Brian Of Nazareth
Well-known member
A visit to the Dakota.
I was asked a while ago about the time I went inside the Dakota building in NYC. Here's the short version of the story. I made my first visit to New York City from the Wales, UK in December 2000 for my 20th birthday. Having spent my impressionable teenage years obsessing about everything to do John Lennon and Beatles; visiting the Dakota was a must. I have had countless dreams of being inside the famous apartment, I’m always disappointed when I wake up and it was a dream!
Maybe a lottery win and who knows!
My poor girlfriend (now wife) was taken to Dakota on most of the days. During the visits I began chatting to the doorman who worked there, he was such a great guy. He said that if I left a CD with him he would ask Yoko to sign it. On the last day of our trip, we left the Dakota visit to last. It was getting dark and we were staying with family outside of Manhattan, no yellow cab would take us so I asked the doorman what my options were he told me I would have to call a local taxi company from the area I was going to pick me up and I could do so at the nearest phone box that was across the street in the subway. Fortunately as it turned out the phone was broken, I went back to the doorman and explained the situation and to my amazement he said that I could "come in" and use the phone in the office. I couldn't believe it, my heart started to race as I followed him into the archway and up the narrow driveway to the reception door on the right, as I made my way up the steps into the Dakota it suddenly hit me like a thunderbolt that I had just made the same walk as John and Yoko had many times.
All those years of reading every little detail, obsessing as a teenager, the sadness I'd always felt, the feeling of wishing I could go back in time. It almost felt I had been there before.
As I waited in the reception I noticed all the security camera monitors and could actually see the hallways and doorways of the apartments. I'd had on me my dispensable camera.. the last thing on my mind was to take photos so just held it in my hands for the duration. I said my thanks and goodbyes and waited outside for our taxi.
I arrived home in the UK with my signed CD " To Paul NYC 2000 love Yoko Ono". Many weeks later I took my camera to the shops to be developed (this was before the smart phone!) I was astonished to find that my camera had randomly took photos during the whole trip...when I looked through them there had been ones taken during my Dakota visit. One of the moment I walked out of the Dakota and along the archway back to the street, a view John and Yoko would have had thousands of times...It was so random and strange. I’ve added the image below.
I've never forgotten the kindness of the doorman and sent him a gift from the UK when I arrived home.
I was asked a while ago about the time I went inside the Dakota building in NYC. Here's the short version of the story. I made my first visit to New York City from the Wales, UK in December 2000 for my 20th birthday. Having spent my impressionable teenage years obsessing about everything to do John Lennon and Beatles; visiting the Dakota was a must. I have had countless dreams of being inside the famous apartment, I’m always disappointed when I wake up and it was a dream!
Maybe a lottery win and who knows! My poor girlfriend (now wife) was taken to Dakota on most of the days. During the visits I began chatting to the doorman who worked there, he was such a great guy. He said that if I left a CD with him he would ask Yoko to sign it. On the last day of our trip, we left the Dakota visit to last. It was getting dark and we were staying with family outside of Manhattan, no yellow cab would take us so I asked the doorman what my options were he told me I would have to call a local taxi company from the area I was going to pick me up and I could do so at the nearest phone box that was across the street in the subway. Fortunately as it turned out the phone was broken, I went back to the doorman and explained the situation and to my amazement he said that I could "come in" and use the phone in the office. I couldn't believe it, my heart started to race as I followed him into the archway and up the narrow driveway to the reception door on the right, as I made my way up the steps into the Dakota it suddenly hit me like a thunderbolt that I had just made the same walk as John and Yoko had many times.
All those years of reading every little detail, obsessing as a teenager, the sadness I'd always felt, the feeling of wishing I could go back in time. It almost felt I had been there before.
As I waited in the reception I noticed all the security camera monitors and could actually see the hallways and doorways of the apartments. I'd had on me my dispensable camera.. the last thing on my mind was to take photos so just held it in my hands for the duration. I said my thanks and goodbyes and waited outside for our taxi.
I arrived home in the UK with my signed CD " To Paul NYC 2000 love Yoko Ono". Many weeks later I took my camera to the shops to be developed (this was before the smart phone!) I was astonished to find that my camera had randomly took photos during the whole trip...when I looked through them there had been ones taken during my Dakota visit. One of the moment I walked out of the Dakota and along the archway back to the street, a view John and Yoko would have had thousands of times...It was so random and strange. I’ve added the image below.
I've never forgotten the kindness of the doorman and sent him a gift from the UK when I arrived home.
