Paying Homage to John Lennon

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Pay homage to John Lennon with a walk through Central Park and a moment of silence at Strawberry Fields.



In the heart of New York City's Central Park, traffic mutes over, a breeze cuts across the Great Lawn, and the skyscrapers disappear behind the tree line. On the western edge of this verdant refuge, a monument in the shape of a sunburst beckons visitors to pause and take notice. Inscribed at the center of the mosaic: Imagine.

In 1971, John Lennon left England for the creative freedom of New York City. Residing first on Bank Street in Greenwich Village, he and wife Yoko Ono made their home at The Dakota on the Upper West Side. While living there, Lennon raised his son, continued his musical career and became a political activist. While many sentimentalize John as a gentle proponent of peace, his time in New York focused on anti-war beliefs. Among many musical creations during his New York years, Lennon released both "Imagine" and "Double Fantasy" before his untimely death on December 8, 1980.

No funeral was held and wife Yoko scattered his ashes in an open field in Central Park. Later, she funded a project at this site and created Strawberry Fields as a reflective retreat. Directly across from The Dakota where John lived, the mosaic memorial reminds visitors of his great achievements and the infinite possibilities of peace.

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