#69 Visit Strawberry Fields in Central Park

Let me take you down cuz I'm going to.......

Strawberry Fields

Once upon a time there was a little girl who used to play in the attic. In the attic was a crate filled with her father's albums from the 60's and 70's. He had an eclectic collection from Lou Rawls to Cream, Deep Purple to Chicago, Fleetwood Mac to the Beatles. This little girl's father was also a musician. He was a drummer whom played with his band on the weekends.

Being the daughter of a musician, she learned to appreciate all genres of music. Her father's first love was jazz. Her's was rock and roll. She used to study the album covers closely. The Beatles' Revolver cover was definitely the most interesting to her. There was so much going on. The Magical Mystery Tour was also cause for study. It was both colorful and creepy. "Who were these guys?" she used to wonder.

"Is there anybody going to listen to my story, all about the girl who came to stay"

Revolver

When this little girl was 8 years old, Santa Claus (dad) gifted her a real stereo complete with a record player and a cassette deck. Now she had a chance to play those big albums she couldn't play with her little Donnie and Marie record player. She made her way to the attic and grabbed all the Beatles albums from the crate.

First up, Revolver. She carefully placed the record on the spinner. Nervously she moved the needle over the record. She did not want to scratch the album. She was not sure she was allowed to play these records. Of course this little girl liked to break the rules.

Her nerves got the best of her and she dropped the needle right in the middle of Eleanor Rigby. Quickly, she went to grab the needle but stopped dead in her tracks. She was entranced by the sound of heavy strings coming from the speakers. She wanted to turn down the volume but couldn't. The hauntingly beautiful song had her entranced. She began to feel sad for Eleanor Rigby and all the lonely people. Whoa! "Who are these guys?" she wonders yet again.

The Magical Mystery Tour

She grabbed the Magical Mystery Tour album, pulled it from the sleeve and popped it on the spinner. The title song started blaring from the speakers. "Roll up, roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour. Step this way!" They have the most incredible voices she thought.

She did not realize the voice she falls in love with is John Lennon's. As Stevie Nicks wrote in Edge of Seventeen about Mr. Lennon " I see you doing what I'm trying to do for me with the words of a poet and a voice of a choir and a melody, and nothing else mattered."

Ladies and Gentlemen, a new Beatles fan had been born. She sang along rather loudly to "Hello, Goodbye". She listened to "Strawberry Fields" over and over and over again. The words and music were poetry to her young ears. It was so much different from the stuff playing on the radio. She liked the stuff on the radio, but she loved this even more.

Mind you, her father was not deaf. The kitchen was directly below her bedroom. The sound of John Lennon singing about being a walrus coming from his 8 year old's room was very cool to him though. She was already a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, now we were adding Beatlemania to the mix. She was an old soul at heart.

It was Abbey Road that sealed her fate. From "Come Together" to "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" to "Carry That Weight" the dynamics of this album blew her 8 year old mind away. The lyrics ranged from nonsensical to deep and gorgeous to angry. The music ranged from soft and soothing to hard and frenzied.

She thought "Mean Mr. Mustard" was a loser. She was intrigued and a little frightened by the man they were singing about in "Come Together". She had no idea how "Polythene Pam" could be so good looking if she looked like a man. She got tears in her eyes listening to how badly a man wants to get back home when listening to "Golden Slumbers". It was not until she was older that she truly understood what John, Paul, George and Ringo were singing about.

And even now, some of the songs don't make much sense. L(ucy)S(ky)D(iamonds) is a hell of a drug.

Abbey Road

The following year for Christmas she received a cassette from Santa aka Dad. It was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. She studied that cover for hours too, trying to pick out all the celebrities she recognized. She becomes enchanted with "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", the girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

She developed quite the crush on George Harrison, the quiet Beatle. He was so cute and shy she thought. However she strongly disliked him with the beard and long hair on Abbey Road.

She became fascinated by the back story that Paul was actually dead. Did someone say "I buried Paul" at the end of "Strawberry Fields"? She loved when Ringo went nuts on the drums at the beginning of "The End". She wanted to become friends with "Hey Jude". She would go into a trance when listening to the psychedelic ending to "(She's So) Heavy". She wanted to meet Billy Shears. "A Day in The Life" with it's haunting piano. John's heavenly voice and intense orchestra pieces became her favorite Beatles song.

