At Salt and Lake
Never Making it to Grant Park
9:31 AM → I get off the “L” brown line at State/Lake. It’s not too warm outside. The station is empty. I exit the station and head for where I think Grant Park is. Earlier, Google Maps said it was a short walk from here. An app on my phone says it is 70 dB.
9:35 AM → I find an interesting bridge and decide I want to cross it. It’s sunny. There are not a lot of people walking around. One guy walks in front of me with a CVS bag. I see a “Riverwalk” sign and stairs leading down. I go there instead of crossing the bridge.
9:37 AM → I now follow the path next to the river. There are odd pods that look to be up for rental. Lower, many normal-, tourist-looking people sit and wait, watching the water. The path is very clean. I spot two panting dogs being walked. It is 65 dB.
9:40 AM → I find a plaque that informs me about a use for green spaces, and I find it very cool. Taking time to inform the public about random information is a noble task, in my opinion. The air is pleasantly cool and shaded. There are more people down here. They are either tourists or joggers. The Trump Tower is ahead of me and across the water. Despite who owns it, I admit that it is an impressive-looking building. My dog count is now at six.
9:44 AM → I pass under many intricately-wired and weird bridges. They echo the water. In front of me, there is a man in an odd, floppy shirt. Behind, someone is speaking a foreign language. My guess is Indian.
9:46 AM → There are interesting canvases blocking the sound and sight of cars on the highway. It is 70 dB. The dog count is at eight.
9:47 AM → I find a lot of older and middle-aged people are sitting on benches or colorful chairs. They relax and chat. I pass a group of eight dogs, both big and small, connected to two young men. They are probably dog walkers, but the horde is not walking. My dog count is at seventeen.
9:48 AM → I pass a crowd of people in light green shirts waiting to get on a boat. I think of them as the “Kermit Crew.” A creepy voice overhead from a speaker says, “special animal concert.” Further down, the system switches over to classical music. It is 75 dB. The dog count is at twenty.
9:51 AM → I really want to rent one of the pedal-powered buggies I see. The sidewalk is fairly narrow, however, and I do not have much money on me. I wonder how many people are run over by the quadracycles every year. How easy is it to run someone over with one?
9:53 AM → The comic sans font hurts my soul. Most of the Riverwalk restaurants are dead at this time. I suspect the area is exceptionally busy weekend nights. It is 65 dB. I hear cars, but it is otherwise quiet.
9:55 AM → I see a nice boat on the river and wonder who can own something like that. It is not impossible, but one also has to pay to store it for the three-quarters of a year it is unusable. These people are obviously enjoying it while the unnaturally nice weather lasts. There is a large fountain across the water. I want to see it up close at a later date. A lot of runners pass me.
9:58 AM → I see a tall and peculiar statue that looks like a dandelion made from another type of flower. I wish I knew what type of flora they were and why they were chosen. A lady runner passes me wearing a belt filled with tiny water bottles. It seems efficient but weird-looking. It’s starting to become very humid and hot. Every runner that passes me looks like they’re dying (and they’re very sweaty).
10:00 AM → I arrive at a cool (in both senses of the word) tunnel. The walls contain art that depicts the history of Chicago. Above me, I hear cars and trucks rumble on the road. It is 75 dB. There is a distinct lack of dogs.
10:01 AM → Out of the tunnel, I see Navy Pier. I think it is north of me. I know Grant Park is also south of the Pier, so I imagine I am heading the correct direction. There is a crowded marina to my left.
10:02 AM → There’s a large statue that reminds me of the nanobots from Big Hero 6. Smaller versions of the same statue are scattered in the nearby green space. There are less people around me now, and everyone I do see is a biker or a jogger. I finally see more dogs. The count rises to twenty-three.
10:05 AM → The marina is continued up ahead until it is stopped by a humongous ship in the water. It’s decidedly quiet: 55 dB.
10:07 AM → Some storage crates were converted into a neat storing area. Some people make tiny houses out of storage crate. I wouldn’t mind living in such a tiny house. I wonder how much land it cost to put the building/shed/thing here.
10:08 AM → A sign, advertising smoothies, is cruel to me. The stand that sells them is not open. I am thirsty.
10:09 AM → I do not think I am supposed to be walking on the path I’m on. I move to the grass. A little girl passes me and rings the bell on her bicycle. She has sunglasses on. Her bike has a basket in the front with flowers on it. My dog count raises by one.
10:11 AM → Boats sit in the water without any docks out to them. Does one have to use a rowboat to access them? The dog count is at twenty-five.
10:12 AM → The fact that the fire department has a scuba division almost confuses me. Do people drown often?
