Unisphere: "Peace Through Understanding"

The Unisphere is a beautiful, giant steel globe that sits in Flushing-Meadows Park here in Queens, NY. It is a famous sight in central Queens and is visible to drivers on the LIE, the Grand Central Parkway, and Van Wyck Expressway, as well as to airline passengers arriving and departing from LaGuardia and JFK. The Unisphere is the best symbol of the borough and also one of the largest globes ever made.
The Unisphere found it's perch in Queens for the 1964-1965 World's Fair. The US Steel Corporation built it as a symbol of world peace. Since then the Unisphere has welcomed visitors, soccer players, museum and theater goers, Met fans, and the people of Queens every day.
It is 140 feet high and 120 feet in diameter. It weighs 900,000 pounds. Since the continents are the heavisest parts of the all-steel sculpture and they aren't evenly distributed, the Unisphere is top heavy. Very top heavy. It was carefully engineered to account for the unbalanced mass.
One of the best views of the Unisphere is from the Van Wych driving south. You'll see the Manhattan skyline behind the Unisphere, and if you time it right, the sunset will dazzel the vista. Of course in the park you get the closest views. It is a monumental landmark at night, when the lights and fountains are functioning in the Summer months.
The Unishere is more than just a mountain of steel delicately perched about the Flushing-Meadows Park; it is a beautiful spot for Queens folks to stroll, a meeting place for friends, and a hangout for teenage skaters. The Unisphere makes the park extraordinary. It reminds us that the world does live in the borough: the people of Queens come from more places--from Albania to Zimbabwe--than anywhere else on the planet. The Unisphere is home in a borough that is often a home away from home.

That is why it made perfect sense for the Sisters and Elders of the Woodside District to visit the Unisphere for our March activity together. We hail from all over the country and have been called to serve in Queens, NY. Sister Marshall, Sister Fields, Elder Norris, Elder Froerer, Elder Pickering, Elder Picket, Sister Thomas and Sister Montano are signing "WOODSIDE" in ASL!