However, it was not until later in life that she gained an adoration and huge appreciation for Mr. John Lennon. She loved his voice yes, but.....she was not the biggest Yoko fan back in the day. She still isn't today.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

"When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride till I get to the bottom and I see you again."

Fast forward 28 years to September 2010, New York City. I was with my son. We were in Columbus Circle. He was sitting by the fountain eating candy. It was almost dusk. I asked him where else he would like to go. He asked me where I would like to go. This day was all about my son, not me. I had been to the city many, many times. This was only his second trip. I had taken my daughter several times to the city but the only other time my son was here was at Christmas time when he was 8 years old.

September 20, 2010 Columbus Circle

He had never been on the subway. I think I scared him a little because when we were getting on it that morning, a man approached him. At the time I did not know he was asking for directions, I only saw his hand gestures as he was conversing with my son.

It's funny how long a mother's arm can grow when she thinks her child is in danger. I reached out and pulled my son so hard and fast I practically threw him on the subway, thus situating myself between the man and my son. My son had no idea what had happened. He looked at me like "Why did you just do that?"

The man became frightened when I asked him if I could help him with something. He said no and quietly boarded the subway. The most dangerous place in the world is between a mother and her child. That never changes. Little or not, I will take a muther down if I have to. Lol!

I kept my eye on the man as he took a seat on the subway. It was then I overheard him asking another passenger how to get to the Financial District. I felt bad about my over reaction but would not have changed it. Anyways, my son told me he was happy he got to see Nintendo World, Ground Zero, The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, M&M World, and now Central Park. He also told me I was such a good mother and I always take good care of him and his sister. I treat them good, even though I don't have much money. This brought me to tears. He was happily eating his candy and watching the pigeons bathing in the fountain. I turned so he didn't see my tears.

As I wiped away the tears I saw a map of Central Park. And there it was. I had been in this park quite a few times, yet never once had I made the trek to Strawberry Fields. It was almost sacrilege for a person whom claimed to be such a huge Beatles fan and whom has been in New York City many, many times to not have visited Strawberry Fields. I turned back to my son and asked him if he would like to take a walk to Strawberry Fields with me.

His reply, "Sure."

I noticed the horse carriages lined up along the entrance to the park. Maybe we could take a carriage ride. We had spent the better part of the day walking. I did not do taxis in NYC. They were too costly. We walked and rode the subway, that was it. Besides, you miss all the little gems the city has to offer riding in a taxi. Anyways, we were tired, and Central Park was huge. I could not gauge for sure how far up the park Strawberry Fields was from the map. I was willing to pay $20 for a carriage ride.

I approached the drivers and inquired about a ride to Strawberry Fields. They could definitely get me there. It would be $17 a piece. Before I could tell the men they were insane my son said "That's ridiculous. It's straight up the path." The men tried to explain to me that they would give us the entire Central Park experience. The one guy started tracing the route with his finger along the map. He was going to take us to the Fifth Avenue side of the park, north along the Upper East Side then back across the park to Central Park West.

I told him I did not want the whole Central Park Experience. I've had it. I just wanted a ride to Strawberry Fields which was straight up Central Park West. He assured me he could get me there, then proceeded to trace the same route again on the map. I stopped him. I asked him how much it would cost to take my son and myself straight to Strawberry Fields. He said $17 a piece then proceeds yet again to start tracing the "Central Park Experience" route with his finger.

My son looked at me and said " Mom, we can walk this. We will be okay. This is a rip." Both men stopped talking and stared at my son. He was right. This was a rip. I thanked the men, grabbed my son and started walking up the path. They continued to beg us for business. We kept walking. Eventually they were in the dust.

I'm glad we decided to walk. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for people watching. As we made the trek up the path I told my son all about the Beatles. My son mostly listens to techno music and while I like some techno, I am very diverse where as he is not. I explained that John Lennon was a founding member of the Beatles. He had a melodic voice and wrote many songs from the almost silly to the very profound and deep.

I explained that while Mr. Lennon was an outspoken man, whom sometimes made very strong statements, he was a very good man. He loved people. He loved his fans. He was very quirky much like my son. He marched to his own beat and he made no apologies for it. Love him or hate him, you had to respect him.

"I read the news today, oh boy" - A Day In The Life

I explained that he was shot outside his home on December 8, 1980 by a disgruntled fan whom was upset about some of those very strong statements that made Lennon infamous. I was barely seven years old when he died. At the time I did not really know who he was. My son asked where he was shot. I told him he was shot directly across from where we were going, which was Strawberry Fields. It was named for a Beatles song that John wrote and sung. It was one of the first Beatles songs I had ever heard and was also one of my most favorite songs. They built the memorial there because John often walked around in that part of Central Park.

