A Walk Around the Chicago Theater
So far my favorite block is the one with the Chicago Theater on it. On April 4, 2019 I saw Nick Mason, the drummer of Pink Floyd, at the Chicago Theater. I have a fond memory of that day and love that theater/ area because of that concert. While walking around on it I noticed that the sidewalk itself is really kept up with. There weren’t too many changes in elevation and the sidewalk was pretty level throughout the whole walk. There were also so many places to eat one the block that if you ever got hungry you were in a stone’s throw away from any place to eat. The Chicago Theater is definitely the only focal point that was on the block. It was the only ornate building on the block and it appeared that everything around the theater seemed to be built after. That whole block was made to accommodate the theater. The block was kept pretty clean with the occasional cigarette here and there. There just wasn’t too much trash that was lying about. But with that being said, I could smell cigarette smoke for about half the block because there were just so many people smoking. I hope that one day I can walk down Chicago and not smell cigarette smoke because it is such a shame that the city has to be ruined by that sort of dumb thing.
While walking I noticed that there were a lot of fast food places on the block to get food at. There was a Chick Fil A, a Subway, a Dunkin Donuts and a Panda Express just to name a few. The only one that stood out to me was Mrs. Fields. I haven’t really seen those around and it was nice to see the advertise the cookie cakes in the window. They looked very good and I wanted to stop inside for a cookie but they were closed.
The only building that looked different other than the theater was the Walgreens. It was a mainly glass building and seemed out of place from the other buildings. There were about three to four homeless that were scattered throughout the block asking for money. I wish there was something to be done about that because it is always hard to see people that don’t have a home and that ask for money. I feel guilty every time I pass them because 95% of the time I never carry change or any money on me while in the city.
Really the only other thing that I noticed was the L training running down lake street and the construction that was going on that was also on state street. They were tearing down a building and some men in a lift were doing something to the concrete and I am not too sure what they were doing. The only places that they had the flowers and trees were on State Street. Other than that the sidewalks were pretty much empty because all that was there were outdoor seating for the fast food places that set up shop there.
I feel like the three images below perfectly represent the idea of a punctuation. They are a smaller detail that the average person would take a second to appreciate it. When I saw them I realized that this are the types of things that we need to notice on our walks because it is the little thing, like this, that can make a walk that much better. I really love when the Red Line neon sign actually works because it is very cool when it is lit.
I am going to focus more on the loop campus because I know it a lot better than I do the Lincoln Park campus. I commute so I do not really know what is around the Lincoln Park campus as I have yet to explore it. I think the biggest focal point of the Loop is the Sears Tower. It is the highest reaching building in this city and it’s unlike any other. That is what Chicago is known for (and deep dish). If someone were to see the Sears Tower in a photo they would instantly know they are in Chicago. A focal point tells you where you are in the city. It is the big landmarks that are telling you where you in relation to other focal points. I think the punctuations, while still incredibly important to Chicago but smaller than the Sears Tower, are places like the Chicago Theater, Navy Pier, Buckingham Fountain. While these are all places that Chicago is known for, they are secondary when it comes to the city of Chicago. They are the smaller landmarks that are littered throughout the city and make it so interesting. Without these focal points and punctuations we would have a boring, unoriginal city. These are the places that make Chicago special to those that live there and those that visit. Because of these, Chicago is the way it is (232).
