Wandering in NYC - part 5, still in Central Park.

When I was planning what to do while in NYC, several people asked me if I was going to visit the new Freedom Tower and Ground Zero.  My instant and truthful answer is that I have no interest whatsoever in doing so.  I feel no need to visit someplace that I know will make me either angry or depressed or both.  So, it may seem strange that oneof the places in Central Park that I did want to visit was Strawberry Fields, the memorial set up after John Lennon was shot over 30(!?!) years ago.

There is a real difference, though, especially when you get there.  It wasn't what I was expecting, either.  I think I expected some gardens with flowers, maybe plaques with lyrics, maybe people sitting around playing guitars.  Instead, it is a designated quiet zone (no loud music or orators allowed).  The only memorial aspect is a mosaic with the word "Imagine" at its center (and crowds of people taking their picture with/on it one at a time, very politely).  And then what I would call lots of small parks inside the area.  Bits of grassy areas with trees mostly around them.  Paths for walking around and between the park areas.  It is a place to get away from everything for a while and, if you're so inclined, contemplate (or, if you'll excuse the word, imagine) what you are doing or how to make things better for yourself and/or others.  If Central Park is an oasis of nature in the middle of Manhattan, Strawberry Fields feels like an oasis of quiet inside the oasis.

And, a fitting tribute to the man it was built for.

and one with a little closer view: