Except for the cleome and roses, and a few pathetic lantana, the park has very little color. It\u2019s a beautiful day. The picture takers at the Imagine Mosaic were undeterred by the police tape surrounding it, and the sign that said it was undergoing routine maintenance. I wove my way through the crowd and made my way to center stage.<\/p>\n
The big bubble man was in front of the arcade, and the cowboy crooned near the path to the boathouse. \u201cWhat time are you quitting,\u201d I asked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know it\u2019s after noon now,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, okay, give me a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat by the fountain, set up my stuff and quietly tuned my uke until he was done. Before I got to the end of my opener, \u201cMaking Love Ukulele Style,\u201d a man walking by dropped a buck into my case.<\/p>\n
A trio of women ranging in age from 25 to 55 needed a little convincing, but soon enough they danced the hula. One of them gave me $2, then the others also kicked in. It seemed an auspicious start, so, a few minutes later, when I put leis around the necks of 2 teenage girls from Charlotte NC, and started singing \u201cThe Hukilau Song,\u201d I didn\u2019t expect them to walk away.<\/p>\n
A young girl from Holland came off the bench, where she had been sitting with her parents, and asked to hula. As she danced, the sun glinted off her braces.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you play \u2018Tiny Bubbles\u2019?\u201d a heavy-set man in black shouted out. I played it for him; he gave me $2 then sat down with his wife to hear more. <\/p>\n
After a few numbers, they got up to leave. \u201cYou guys from New York?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToronto.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, the movie version of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took in a single here, a single there. Down the path came a Chinese bride and groom, along with their photographer. I immediately started singing \u201cThe Hawaiian Wedding Song,\u201d as is my custom, although in all the years I\u2019ve been busking I\u2019ve never made a dime for doing so. This, however, as the song says, was “the moment of sweet Aloha.” The photographer gave me $2; as he posed the couple by the fountain, I put leis around their necks. When they were done, the photographer put the leis back on my case and inquired about my CD. The price was right; he gave me a 10-dollar bill, asking, \u201cAll ukulele?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c100%\u201d<\/p>\n
At the end of my set, I stuffed $21 in my pocket. A 50-something couple from San Francisco watched as I packed up. We chatted, comparing the relative wonders of our two cities. \u201cCan you play a little something for us?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took my uke out again and sang, \u201cI Wonder Where My Little Hula Girl Has Gone,\u201d for which the man gave me 2 more dollars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"