A Walk from Grant Park to Van Buren St.
Location: Grant Park
Date: Saturday, September 9th
Time: 4:19 p.m.
I was walking through Grant Park, when suddenly I found myself on a white bridge crossing over brown, rusted railroad tracks. I have never seen train tracks run through the middle of a park, let alone underneath it. I felt the warm sun on my back as I peered over the bridge and spotted a string of train cars sitting alone on the railway, looking forgotten. A pack of teenagers strode by and a stench of marijuana trailed behind them, which I found ironic considering the time. Once they passed, a whiff of barbecued food hit me. Cicadas buzzed and the faint notes of a violin carried over the sound of cars honking and sirens wailing. A double decker train rang its bell as it barreled down the tracks, leaving the abandoned train cars behind. The stillness of the railroad below juxtaposed the bustle of the street bridging it, causing other pedestrians who paraded by to observe the landscape around them. Two girls with rustling, brown paper lunch sacks were laughing as they crossed the bridge. Leaves skittered and a cool, autumn breeze brushed my neck and pushed my hair outward in all directions. Surrounding the park, the blue glass of skyscrapers glinted in the sun, causing me to squint if I looked at them from a certain angle. As I walked across this bridge, pebbles crunched and scattered under my feet. I brushed my hand across the rough stone of the bridge and bent down to pick up a pebble — 4:23 p.m. It was the first object I would find on my walk. I continued onward.
Location: Van Buren Street
Date: Saturday, September 9th
Time: 5:10 p.m.
Winding through the city, I eventually stumbled upon Van Buren Street. The tan-colored framing of the ‘L’ loomed above, with trains thundering by every few minutes. A constant stream of people were walking down the grey sidewalk. Cars drove by, a constant loop of stop and go. A man with a lion’s mane for hair zoomed by on a skateboard, his wheels slamming over each seam in the pavement. The black streetlights stood overhead, reaching up towards the train tracks. The daylight made the warm glow omitted from each ginormous bulb completely pointless. A smell of greasy food wafted by as I leaned back on a inky, metal fence. I straightened up as the sharp rungs poked my back. A lethargic-looking man bumped along a blue suitcase, the wheels rattling and clacking against the rough concrete. More people strolled by, conversations floating up and getting lost in the roar of the passing trains. Two men with two young boys sauntered past, all of them clad in black and one boy wearing a bright red cap. Cigarette butts littered the ground, their scent mixing with the odor of garbage. Shoes of pedestrians scratched at the pavement as rap music blasted from a car stopped at a red light. Leaves bristled on the other side of the street, contradicting the man-made structures surrounding it. I continued my trek.
Location: 425 South Wabash Avenue
Date: Saturday, September 9th
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Right outside a Roosevelt University building, I spotted a silver safety pin on the gum-ridden sidewalk. All the chewing gum that has been smashed into the pavement has turned black over time, leaving the concrete with a polka-dot pattern. I picked up the safety pin and found it to be smooth and shiny. A train rushed overhead, temporarily deafening me. Roosevelt students chatted as they went inside the building. The revolving door swished behind them, gliding in circles like a figure skater. Bicycle gears clicked as a man whizzed past me. The smell of tortilla chips drifted by, causing my stomach to rumble almost as loud as the ‘L’. With the safety pin tucked away in my pocket, I headed off in search of the source of tortilla chips.
Intention versus Attention
While walking, intention and attention are both practiced and may seem alike, but are entirely different.
Intention is a plan of action, or a place you are choosing to walk to. Walking with intention is getting from Point A to Point B without much notice for everything around you. Intention can also refer to a guided walk, where you are aiming to see certain geographical markers along your tour.
On the other hand, attention is noticing something interesting as it comes. With walking, attention alludes to trekking around a place with no particular sights in mind. It is all about soaking up the scene like a sponge.
Attention in regard to walking is seeing a man on purple roller blades blasting Bruce Springsteen and being yanked by his giant golden retriever. Intentional walking would be plodding behind a yammering guide to go see the Washington Monument, or following Google Maps to get to the nearest Dunkin Donuts. Intention is seeking, attention is letting it come to you. Practicing both intention and attention while walking is part of life, but attention usually leads to the best memories.
