I don't get to Manhattan often. Hadn't been there is about 6 years,
but was there this past Sunday, 6/1, and went to the Strawberry Fields
section in Central Park.
I've been there several times over the past 20 years, but this time I
was quite disappointed to see the "Imagine" mosaic in a state of
disrepair with cracks and large chunks missing in the black and white
tiles. It was surrounded by a metal barricade that one had to lean
over to get good view.
Walking down the path past the "Strawberry Fields" plaque was an
information booth. So, I stopped to ask the guy what was going on
with the mosaic. He told me that every few years they have to repair
it with the same type of tiles. The tiles become loose from snow and
frost getting underneath them, melting and heaving etc. He went on to
say that the mosaic had been a gift from the city of Naples (Italy)
and the tiles are not appropriate for a cold climate like New York in
the Winter. He went on to say that at some point the park will have
to consider rebuilding the entire mosaic out of something more in
keeping with a Northeastern American climate.
Not sure how long the present repair will take.
The other thing that caught my attention was the "cottage industry" of
booths selling Lennon photos and other things at the 72nd St entrance
to the park. When I walked over to the Dakota (a place I was quite
familiar when my aunt lived on the same block in the Sixties) there
was a Lennon murder-conspiracy dude operating out of his car (with
placards about his theories pasted all over the vehicle). Apparently
that conspiracy theorist believes there is some link between Stephen
King and Lennon's killer. He was parked right next to the main
entrance of the Dakota, which I found to be in bad taste. The Dakota
doorman eyed him suspiciously, but did not ask him to move on.
I'm always amazed to see how the area in which John was killed looks
so small in person...and I'm always saddened. However, it was a
beautiful day in the park, the area around the Imagine mosaic was
crowded, and a guitar player strummed Beatles and Lennon songs the
entire time.
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