How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
By far the most exotic cargo, however, was human. (2.13.5)
People from cultures all over the globe found their temporary home on the fairgrounds. After all, entire villages were transported to Chicago.
Quote #2
There would be miracles at the fair—the chocolate Venus de Milo would not melt, the 22,000 pound cheese in the Wisconsin Pavilion would not mold—but the greatest miracle was the transformation of the grounds during the long soggy night that had preceded Cleveland's arrival. (3.1.5)
People were amazed that the weather in Chicago cooperated for the fair. The frozen grounds had everybody worried for a bit, but amazingly enough, things turned out okay.
Quote #3
If evening at the fair were seductive, the nights were ravishing. (3.4.32)
For visitors, nights at the fair were like a vision of heaven. But for architects, night also masked some of the fair's flaws. As John Ingalls of Cosmopolitan wrote, "Night is the magician of the fair" (3.4.37).
Quote #4
One of the delights of the fair was never knowing who might turn up beside you. (3.11.8)
After all, VIPs like Franz Ferdinand and Houdini like to roam the grounds in disguise.
Quote #5
Chance encounters led to magic. (3.11.12)
Helen Keller meets the inventor of Braille printing plates and L. Frank Baum meets the inspiration for the Wonderful World of Oz. The fair was truly the place of awe and wonder, and anything could happen.
Quote #6
"Beneath the stars the lake lay dark and somber, but on its shores gleamed and glowed in golden radiance the ivory city, beautiful as a poet's dream, silent as a city of the dead." (3.21.38)
William Stead, the brother of Herbert Stead who wrote about the fair's opening, writes of the illumination of the fairgrounds on the final night. Even on the final day, the White City is still wonderful.
Quote #7
The fair taught men and women steeped only in the necessary to see that cities did not have to be dark, soiled, unsafe bastions of the strictly pragmatic. They could also be beautiful. (5.1.2)
Visitors were filled with awe to see for the first time that cities could be places of allure, charm, and elegance.