The park is quieter on weekdays, yet school groups still clog the paths. I was caught in the middle of a pack of teenagers when an adult (teacher? chaperone?) praised one of the youngsters for identifying Daniel Webster as the man who made the first American dictionary. \u201cNo, no, no,\u201d I joined in, \u201cthat was Noah Webster. Daniel was a Senator from Massachusetts, representing the money interests, and a staunch anti-Jacksonian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSee,\u201d said the adult, \u201cevery day is an opportunity to learn something new.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walking past Arlen and Meta, past Nick, I noticed how much more color there was in the trees, the red growing tips visible, giving the whole scene an air of expectancy. At location #3, no sooner had I tuned up than a little girl stopped to dance the hula. My go-to hula music is \u201cThe Hukilau Song.\u201d I usually sing the first verse and chorus, and only if the dancers are into it will I sing a second verse. There were 3 dancers in all this day; only the last, an elderly tourist from South America, got the second verse. She, alone among her friends, evoked the Aloha Spirit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would I say no to a hula in Central Park,\u201d she told me. \u201cWhy would you say no?\u201d she asked her friends.<\/p>\n
Leaving the park, with $7.86 in my pocket, I weaved my way back through Strawberry Fields. Since yesterday, the pheasant\u2019s eye narcissus has bloomed. On a bench, a serious young man sat by his sign, promising he\u2019d make me laugh for a dollar, or my money back. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"