Shanghai Expo

I have been fascinated with world's fairs, ever since seeing Meet Me in St Louis for the first time long, long ago. That fascination has only grown since, especially after reading Devil in the White City and upon discovering that as a decorative arts student enraptured with turn-of-the-century wares, world's fairs were pretty much my best friend.

I was unsure what to think when Shanghai's Expo, a world's fair for the new millennium, was announced.  The purpose for the fairs had been to bring the rest of the world to people without the means to actually travel to see it.  These days, at least in developed countries, various media bring the rest of the world to us--would the overall message translate?  I think it does.  And I think I really, really want to go to Shanghai and see it.

Can I talk about how much I love Poland's pavilion? Because I do. So, so much. A far cry from The White City, but it works for me.

photos from The Boston Globe--beware, the first photo is extremely creepy.