It’s not an unknown fact that I adore The Beatles. They are a huge influence on my life and they will always be. As a fan I felt like I had to make a pilgrimage to the Dakota building. Why? I really don’t know and I certainly didn’t need to. But I did for the first time yesterday. And standing outside of the building gave me chills. Looking out onto the pathway to the spot where John Lennon was gunned down hit hard. I can read or watch the stories about his death over and over again and start tearing. It changes when you actually stand in that spot where it happened. I’m surprised I never actually started crying. I always thought I would if I were to ever visit the Dakota. I handled myself well. I sat at the mosaic with An and prayed to John Lennon. Blasphemy? If you think so, but I pray to the Hendrix, Morrison, Marley, Harrison, Joplin, and Presley on a semi-normal basis. Rock is my religion thank you very much. So I prayed to him just saying words repeated so many times before: “Thank you for your music”. That really was it. I loved that so many others gathered around the building and the mosaic knowing that John had some sort of affect on their lives too. Music is so much more powerful than people perceive it to be. And John Lennon held a lot of that power. Thank you John.

And we all shine on, like the moon, the stars, and the sun.

The HBO show “Boardwalk Empire” is really going old school. Vintage trains reminiscent of the 1920s will be running  in New York City throughout the month of September to kick off the new season of the hit show. “Starting on Saturday, September 3rd an authentic vintage 1920’s train will run on the express 2/3 track in Manhattan throughout September (specifically, from 12 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays).” So if you are in the area, don’t miss this opportunity to be transported back in time.