Central Park in Fall III

I wasn’t sure if I made mention of it in my previous Central Park posts but there were many weddings that day! This was the fourth and final wedding I saw that day but a beautiful sight none the less.

I loved the light in the clouds in this shot, there is nothing quite like a cold front pushing the clouds around; giving the sky a very distinctive look.

I told you we would visit a very familiar site, the Bethesda Fountain is one of the most famous fountains in the world and among the largest in New York City; the statue at the center was the only sculpture to be commissioned as part of Central Park’s original design.

If you venture under the terrace by the fountain you find a little surprise, an unbelievably beautiful tile work design that is rich in vibrant color.

Also known as Angel of the Waters, she stands above four cherubim representing health, purity, temperance and peace. The Angel is a commemorative piece that celebrated the opening of the Croton Aqueduct which provided New York with fresh water during a time that the city was plagued by Cholera.

One of the great things about Central Park is that no matter what time of the year you visit you can always see people skating, whether it is rollerskating or ice skating. Today was jam skate day and it was awesome to watch the skill of these skaters.

Strawberry Fields is a 2.5 acre area lined with tall elm trees, shrubs, flowers and rocks that is dedicated to the late John Lennon, this plaque lists more than 120 countries that donated money to the maintenance of the area and have endorsed Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.

The Imagine mosaic is adjacent to the park entrance by the Dakota Building where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived and were coming home to when he was shot on December 8, 1980. It is in the center of Strawberry Fields and was designed by a team of Italian artists from Naples. Every time that I have gone, there has always been flowers left by various visitors and usually they are roses. Once someone had taken the rose petals and created a peace sign over the center of the piece but today it was the roses themselves that they decided to create a peace symbol with.

This intriguing character was sitting on one of the benches that lines the exit from the park and his sign made me laugh so hard that I had to give him his a dollar to hear my share of his bad advice. He looked long and hard at me and then declared I should always listen to my mother-in-law which I found absolutely hysterical.

Close to the street were these four musicians and in keeping with the area, they were taking requests and playing only songs by the Beatles and John Lennon, it was a great way to close my stroll through the park.

Of course I requested a song, one that is well known and they were actually very impressed with my selection as it is not one of the ones you hear all the time; what song did I request I wonder. 😉