One of the highlights of the fair was how well designed it was as a place to enjoy a pleasant stroll

NEW ORLEANS -- My daughter enjoys wearing a 1984 World s Fair t-shirt she bought not long ago. She said that sometimes people see it and ask whether she actually went to the fair, thinking she doesn t look old enough.
She was born two weeks before the Louisiana World Exposition opened May 12, 1984. I did something I never did before, and haven t done since. I took an entire month off, to be with my wife as we welcomed our new baby, and started on the most important journey of our lives.
But I went to work opening world cup soccer tickets day. I wanted to be one of the first in the gates. It wasn t like it would be my first trip there. Like many of my colleagues, we had been covering the fair since it started as an idea, through the planning and funding stages, world cup soccer tickets right through the construction that continued up to the moment the fair opened.
But it was one of those moments I knew I would always remember. We rode the shuttle world cup soccer tickets bus from the parking lot. It was jammed with an excited crowd, including many New Orleanians, along with others from around the country.
Admission was just $15, about the same as a 3-D movie today, and much less than major events like concerts or Jazz Fest. But in 1984 dollars, it was not cheap, at least according to one man riding the bus with his family.
And there was so much to see. As you strolled down the main avenue, what is now Convention Center Boulevard, there was the Wonder Wall in the neutral ground, a riot of color and architectural world cup soccer tickets shapes, from the controversial bare breasted world cup soccer tickets nymphs to giant alligators reaching skyward world cup soccer tickets with mouths open.
Even though the theme of the Fair was The World Of Rivers- Fresh Water As A Source Of Life, due in part to the location next to the Mississippi River, it seemed the exposition really challenged everyone, especially locals, to look skyward, to look for things world cup soccer tickets to be better than expected.
The classic ride was the Gondola, hoisting passengers a breath-taking 200 feet into the air on a trip across the River. I remember my chest tightening as the tiny car rattled across the wheels world cup soccer tickets atop the huge pylons, wondering world cup soccer tickets whether that would be the moment when the cable jumped the tracks.
And there was the Enterprise, the only space shuttle world cup soccer tickets that didn t fly into orbit (it was used to test whether the craft could safely glide to a landing strip once it re-entered the atmosphere). I reported on the Enterprise from its arrival, mounted atop a 747 jet, when thousands rushed outdoors world cup soccer tickets to see the dual aircraft fly over the city, to its installation as a fair exhibit, to its departure once the fair closed.
Once my daughter was a month old, we took her to the fair regularly. We each fought to carry her in the little pouch where she lay against our chests, looking up at us, or around at this fascinating world. She was as fascinated by all the sights as we were.
And my wife and I, new parents that we were, quickly learned world cup soccer tickets the etiquette of viewing exhibits with an infant. When she napped, we visited the walk through exhibits. When she was awake and alert, we enjoyed the riding exhibits that held her interest as well. We must have timed things pretty well, and she was a very good baby, as I don t remember seeing many dirty looks aimed in our direction.
There was so much to see, exhibits from Canada to China to the stunning world cup soccer tickets artworks from the Vatican, many located in space that would become the Riverwalk. There was a faux oil derrick near the Hilton Hotel parking lot, designed to show the rudiments of oil drilling to the crowds. Remember the Louisiana exhibit, where the chain of boats took visitors on a voyage through scenes from across the state?
It was housed in the just completed world cup soccer tickets first section of the Convention Center. There was the Aquacade, one of our favorites: the show was funny, the water ballet dancing world cup soccer tickets incredibly synchronized, and it felt so much cooler than just about any other spot in July and August.
Well, except the Kid Wash. Though our kid wasn t old enough world cup soccer tickets to enjoy it, we thought it was an inspired world cup soccer tickets idea, a combination playground with car wash style equipment world cup soccer tickets delightfully spraying the kids. Our executive producer, a youngster at the time of the fair, still laughs world cup soccer tickets with joy as his memories of getting deliciously wet, and the parents didn t mind.
But there was so much else to do that we nearly wore out the season pass. In a town that lives to eat, you could sample local staples, savor international favorites, and try some exotic cuisines, maybe even on the same night, if your stomach was big enough.
One of the highlights of the fair was how well designed it was as a place to enjoy a pleasant world cup soccer tickets stroll, a romantic meal, a fast burger, or a high energy nightclub and dance floor. We spent a lot of time at the Italian Village, probably consumed a rice-field worth of dishes world cup soccer tickets at the Japanese Pavilion, and also the German world cup soccer tickets Beer Garden, though I did not do the Chicken Dance (my mechanical ineptness would have endangered those around me).
The fair even had its own personality, named Seymour. Seymour D. Fair was a larger than life (human-sized actually) pelican dressed in a light blue tuxedo and top hat. His huge smile never faded (it was sewn in, of course), but we always marveled at the actor inside world cup soccer tickets the suit, who had the ability to dance, cavort, pose for pictures, and charm kids and adults, all while coping with the summer world cup soccer tickets heat. Seymour, wherever you are, we miss you.
The Louisiana World Exposition was the perfect answer for New Orleans residents wondering what to do with the summer after popular Pontchartrain Beach closed in late 1983. It also stirred civic pride that we were once again in the international spotlight, a century after the 1884 Cotton Exposition turned part of Audubon Park into a wonderland.
It was also designed to increase tourism, and the fair led to a boost in hotel construction world cup soccer tickets in the Central Business District and French Quarter that would give the concentration of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities that help make New Orleans a destination city for major conventions, Super Bowls, and other mega events that continues to this day.
The fair did much more for New Orleans. The Convention Center would be expanded to become the sixth largest in the country. world cup soccer tickets The Riverwalk is still there, reopening this summer as an upscale outlet mall. The Warehouse District went from a ratty, run-down collection of century old storage sheds to a showplace of high-fashion condos in a new, sought-after residential district. And where the Shuttle Enterprise once perched, cruise ships now dock, bringing thousands of tourists to New Orleans each week.
The signs became evident even before opening day that the $350 million project would have difficulty breaking even, and might not reach the goal of 11 million visitors. In the end, the fair attracted just 7 million people.
The reporters had the task of documenting it all, as the state had to pick up the tab, so it was our job to let people know where things stood. We talked to workers waiting for late paychecks, attended meetings where frustrated contractors pleaded for money (and eventually sued) and watched the fair decline physically. By closing day, Nov. 11, the paint was peeling, the staff had dwindled, some rides and exhibits had closed. The fair lost $100 million.
There was so much sadness that November. As coats replaced the short sleeved shirts of summer, residents and tourists world cup soccer tickets rushed to make the last visits to what had become special haunts, to buy souvenirs (I still have mine), and to try to imprint the memories of a very special time so they would remain fresh in our minds forever.
My daughter just celebrated her 30th birthday, and it made me a bit nostalgic. It reaffirmed that I am truly old, but it made me think about the six months when New Orleans put on a great show for the world, and those of us who lived here had the front row seats.