As we walked and talked, we had come upon the entrance to Strawberry Fields. It wasn't nearly as long a trek as I had expected, maybe fifteen minutes if that. I took a deep breath as I walked with my son down the path. I had seen numerous photos of Lennon's memorial but when it came into view, it took my breath away. It was absolutely beautiful and much larger than I had imagined. Rose petals, calla lilies and many other flowers decorated the mosaic marble memorial, which was a gift from the city of Naples. Photos, newspaper clippings and sheets of music were placed around the edge of the memorial.

Imagine.....

"I look at the world and I notice it's turning, while my guitar gently weeps. With every mistake, we must surely be learning, yet my guitar gently weeps."

I walked up to the memorial and stood at the edge of the marble. My eyes were fixed on the word "Imagine". The word provoked so many thoughts and emotions in me. If people did not imagine, where would this world be? If people did not work to make their dreams a reality, how would that affect all of us? As kids all we do is imagine. We hope, we dream, we believe.

Why do we allow the the pain and disappointment that comes with adult life kill the courage and free spirited nature we once held as children? Sure we may have to work jobs we do not like. Sure we will have to pay bills we may not feel we should. Sure we will have our hearts broken. We will make mistakes, some of them big. We will have failures, some of them major. We will lose friends and loved ones for one reason or another. We will be wronged. We will be compared. We will have flaws. 

Why do we allow these things to defeat us? Because it is easy that is why. When faced with the above afflictions over and over again, we become exhausted. It is easier to lay down and admit defeat then it is to keep imagining a better life, a better world. It is hard to continuously get up off the ground when you are knocked down by life. It is hard being happy.

Yes, I said that. In this day and age it is hard to be happy on a daily basis. It is easier to be complacent and lay in the bed you made rather than change the sheets or get a new bed for lack of a better analogy. Even I find myself victim to this on occasion. But one thing I do know is I will never stop imagining or trying. I may get the wind knocked out of me occasionally, I may throw myself some major pity parties complete with cake and balloons, but eventually, I get back up and I am always swinging when I do. I just need to start swinging a little harder.

Imagine..... all the power we hold within ourselves to change our lives, to change the world, to be good human beings. Yet....... so few use that power to its fullest potential, myself included.

I walked around the circle, taking in the whole memorial. I bent down and touched the marble. I felt I was in the presence of greatness. My son had seated himself at one of the benches lining the shrubs encasing the memorial. I walked over and sat next to him. He held my hand. A bench over from us was a man with a guitar playing the same few riffs over and over again.

He was howling something over the riffs. Whatever it was....It was not good. He started telling another man that he gets so pissed when other musicians come here and play Beatles music. Anyone can do that he stated. He felt John Lennon would appreciate original music being played at his memorial more than some guy playing stuff he already wrote and played.

This man did have a point. However, he was going about it all wrong. Just because someone comes to the memorial and plays Beatles music does not mean they are not original. It's called paying tribute. Of course I was not about to explain that to him. He started telling another man that he writes all original music, then began playing the same thing he had been playing since I walked into the garden. My son was trying not to laugh at the man. So was I. You gotta love the city.

My son and I sat on the bench for twenty minutes people watching and relaxing. With the exception of Mr. Original occasionally letting loose with the five guitar chord variations he knew, it was very peaceful and calm. People of all types, young and old, were coming in and out of the garden to visit. It was amazing how many lives this man still touched nearly 30 years after his death. His words had been immortalized. He will always be remembered as a man of substance. A man, who through his music and generosity, made the world a better place in his own way.

Imagine that.........


Chrissy

"Yea we all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun........"

September 20. 2010 Strawberry Fields, Central Park West

The Long And Winding Road

The long and winding road that leads to your door 

Will never disappear 

I've seen that road before it always leads me here 

Leads me to your door 

The wild and windy night that the rain washed away 

Has left a pool of tears crying for the day 

Why leave me standing here, let me know the way 

Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried 

Anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried 

And still they lead me back to the long and winding road 

You left me standing here a long, long time ago 

Don't leave me waiting here, lead me to you door 

But still they lead me back to the long and winding road 

You left me standing here a long, long time ago 

Don't keep me waiting here (Don't keep me wait), lead me to you door