10:14 AM → It’s starting to become very hot out. There is a nice, clear view of some of Chicago’s impressive skyscrapers.
10:16 AM → I want that fort.
10:17 AM → I decide to head towards the fort. Grant Park can wait. I find the Maggie C. Daley Park. Isn’t that also the name of a DePaul building?
10:20 AM → I believe I made it to Millennium Park? I come across many young families. A baby passes me in a stroller, his face white with sunscreen.
10:22 AM → I am too old for this.
10:23 AM → I am too old for this as well.
10:24 AM → The lighthouse taunts me.
10:27 AM → THERE IS SOMETHING I CAN GO ON. Success thrums through me. I stop for a water break.
10:28 AM → I find flowers that remind me of the ones on the statue from earlier. My app tells me these are salvia cistus. They are native to Europe.
10:30 AM → The Enchanted Forest is very cool.
10:33 AM → I feel like an adventurer.
10:34 AM → There is a bumble bee pleasantly collecting pollen from flowers.
10:35 AM → I find the fort. I WANT to go on the fort. It is covered in young children. The metal slides look dangerously hot in the sun. I suspect I may be too old.
10:37 AM → My suspicions are unfortunately confirmed. I see a police man guarding the fort from people such as myself.
10:38 AM → I enjoy the optical illusion spinning on the fort at least.
10:44 AM → The playground is not as busy as it could be. I blame the hot weather. I wish I could join the fun.
10:45 AM → The hills look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book. A kid in a stroller protests to his mother, “Somebody will get an ouchie,” as he passes me.
10:48 AM → I thank the Maggie C. Daley Park for giving me a good time. The theater, bridge, and speakers in and around Millennium Park are alien-looking. I wonder why such bold designs were chosen.
10:49 AM → Someday I will climb that rock wall.
10:51 AM → The bridge is gorgeous but hot to walk on. I ponder how much I would regret accidentally dropping my phone into the highway below. The road is not busy.
10:53 AM → There are many white tents set up in Millennium Park. They look to be sampling food later in the day. Nothing is open now. Millennium Park is not open now.
10:54 AM → An explanation for the lack of dogs recently has been found.
10:55 AM → I see another path to take but decide against it. Someday I will, though. There are flowers in “transition.” I wonder who hurt them in the first place.
10:57 AM → It is still sunny and hot. I debate about putting my feet in the water. It is probably not very clean. No one else is touching the water. I throw a wish in instead.
10:59 AM → The black (and dead?) flowers are haunting to look at. It is 60 dB.
11:01 AM → The Art Institute of Chicago has an impressive-looking building. It must be expensive. There are a lot of food trucks in front of it. More people are around me now. They are nicely dressed couples and singles.
11:02 AM → A large, black statue makes me think of a stargate. I wonder what inspired it.
11:12 AM → I have found where everyone is. There are still no more dogs. Screaming, shirtless children run around in the water. The air is much cooler here as well. Yellow buses oddly drive in the street behind the fountain area. I enjoy seeing the giant faces.
11:13 AM → There is a line of parents, sitting and watching their kids. Rainbows can be seen in the water.
11:15 AM → I have seen these orange flowers before. App says the cluster ones are West Indian Lantana. The others are Bay Biscayne creeping-oxeye. Dog count has increased to twenty-six.
11:17 AM → I spot my first sign for Grant Park. The sight is bittersweet. I decide to head in the direction I think it is.
11:18 AM → I see a lot of sightseers. I suppose I am a sightseer as well. There is a woman in front of me wearing a very pretty dress. Everyone seems to be dressed at least semi-nicely.
11:22 AM → I see what I think is a culture group. They continue to repeat the same movement of their arms. A camera records them. It looks like they are having fun. I feel a little odd taking a picture of them.
11:24 AM → The street and sidewalk seem to suddenly get very busy. The intersection is noisy. It is 75 dB.
11:26 AM → A building is falling apart. I wonder what it will turn into. What was it before?
11:27 AM → The thought of a Nutella restaurant piques my interest. I plan to come back later. I am starting to become hungry. The air has cooled under the shadow of buildings.
11:28 AM → I thought Nando’s was fast-food. I would like to try it in the future.
11:29 AM → I question the color choice on a large overhang/statue. If said piece was anywhere else than Chicago, it would stand out unattractively.
11:30 AM → I find a pigeon living on the edge. It walks across the busy road without care. I have respect for that bird.
11:33 AM → I think I am at the same “L” stop that I got off at.
11:36 AM → I am at the same “L” stop. I never made it to Grant Park. I’m confused and slightly disappointed. Oh, well. It was an overall good walk. I take a drink of water.
