Among the Lilliputians: Visiting Gulliver’s Gate

The 911 Memorial inside the world of Gulliver's Gate. Photograph, Ann Fisher.
The 911 Memorial inside the world of Gulliver’s Gate, a stunning new miniature world named for Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels. Photograph, Ann Fisher.

“That’ll be $36, Ma’am.”

“Really?!” I said. “You want $36 to let me see a model of New York City?”

“Well, it’s a lot more than New York City!” the young man said with some irritation.

I almost added, “Yeah, but still. People really pay that?” As I saw a group of four mount the escalator, it was self-evident that people indeed did.

I was having a P.T. Barnum moment, but there were two families fidgeting behind me and it was time to fish or cut bait.

“Okay . . . one, please,” I said, with a sinking feeling.

As the escalator carried me away from the cashier, I could hear the refrain from “There is a Sucker Born Every Minute” ringing in my ears . . .

A few minutes later, I was in the land of the little people, the little trains, the little FedEx trucks, and recognizable landscapes from various parts of the world.

Did I feel like a sucker?

Well, no, actually.

I felt charmed.

After two hours wandering through close to a full city block of model worlds, from New York City, through parts of Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the Middle East, I felt that I might indeed have accompanied Lemuel Gulliver into Lilliput.

The ceiling of the "real" Grand Central Station. Photograph, Ann Fisher.
The ceiling of the “real” Grand Central Station. Photograph, Ann Fisher.

What is real? What is not real? Of course, it’s all “real,” isn’t it?

Are we all just like the little people wandering through models that have been built for us? Is there some giant holding our world in his hands peering at us through a magnifying glass?

The care of thought in the act of creation at Gulliver’s Gate is lovely. I found myself on my knees to be able to peer at face level into the streets.

Grand Central Station in Gulliver's Gate
The “not real” Grand Central Station in Gulliver’s Gate. Photograph, Ann Fisher.

Gulliver’s Gate models are HO scale (1:87, or 3mm to 1 foot), which means that a 6 foot tall person is approximately .8 inches tall. This $40 million dollar small-world extravaganza took over 16 months to build, and showcases parts of twenty-five cities from five continents. Oh, and the world’s largest model airport. And that’s just today . . . Gulliver’s Gate will continue to grow and evolve.

When you plunk down your $36 entry fee, you’re given a key to the world, a way to interact at multiple points with the models — you insert your key, turn it, and trigger things to happen, such as making the Loch Ness monster appear in the highlands of Scotland.

There are surprises all over the place . . . from Spiderman clinging to the Brooklyn Bridge, to the Beatles crossing Abbey Road, to a theater full of penguins watching Happy Feet.

Becoming a Model Citizen at Gulliver’s Gate

Become a model citizen at Gulliver's Gate
Want to become part of this world? Become a “Model Citizen” and live here permanently! Photograph, Ann Fisher.

Over the moon in love with all things miniature? Well, for a price, you can live in Gulliver’s Gate permanently. To get “Gulliverized,” you enter a full body scanner, and presto-chango, a few weeks later, the mini-you will be printed by a 3-D printer and added to the world. $44, please. Would you like a copy of mini-you, too? Step right up! Small, medium, or large — how much would you like to spend?

Why do people love tiny things?

Miniature men paint macaroons
The mini-macaron builders. Photograph, Shutterstock.

Yes, why? As I write about Gulliver’s Gate, this is the question that keeps popping into my mind, so I pick up my computer and launch off in search of an answer.

In an interview with Vice, for an article about artists who focus on the creation of tiny things, artist Thomas Doyle said, “the creation of small worlds gives us the illusion of control. In a world that grows ever faster and more chaotic, in a world in which we are bombarded with imagery, artworks in small scales allow us a place of retreat, where time has stopped.”

Questing for things small led me many places. There’s a newly coined word to describe those obsessed with miniatures: Miniacs.

Miniature worlds aren’t limited to ordinary model creation. What about tiny worlds under water? Terrarium morphs aquarium into an entirely new art form. Meet aquascaping: the art of creating realistic landscapes contained within the confines of aquariums. Never heard of aquascaping? Take a look at the Tributary Aquascape by James Findley.

As a child, I had a dollhouse, and remember being charmed by the cunning furniture, people, and everyday objects created to fill this tiny world. I also remember the Christmas that Santa Claus brought my train set — although I quickly realized that it was perhaps for my father rather than for me 🙂 .

According to the National Geographic article, The Big Appeal of Tiny Food, making tiny things is a billion dollar industry. Whether you’re looking for little things for a dollhouse or another kind of model work, Etsy is full of itty-bitty items for sale. While I realized that tiny food is created for dollhouses, I was completely oblivious of the fact that people are obsessed with making REAL tiny food (observe the video of the cooking of a tiny hamburger). Who knew?!

Capitalizing on the world-wide interest in this, California-based entertainment company, Tastemade, has an online show called Tiny Kitchen — now in its twelfth season, thank you very much!

In The Elephant Man, John Merrick (played by John Hurt) builds a paper model of a church.

For me, the subject of miniature work brings to mind scenes from the film The Elephant Man, where John Merrick is building a paper model of a church that he can only see the spires of over a rooftop. What he cannot see, he creates from his mind’s eye. The delicate work of the model is as exquisitely formed as his one good hand.

Paper model making was a popular hobby in Victorian England, and I have been so charmed to find Castle in the Air, A Studio for the Imagination — a store in Berkeley, California, that sells reproductions of 19th century French models, as well as many other special hobby supplies (they also teach classes in a variety of subjects; I am so taken with what I see on their website — I would love to take one).

Paper model from Castles in the Air.
Castle in the Air, A Studio of the Imagination carries reproductions of 19th paper models. Photograph courtesy of CastleintheAir.biz

From these little flights of fancy back to Gulliver’s Gate . . .

In the end, what do I really think about Gulliver’s Gate? I think a visit here would be worth $15 – $20 anywhere else. While the model work is amazing, I think $36 is a bit outrageous. But here’s the thing — you’re a few feet off of Time Square, and they have a HUGE rent to pay . . .

So when it comes to viewing one of the most beautiful scale model worlds anywhere, “as the second hand sweeps ’round the clock, like dandelions, up we pop.” The P.T. Barnums of this new land of Lilliput should have no problem making money from our fascination with the tiny.

Video from my time at Gulliver’s Gate


Practical Information for Visiting Gulliver’s Gate

Gulliver’s Gate is located at 216 W 44th Street New York, NY 10036, and is open daily from 10:00 am until 8:00 pm. 

Prices (as of March 2018)
  • Adult entry: $36.
  • Children (12 and under) entry: $27
  • Senior (65+) entry: $27
  • Active duty military free at box office (in uniform with proper ID)
  • Families: The family ticket admits 2 adults and 3 children for 30% less than buying the tickets separately.

Ann Fisher

Writer, traveler, and cancer fighter. Get out there and live life!

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