Observing in Lake Shore East Park
Exploration #2
Lake Shore East Park is hidden in the middle of a ring of apartment buildings, the only spot of green in the area. I sat on a concrete ledge and observed the park, and this is what I came across.
Sounds
3:58 Cars honking.
3:59 Cranes lowering things into a half-finished building.
4:05 Small child screaming on a scooter before he crashed.
4:08 Children giggling at the playground.
4:11 Jangling of a dog collar.
4:12 Sirens.
4:13 A child at the playground screeches like a pterodactyl.
4:15 Two young, private school girls talk as they pass: “And then the next day, the pigeon FOLLOWED me…”
4:18 An elderly lady’s flip flops slap the pavement.
4:18 A kid screams bloody murder.
4:19 Engine revving.
4:20 A woman and a little girl sing, “Hop-o-do-dee” as the little girl holds the woman’s hand and skips.
4:21 A business woman in a black suit clacks by in high heels on the phone with white earbuds: “We’ll find out tomorrow. Maybe I didn’t get it, who knows?”
4:24 A saw cuts through metal in the distance.
4:25 Another dog’s collar jangles.
4:26 Fountains nearby gurgle.
4:26 Bike whizzes by.
4:30 Bike bell rings.
4:31 A collie barks at its owner who is on the phone.
4:32 Stroller wheels crunch the sandy sidewalk.
Sights
4:00 I froze in fear due to a wasp on the ground in front of me. Its huge, black pulsing body scoured the dirt before finally flying away.
4:05 A tan, blonde, curly-haired little boy in a blue dress shirt and khakis flies down a hill on his scooter much too fast and crashes into a walkway ledge.
4:07 An Asian man walks by. He wearing a black sweatshirt and blue sweatpants. He talks into his phone, which has a Despicable Me Minion phone case around it. It is bright yellow and stares at me.
4:09 A woman walks by in blue flats. Her shirt and pants are both green, and her shoulder-length hair is growing gray at the roots. Under her left arm she carries a giant poster board and slung over her right shoulder is a black satchel.
4:10 An Indian boy, I would guess around the age of 7, ran across the whole grass plain of the park in black trousers and a white dress shirt. Sunlight hit his back, making him glow. It looked like a movie. After crossing the whole field, he joins his younger brother, who is dressed identically. They go into the playground together.
4:14 A huge, yellow crane moves around to pick something up and move it into the half-finished building.
4:14 A blonde child stands on a concrete block that faces the grass and yells inaudible words to no one. He wears black pants that are much too big for him, along with a white t-shirt. He runs after his mom but stops and attempts to climb the fence into the playground. He eventually gives up and runs to his mother, who is waiting for him to catch up. She wears flared orange capris, a yellow floral top, and pushes a black stroller with the boy’s sibling.
4:17 A woman makes her second lap around the park. She wears black pants and a red, flowered tunic. She walks with a limp. She adjusts her white headscarf before walking again.
4:20 A woman in a black dress and matching sandals carries a pink and white backpack on her arm and a brown one on her back. The one on her arm is small, just like the little girl holding her hand. The small child wears a white tutu-like skirt and purple sneakers. Her black hair swishes in her ponytail.
4:22 The woman with the headscarf laps me again. She is wearing brown hiking shoes of sorts. Her lips are parted as she walks.
4:23 A busty woman in a white tank top with a big, blonde bun on top of her head walks by. She wears light blue daisy dukes and flip flops, and pushes a baby in a hot pink stroller. Her husband is in a white t-shirt light blue jeans, and gray tennis shoes. He has black hair and eats Hot Cheetos as he walks alongside her.
4:25 A boy with brown, curly hair, blue tennis shoes, gray jeans, and a green t-shirt bikes by. His shirt is the exact color of his bike. He stops to look at a small white dog that is walking through the mud where sidewalk and grass meet. The dog’s paws turn brown as he pads away. The boy bikes on.
4:26 The woman laps me again. I notice that she wears glasses and has two gold bracelets — one on each wrist.
4:26 The boy on the green bike whizzes by.
4:27 A small girl with a blonde ponytail held back by a black headband sports a black blouse and white jeans. She walks in black shoes next to a golden retriever who is up to her hip. I would guess that she is about 6 years old. She walks up onto the walkway ledge and runs up the grassy hill.
4:29 A black dog lays in the grass as its owner holding the leash talks on the phone. They are in the middle of the park. The owner wears blue jeans, a light blue button-down, and has her blonde hair pulled back into a neat bun. She has nice calves and a very athletic build.
4:31 A dog trots on the walkway ledge as its owner walks on the sidewalk next to it, causing the dog to be up to her elbow. The owner is an old woman wearing a royal blue shirt and black pants. She stops and hugs the dog, burying her face in its soft fur. After a minute, they continue.
Two Sketches
Solnit — Walking After Midnight
Gender has affected the ability to walk in the city because of society’s attitude towards women. To many, they are seen as sex objects, not people. Gender has affected the experience of walking in the city because women are often verbally or physically assaulted in a sexual way. Women can’t enjoy a city at night to the fullest extent because they fear being raped or assaulted by men. Women are also expected to be home bound, but walking is human nature and a great stress reliever. It is the best way to wander, both in a place and in one’s mind. Issues like catcalling, assaulting, and raping affect the perception and treatment of woman walkers in the city. They believe that walking at night alone will result in one of these occurrences, so it is not safe for them to be out late by themselves. If younger men see older men treating women in these ways, they may begin to believe it’s okay. This affects the treatment of women walking alone and puts them in an awful situation. With younger generations learning the behavior, it becomes a vicious cycle. This is limiting women’s freedom and exploration with walking, making it a strained experience.
Extra Photos
