#WorldsFair64: The Taste of Belgian Waffles

This delicacy from an unfamiliar part of the world dazzled World’s Fair audiences.

by Rich Watson 

Belgian waffles didn’t debut at the 1964 World’s Fair, but it was where they were popularized. 

A wider variety of exhibiting nations came to the Fair than in previous years. As a result, dishes we take for granted today—falafel, tandoori chicken, hummus, and kimchi, among others—first made a splash with an American audience there. 

The biggest hit may have been this dessert from Brussels.

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#WorldsFair64: The New York State Pavilion and Its Second Chance at Life

This architectural oddity from the New York World’s Fair still stands today.

by Rich Watson 

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park hosted two World’s Fairs, in 1939-40 and 1964-65. Evidence of their existence remains, but as a kid growing up in Queens, I didn’t recognize it as such. 

Later in life I learned about the Fairs. I discovered the New York State Pavilion, one of the 1964 Fair’s biggest attractions, was being resuscitated from obscurity.

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Crossy Road Stands Tall Over Other Free-to-Play Game Apps

The mobile game that broke the mold for free-to-play games is also a lot of fun.

by Rich Watson 

Crossy Road is one of the few mobile video games for which I feel any affinity. The design is deceptively simple, the gameplay even simpler. 

For someone who grew up with eighties arcade games and still identifies with them, it feels like the right kind of transition to twenty-first-century gaming.

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