John Lennon's involuntary departure

By Jack Brummet, Rock Ed. and NYC/Metro Ed.

"Imagine no John Lennon."  December 8th is such a sad day.  I just read a piece about Lennon on The Norton Report. 

We lived a few blocks away from the Dakota and often caught glimpses of John and Yoko around the UWS. I remember Keelin was in a store on Columbus once, and they cleared the store because the Lennons were coming in to shop.

That night, December 8th. 1980,  we could hear the sirens from our place on W. 84th. I was listening to Vin Scelsa on WNEW-FM 102.7, when he got word that his friend had been assassinated. It was utterly devastating listening to Vin's reaction. There was such a pall over New York those next few days; it was heartbreaking. New York had bounced back a little bit from the lows of the mid-to late 70's.  And then, this.  In our town.  One of our flawed, but great heroes, eliminated. . .

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Dog in carriage

On Broadway and 79thStreet, one dog walking, and another--presumably infirm-in a baby carriage.

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The Belleclaire Hotel

By Jack Brummet, Travel Editor

The Belleclaire Hotel - click to enlarge

The Belleclaire Hotel is on the corner of 77th and Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Rooms around $200 a night.  It's in the heart of one of my very favorite neighborhoods in NYC.  The rooms are nice size with angles and an entry--they're not just square boxes.  And they have wood floors!  Highly recommended!  For some reason it is full of Europeans.  The Belleclaire is very close to Zabar's, The Westside and Fairway Markets and lots of other uptown goodness.  It is a short walk to Lincoln Square and Central Park.   This is the second time I've stayed here, and it is just great.  Nothing fancy, but clean, simple and convenient.  Highly recommended!

The views from our room:

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

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