TWIL Visits... New York City!

New York City saw the birth of The Beatles fame in America in 1964 and the death of John Lennon in 1980. We spent a few days in the Big Apple in July, and visited a few of the best-known Beatles related sites.

Ed Sullivan Theater - Broadway and West 53rd Street. Of course when The Beatles appeared here, it was still called 'Studio 50', but the CBS theater on Broadway was the venue for one of the most important events in The Beatles career. 73 million Americans saw them make their debut on National Television, including many children who, inspired by this great English group, would later go on to form bands of their own.

We were lucky enough to see inside the famous theater, and as guests of The Fab Faux's Will Lee, sat in on a music rehearsal. The studio was surprisingly cold - one would have expected it to be warm, with all the lights, but it is heavily air-conditioned and the lights are not turned on fully until the show is recorded. We sat in front row seats, and tried to imagine how it must have felt for that audience of very excited girls (and boys!) to see The Beatles performing live. It was an amazing experience - we are truly grateful to Will for giving us such a fantastic opportunity.

During their first visit to NYC, The Beatles stayed in the luxury Plaza Hotel on 5th Avenue and 59th Street where they took over the entire 12th Floor. Just across the street from The Plaza is Central Park, which as well as being the focus of a Beatles photo session in February 1964, is also the home of Strawberry Fields, an area of the park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. It is within view of the apartment he shared with Yoko and Sean on West 72nd Street, and where, of course, he also died. The area is marked by a black and white mosaic with the word 'Imagine' in the centre. Strawberry Fields sees a constant stream of park visitors - joggers, mothers with their children, dog walkers and Beatle fans alike, pause by the Imagine circle, and then continue on their way.

We spent half an hour in Strawberry Fields before crossing Central Park West. We did not dwell near the Dakota for too long, finding it uncomfortable to be near. Instead we walked down to West 71st Street and along to Café de Fortuna, which was John and Yoko's regular local lunch-spot. We sat in the garden and enjoyed a cold coke and a sandwich, and imagined how John would sit, just as we were, reading The New York Times over his usual coffee.

Shea Stadium. Everytime I hear the name I'm reminded of the Beatles Anthology and the heartbeat style rhythm of the words. Shea Stadium… Shea Stadium… Shea Stadium… And so we found ourselves on the subway to Queen's to see The New York Mets play the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium. Accompanied by Mets fan and Fab Faux guitarist Frank Agnello and his brother Mike, we were sat about half way up the huge stands to the left of the baseball diamond, and it was easy to imagine the four small figures of John, Paul, George and Ringo surrounded by 60,000 screaming fans. The atmosphere must have been electric!

So that's just a few of the Beatles related sites in New York. Of course no visit to this great city would be complete without a visit to The Empire State Building, Times Square, Fifth Avenue, Central Park and a ride on the Staten Island Ferry!

Helen and Nina Douglas
TWIL Issue Eight August 2002