Mary Bartelme Park
I was entering the elevator in my apartment building, when a lady next to me was talking on the phone about this awesome park that she went to the other day. I was very curious about this mysterious park that was only five minutes away from my apartment. When I asked her what it was called, she looked at me and said, “You’ve never been to Mary Bartelme Park!?” So, that afternoon, I walked to Mary Bartelme Park. I couldn’t believe how close it was to my apartment, and that I never knew about it. As soon as I entered the park, I felt so peaceful. I took a seat on a bench and observed.
Sounds that I heard:
1:30 pm- I heard a man on the phone with someone, talking about how his girlfriend cheated on him with his co-worker! I heard the tone of his voice go up and down several times. I heard the anger and frustration he was feeling. He had a grey iPhone that had no cover.
1:33 pm- I heard a man coughing so violently that his spit was was flying out of his mouth. I could hear the mucus ringing in his throat, begging to come out, which it did. He was an older man, and had a long grey beard that reached below his chin. He was wearing a Polo shirt with blue jeans.
1:35 pm- I heard the wind start to blow very loudly, hitting everything in its path. Red, green, and yellow leaves started flying everywhere and one yellow one landed on my lap. I picked it up and heard the satisfying crunch as it crumbled into pieces.
1:40 pm- I heard metal bars hitting against each other in the construction cite that was across the street. After a while, I started hearing a nice beat and started bobbing my head with it. It sounded like one of my favorite songs called Work From Home by Fifth Harmony. I immediately stopped after someone caught me slightly dancing.
1:47 pm- I heard a garbage truck pass by me. I could hear its loud engine stop then go again and again. It sounded like it was sighing and sad.
1:50 pm- I heard a dog running past me and his name tag bouncing with every step he took. His steps were perfectly aligned and he never missed a beat.
2:00 pm- I heard a man chewing on his corned beef sandwich very loudly. He must have been very hungry, because there were pieces of corned beef flying everywhere.
People I saw:
1:35 pm- I saw a man jogging wearing a tight black t-shirt and bright red shorts that had a few stains on it.
1:40 pm- I saw a lady wearing black glasses, like mine, reading the third Harry Potter book. She was wearing black hoodie and yoga pants, with a pair of red Toms. She looked like she was in her mid 30s.
1:50 pm- I saw a tall skinny white man walking his Golden Retriever. He was wearing a red baseball shirt with black shorts and red Nike shoes.
1:55 pm- I saw a lady eating a burito from Chipotle. She had a fountain drink and chips on her left, and guacamole on her right. She was wearing a maroon sweater and a pair of worn out Birkenstocks. She was surprised by her friend that brought a guy with her that she might like. The girl was very unhappy.
2:00 pm- I saw a man in a yellow construction hat walking and eating a bagel at the same time!
2:05 pm- I was a man in a blue t-shirt with grey shorts sleeping on the bench across from me. He came exactly when I did, but sometime during my visit, he disappeared.
Objects:
1. There were a couple objects that caught my eye. One of the objects was a leaf that was sitting right next to the man who was fast asleep right next to me. This leaf just caught my eye due to its blood red color. It was so red and perfect. This is the color of my favorite lipstick, so it made me really happy. It was sitting so elegantly on the grass beside a couple of crumpled up leaves. It was the most beautiful leaf I have ever seen.
2. Another object that stood out was the Harry Potter book that this lady was reading next to me. It was such a coincidence that the third bool, the one she was reading, is my favorite Harry Potter book. It was so funny and I was shocked. I actually told her how much I love that book and we had a fangirl moment where we shared our love for Harry Potter.
Does a walk through Chicago’s street soothe you, induce stress, or produce some other emotional response? Why? Are there certain kinds of streets or places in the city that produce these emotional responses? Where, when, how, and why?
I was raised by a mother who was scared of everything. So, naturally I became just as concerned with everything like her. I grew up in the suburbs, so I never really took that manny walks in the city. However, now that I live in the city, I truly enjoy walking. I get to see and smell so many different people and places. Walking in the city calms my mind and allows me to think of anything that is bothering me. Even when the things I smell and see are not that nice, it makes me appreciate what I have and how luck I am to have those things. What I love about walking in the city is that no one knows me. I am a stranger walking in the street. They don’t know what i’ve done and the mistakes i’ve made. It is like a fresh clean start. I like walking on streets that have a certain number of people. When the street is empty, I feel a little uneasy and unsafe. I feel like someone is watching me, which is probably becasue of the way I was raised, but that is something that I can’t change. When there are people around me I feel like I have backup, which sounds strange, but I just feel more comfortable. I absolutely love walking by Lake Michigan, because I get to hear the crashing of the waves and the whistling of the wind, yet I am still surrounded by runners, bikers, and children. I feel like a different person when I am by the lake, in a good way.
