Five Volcanos Restaurant, an arcade of shops, an ancient village and the enclosed Aloha Theater. The area is landscaped with coconut and hala trees, orchids and other tropical plants.

Jaycopter Ride
The sensations of a real helicopter flight are simulated in this high-flying machine, attached by a long boom to a tall rower. The pilot spins, drops, hovers and reverses flight at the request of his 16 passengers. First developed by Jaycopters Ltd. to train helicopter pilots, this electric-powered cab has a ceiling of 100 feet and a circular flight path 125 feet in diameter. For those who want to try their own hand at piloting, there are 22 small models that carry no passengers, operated on the ground by controls like those in the real machine.

Kiddyland
As the name makes clear, this pavilion offers all kinds of fun for the youngsters-rides, slides and games. Among the attractions are three 30-foot slides spiraling down inside hollow tubes, a paddle-boat ride on the pond, a German-manufactured carousel and a junior-grade roller coaster, less scary than the grownup variety. The rides are calculated to appeal to thrill seekers as young as two or three.

Lake Cruise
Plexiglas-canopied boats provide a 20-minute cruise past the Hawaii and Florida pavilions and other attractions. Operated by Maroda Enterprises, Inc., the boats are 30 feet long; each carries 20 passengers plus a multilingual hostess, who indicates points of interest.

Les Poupees De Paris
This sparkling French "musical revue" by Sid and Marty Krofft, mainly for adults, has a cast of 240 puppets, some miniature, some nearly life-sized. The puppets, many of which are caricatures of famous entertainers, sing, dance and act out humorous skits. Settings include a 20-foot waterfall, an ice rink and fountains. Among the stars depicted in wood are Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Pearl Bailey (whose costume consists of $15,000 worth of chinchilla).

Monorail
Two-car trains circle the Lake Amusement Area 40 feet in the air in the latest refinement of a concept that has been called the transportation idea of the future. On the World's Fair monorail, built by American Machine & Foundry Company, trains ride below the track, suspended from overhead power units with rubber tires. The route is a loop 4.000 feet long, with three trains travelling in one direction while four others travel in the opposite direction on a parallel track. The loading platform, reached by escalator, is halfway up a terminal building that has an arched base and an inverted arch for a roof. The eight-minute monorail ride provides a spectacular view of the Fair and offers photographers many unusual angle shots from the panoramic windows.

"Santa Maria"
A full-sized replica of the flagship of Christopher Columbus' discovery fleet is moored at the end of the 15th Century-style floating Spanish wharf. Termed by the exhibitors "Space Ship-1492," this Santa Maria is the product of a distinguished intercontinental collaboration that insured authenticity. Her architect was Jose Maria Martinez-Hidalgo, curator of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, Spain; his consultant was Colonel Howard I. Chapelle, Chief of the Naval and Transportation Section of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

Texas Pavilions and Music Hall
"Friendship at the Fair" is the theme of an exuberant multiple exhibit which has been produced for the state by Dallas showman Angus G. Wynne Jr., in association with Compass Fair, Inc. The Music Hall, offering a lavish-and critically acclaimed-musical on a huge stage, has 2,400 seats plus a Champagne Circle of 24 enclosed boxes. Elsewhere in the theater building are assorted cocktail lounges and the Frontier Palace restaurant and bar, sporting a facade out of the Old West. Outside are a beer garden, snack bars and wandering entertainers.

Walter's International Wax Museum
Some 160 authentically dressed lifelike figures, ranging from Lady Godiva on her horse to five U.S. Presidents, make up the largest collection of full-sized wax statues in the United States. The figures, grouped in 30 tableaux valued at two million dollars, are taken from art, history, mythology, movies and television. The largest scene is a 20-by-30-foot copy of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. Other groups include the Court of Napoleon III, Cleopatra and Superman and Cyclops.