The plot of my hot walk
11:50 — After exiting the parking lot where I parked my car, I found a restaurant. The restaurant was bustling with many people entering and exiting its small front doors. I smell everything the people sitting in and out doors are eating, (It is a breakfast and brunch place), there is eggs, french toast and other tasty foods. I remember how there used to be an Egg Harbor here, it has since up scaled to a new location allowing another small food chain to move into its spot.
11:53 — I find myself wandering down the path of the old homes many on the original homes are still here. It’s quiet and shaded from the intense heat beating down on me as I walk my weather app tells me it’s 90 degrees but it’s much cooler here. There is hardly anyone out (due to the heat) it makes me feel at ease, nothing to worry about.
11:57 — Still by the old homes I find a home with broken windows. Many of them broken and the house small yet full of things cluttering up the windows blocking my view of what’s inside. The house is accompanied by a bent up broken satellite dish and an old beat up pick up truck, It seems to not have been taken care of, yet someone still live there.
12:00 — I find an apple abandoned on the sidewalk not once bitten, I wonder whose it was, how did it get here, why was it left behind, all things i know wont get answered yet I still wonder.
12:15 — Now entering the downtown area I find an old bank i’d never noticed before. With the sun still beating down on me, I move to check it out and i see a cool lion logo up on the side of the building, I touch the side of the building it’s a polished granite smooth still after all the years it has been here.
12:21 — I see an interesting bench outside an antique store, it appears to be made of old skateboards with their wheels removed, accompanying it are other old and antique things through the window behind the bench. I then cross the road.
12:26 — I find myself investigating behind the local Jewel Osco, luckily it’s shaded keeping me cooler than if i’d been in the sun. While walking around I see a truck unloading its goods for stocking on the shelves but no one is with it, I think they may be taking a break to escape the scorching heat. I also find a abandoned glove with a rotting orange neer it, the trash that would normally be near the roads ends up back here where no one else can see it.
12:33 — I now continue on past the Jewel to the small strip mall area that has stores no one goes to. I walk behind around to the docking area, no trucks delivering here, I find through the window a preserved train car from the olden days steam engines still on the tracks on what used to be a busy railroad now replaced by the more prominent metra lines which aren’t too far behind me.
12:39 — Emerging from behind the strip mall I am once again hit by the heat outside the shade, I seek refuge down a shaded street that again has older homes. On the side of one home I see a wooden barrel and think what could they be using it for? Why do they still have it? Questions that wont get answers but i still ask anyway.
12:45 — I now skip down a side street leading to who knows where and i find myself in a preserved old Barrington street still having its dirt roads and hidden behind the trees and modern buildings on street level. There are three old stores: a repair shop, a saloon, and a school house. Its interesting to see things that are hidden from view behind the modern facades.
12:53 — with the heat finally getting to me I begin my walk back to my car but before I get to far I find myself entering into a slushy and frozen yogurt shop and order myself a nice cool slush to cool myself down and I stop to sit for a while, I am the only one in the place and compared to the loud outside with cars constantly driving by, its much quieter there are songs playing like Happy by Pharrell, I check the decibel level and its 54db.
1:04 — Suddenly the door opens, “”DING” and a mail man comes in to give the store owner their mail he says “hi” and i say the same we strike up a conversation about how its hot and miserable out and how it must be unpleasant to have to walk around in the heat to deliver the mail, but he is fine with it hoping the next days will cool down and the weird weather patterns will pass over. But its Illinois and who knows what the weather could be like the next day. With that we part ways and I continue my walk back.
1:09 — Once again I cross the street rejuvenated from my break and pass back by the things i’d seen and i decide to take the long way, the way I hadn’t come yet still gets me back and I am surprised to find a barber shop with one of the old spinning polls that swirl around to attract attention to their shop and it memorizes me for a second I’ve found my video.
1:14 — I’ve finally made it back to my car hot and tired i’ve learned about what had been around and what it is live now in my own home town. Things I didn’t even know where there surprised me and the things I did know about, had things on them which i’d never even noticed. Walking is a wonderful privilege that I am glad that I can partake in it.
