Day 16: NYC: Nat Hist & Strawberry Fields

It was wonderful to wake up in our apartment, make coffee and lounge around while we planned the day. Our car was safely stored in the garage under our building for the week so the subway would be our mode of transportation. The lack of sleep from the last few nights caught up with Tom, so he was a slug getting started for the day. NYC is the city that doesn’t sleep so we were good.

Our first outing was the American Museum of Natural History. It was quite hot and humid so walking into the museum was a refreshing and welcome change. We stayed until it closed but there is so much to see. We intend to go back before we leave the city. 

We were ready to eat by this time, so we googled for “pizza nearby” and picked the highest rated place. Freddie & Pepper’s sells a pizza-by-the-slice from a tiny basement packed with a pizza oven, a small counter and a few tables. The owner had his picture on the wall taken with famous people like Seinfield. I chose a spicy vegetable slice with Srircha sauce. After a few bites I had to switch to plain pesto to take pity on my flaming mouth. 

We entered the Central Park from the West side near the Natural History Museum and strolled over to Strawberry Fields and the John Lennon Memorial. 

Central Park is 2.5 miles tall and 0.5 miles wide enclosing 770 acres. Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre section dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. Countries from all around the world contributed trees, and Italy donated the iconic Imagine mosaic.

Waves of conflicting emotions are generated by the various visual and historic elements of this location: quiet graceful trees, inviting park benches, excited tourists, the life and death John Lennon, Beatles music and lyrics, and the possibility of “all the people living life in peace”. With the backdrop of Trump, Brexit, ISIS, Syria…can you: “Imagine there's no countries…Nothing to kill or die for…Imagine all the people living life in peace…” and:

Living is easy with eyes closed

Misunderstanding all you see

It's getting hard to be someone

But it all works out

It doesn't matter much to me

Let me take you down

'Cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields

Nothing is real

And nothing to get hung about

Strawberry Fields forever

We walked over to the famous Bow Bridge which was decorated with balloons that spelled out “Jaco, Will you marry me?”. We heard the couple was supposed to row under the bridge in just 4 minutes and a crowd was gathering to witness the event. After about 30 minutes we got tired of waiting and 60 minutes later we heard cheering and laughter from the area. 

It was a beautiful evening walking through the park and not at all dangerous like I had once imagined it to be.