IMAGINE: Remembering JOHN LENNON

This is an image that I made recently of the mosaic at STRAWBERRY FIELDS, the section in Central Park dedicated to the memory of JOHN LENNON. Today is LENNON's birthday.



From Wikipedia.com:

Strawberry Fields is a 2.5 acre landscaped section in New York's Central Park that is dedicated to the memory of musician John Lennon, and named after his song, "Strawberry Fields Forever". It was designed by Bruce Kelly (1948-1993), the chief landscape architect for the Central Park Conservancy. Strawberry Fields was inaugurated on Lennon's birthday, 9 October 1985, by his widow Yoko Ono, who had underwritten the project.

The entrance to the memorial is located on Central Park West at West 72nd Street, directly across from the Dakota Apartments, where Lennon lived for the latter part of his life and where he was murdered. The memorial is a triangular piece of land falling away on the two Park sides, and its focal point is a circular pathway mosaic of inlaid stones, a reproduction of a mosaic from Pompeii, made by Italian craftsmen as a gift from the city of Naples. In the center of the mosaic is a single word, the title of Lennon's famous song: "Imagine". Along the borders of the triangular area surrounding the mosaic are benches which are endowed in memory of other individuals and maintained by the Central Park Conservancy. Along a path toward the southeast, a plaque lists the nations which contributed to building the memorial. Yoko Ono, who keeps apartments in The Dakota, contributed over a million dollars for the landscaping and for the upkeep endowment.
It is not uncommon for the memorial to be covered with flowers, candles in glasses, and other belongings left behind by Lennon fans. On Lennon's birthday (October 9th) and on the anniversary of his death (December 8th), people gather to sing songs and pay tribute, staying late into what is often a cold night.

STREET FAIRS IN MANHATTAN

It's street fair season from May through October in Manhattan. Every warm-weather weekend brings multiple street fairs that offer opportunities to explore new neighborhoods, sample different kinds of food and drinks, and browse for bargains for clothing, accessories, plants and household gadgets. Some fairs feature live entertainment. Above is a scene at the street fair on 7th Ave, between 47th and 57th Streets last September 22nd.

GOURDS

Summer is gone and gourds are everywhere. Above is an image of small gourds (Cucurbitaceae family, Genus Lagenaria) from our local supermarket.

TRANZFORMERZ

The TRANZFORMERZ, a popular group of street performers from the BRONX in the middle of their performance in front of the NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY last September 23rd.

SKELETON LEAVES FROM RUBBER TREE

I made these pictures of SKELETON LEAVES from rubber tree (Ficus elastica) purchased from The Container Store. Skeleton leaves are prepared by soaking fresh leaves in bleached water for a few weeks, then rubbing the green substance off gently without damaging the delicate network of veins.

THE PLAZA'S 100th BIRTHDAY

Earlier this evening, I joined the big crowd on Fifth Avenue to watch the short but spectacular fireworks and light show at THE PLAZA. The legendary New York landmark celebrates its 100th anniversary today. The outdoor celebration was hosted by actor MATTHEW BRODERICK and included PAUL ANKA's performance of "My Way." A 12-foot cake replica of THE PLAZA was on display outside. Above are some of my capture of the fireworks from the windows of the Fifth Avenue side of the legendary hotel during the festivities, but my poor technique did not do justice to the mesmerizing pyrotechnics.

The PLAZA reamains closed for renovations and will reopen as part condo/part hotel early next year. It's been written that the Plaza has now opened online reservations, with rooms starting at $755 a night from January 1, 2008. Yitzhak Tshuva's Elad Properties bought The Plaza for $675 million three years ago to convert it partially into multimillion-dollar condos. A compromise brokered by City Hall saved hundreds of hotel jobs, and the city Landmarks Preservation Commission designated several of The Plaza's interior spaces as landmarks that could not be destroyed.

Many of the world's rich and famous stayed at The Plaza through the decades, and dozens of movies have been filmed there, including "North by Northwest," "Funny Girl" and "Barefoot in the Park." "It's synonymous with celebrity," said Ward Morehouse III, author of "Inside The Plaza." "Duke Ellington liked to stay there. Stevie Wonder. Marlene Dietrich lived there," Morehouse added. "Frank Lloyd Wright lived there during the construction of the Guggenheim." The Beatles took a whole wing at The Plaza in 1964, and Capote hosted his Black and White Ball, hyped as the party of the century, there in 1966. Author Kay Thompson enchanted readers with her tales about Eloise, a little girl who lived at The Plaza with her nanny.

Designed by Henry Hardenbergh, The Plaza is styled on a French Renaissance structure that evokes a chateau and sits on the southeastern corner of Central Park.