Finding Uncommon Friends
Before I left for school, a close family friend of mine said to me “I have been in the cozy confines of Wrigley Field once, but other than that, Chicago smells like piss.” In my post last week, I talked about how I enjoyed seeing the industrial beauty of a city. Alleyways, dumpsters, graffiti, abandoned drinks that have not made it into the garbage can yet. I said that this was because I am normally used to seeing naturally scenic views like hills, trees and livestock, but there is also something deeper about it. What makes a city is the people, a melting pot of their lives and identities coming together. It’s what draws people to the city, to be able to not only meet people with different views and ideas but to also share their own. So, whenever I see a leftover container or street art, it reminds me how lucky I am to be able to live in a city such as Chicago.
10:30- I got up on Sunday morning and remembered that I had not gone on my walk yet so immediately I got up and went, but first coffee.
11:00- I went to the Dunkin Donut’s on Fullerton and walked to a courtyard behind a church that I often go to. The church is called Saint Josephat’s and was established in the 1800s when a flood of German and Polish families immigrated to Chicago. In 1899 the building was destroyed by a cyclone but was fully rebuilt a few years later. Ever since then, the church has stood in the same spot and now has a school system attached to the church. This courtyard has been a place of refuge for me ever since I moved on campus. Coming from a predominantly Catholic community, it feels comfortable for me to be back in that same environment I never knew the storied history of this place and how important it is to Polish and German Catholics because usually I do not look into such things. I went to the website of the Parish and another website about Polish Catholicism to learn these things.
11:30- I started my walk towards Diversey street. The day before, I had been in the area with some friends. Originally being from Chicago, they were able to bring their car to campus, and just had to run to the beauty supply store in the neighborhood quickly. When we drove there on Saturday, we turned on Sheffield and were in the neighborhood for only a few minutes. I was struck by how quickly the energy of the neighborhood changed once we passed the bookstore, and it just kept going and going. Sometimes I forget that I am no longer in South Dakota and there are not vast acres of empty and uninhabited lands.
This time, I walked straight up Racine Avenue, into a very “neighborhood-y neighborhood.” On the way there I saw someone had a row of plants peeking out through their window facing the alley. Seeing things in the windows of apartments such as plants, cats or other decorations is another unique pleasure living in the city offers you. It reminds me again of all the different people who live here, all with different lives and stories.
Near the corner of Racine and West Lill avenue, I past an empty pizza box. This honestly made me laugh, I could just tell it was the aftermath of someone’s Saturday night. It also reminded me of our immersion week when we talked about the taco place that is open all night and said that whatever you are eating at 3 am will probably be the best thing you have ever tasted.
12:15- I was nearing Diversey street, but still in the residential area. I crossed one of those diagonal streets prone to Lincoln Park and passed a restaurant sitting area near some townhomes. Since this city is so big, you cannot separate city life from home life. This is another thing that I admire about being able to live in the city. There is not much to do in South Dakota, and not very many people to meet.
12:21- I finally made it to Diversey Street and came across on of the most interesting points in my walk. It was a mural on the side of what I believe is a church. It was very colorful with figures of different humans. On one side there was someone painted who looked like they were bleeding from their head and were passed out on the ground. The rest of the mural looked to me to be appropriate for a church. Unfortunately, there was nothing written near the mural that talk about the painter or what the painting means and I also forgot to write down the name of the church so I could not look into it further on my own. However, I did have a slight interaction with a stranger over this mural. He was a young man who had been walking in front of me for a few blocks. He went to turn left in front of the mural as I was continuing straight down Diversey. It seems like the mural had equally caught both of our eyes as when stood there together silently observing it all.
12:24- Minutes later, I had arrived at my destination. Going back to what we were talking about in class, as a woman I almost take refuge in having a destination in mind when I go on my walks. To me, it makes me feel more comfortable knowing that I have a place to go to that is relatively safe and knowing how far away I am from my dorm or train station. I do not like the sense of being completely lost in the city until I am more comfortable with my new location, yet since everything is so new to me it is almost like I am lost no matter where I go. My destination this time was an upscale-looking grocery store and café called “Dom’s”. I walked around in the store for a little, but ultimately decided to venture out once more to a new destination.
12:40- I walked straight down the street to an Urban Outfitter’s clothing store I had noticed the day before. Just like in the grocery store, I only walked around and left without buying anything. However, I did end up going to two other stores that were near by and bought things there. This goes back to the reading and what we talked about in class. I would not say that I am necessarily “upper class” but my summer jobs and working over my gap year has afforded me with a small amount of disposable income. Am I only able to be a “flaneur” due to my economic privilege? What about my skin color and gender? Would the store employees have felt comfortable with me in the store if I looked different than how I do now?
1:20- I left the final store and walked around the commercial block back into another residential area. At this point I was in need of some place to sit down. I saw on my google maps app that there was a park in the area but looked too far away for me. I kept wandering around, at this point I was almost lost until I stumbled upon the very park I saw on my phone. The park was situated in between two townhomes. It was gated and rather small, there were children’s playthings inside the perimeter, it almost felt like I was trespassing in someone’s backyard. I was thankful for this backyard however, I was able to make a makeshift asylum underneath the shade of a maple tree, although it was so humid it almost did not help. I was able to people watch and relax; I got more comfortable in the yard once I saw people going in and out of the houses without saying a word to me. I then talked on the phone with my dad for some time while watching a squirrel run around the and to and from the trees and gates. The squirrel seemed rather friendly with me.
