Within Flushing Meadows Corona Park lies the Unisphere, a 12-story high sculpture of the Earth, made of stainless steel. As the world’s largest global structure, the Unisphere is a popular tourist attraction, as well as an iconic symbol of Queens.
Throughout the seasons, the Unisphere is a beautiful sight. However, many people only visit it during the summertime when it doubles as a huge water fountain. At some point during the year, when temperatures finally become warm enough, water will shoot out from the 96 water jets that surround the circular pool the sculpture sits in the middle of. The resulting effect is quite breathtaking:
During the winter, however, the Unisphere doesn’t receive too many visitors. In fact, it’s quite abandoned:
That’s why my favorite time to visit is during the spring. Beginning around March, you’ll come across a unique sight as the Unisphere suddenly transforms into a skate park. Without water, the empty fountain provides an awesome surface for people to skateboard or rollerblade over (bikes too). The ledge of the fountain is also a good place to practice tricks on.
That’s probably why both professional and amateur skaters enjoy skating at the Unisphere. Because familiar faces always visit the area, a strong sense of community seems to have developed there over time. Today, it continues to flourish.
