Where’s Fred?
Among my many OCD-ish “quirks” is a ritual in which I engage during my daily runs in Central Park. Whenever I pass the Fred Lebow statue at 90th/5th on the Park’s east drive, I give it a little nod and then tap out with my fingers the number of miles I’m doing on the shoulder closest to the statue. I don’t know why I do this. It is oddly comforting.
And then today… poof. The statue, and thus my comfort, is gone. A new documentary about Lebow’s life has just made its way into theaters; maybe the statue made a cameo on the red carpet at the premiere. Or perhaps, with Lebow’s baby, the ING New York City Marathon, coming up on Sunday, the statue has been relocated and/or given a bath.
This vexes me. So I’ve started a thread on RW.com’s NYC Marathon board inquiring as to its whereabouts. I will provide further updates as events warrant.
UPDATE: Well, that was fast. Apparently the Lebow statue is placed on the far left side of the marathon finish line every year. So there you go.
