In The Still Of The Night
My walk started at 7:25 pm right outside my dorm. This walk immediately felt different from the rest for many reasons such as; it being dark, mind racing, wasn’t planned, and no music. I wanted to try something different and experience the same things I see everyday but alone in the dark and what I found was interesting. As I started my walk down Sheffield Ave. it felt very gloomy and hollow outside. There was hardly anybody outside and you could feel the pure crispness of the air getting colder. It felt a lot lonelier than my other walks, not because of the amount of people outside but the aura of the night. Wasn’t scared or felt threatened one bit but something felt a little off.
I then turned onto Lill Ave which was a more homey neighborhood feeling. The entire street had a certain collective feeling towards it that made me brighten up a little bit. The air felt lighter as there was not a single other soul walking down this street with me. The trees seemed to become more heavy and louder as the season change seemed evident. As I walked down this little street I turned onto Seminary Ave. which was a very similar experience to Lill Ave. tiny, quiet, friendly, neighborhood with no one else out. At approximately 7:33 I came up upon Altgeld St and it pulled me in for some odd reason. The noise picked up a little more and there was now some people walking their dogs up and down this neighborhood.
The feeling in my body seemed to be lifted while what I was seeing didn’t really change. The homey warm feeling stayed in my body but the people interested me. They all seemed to be doing the same thing, going on a walk with their dog or just walking around the neighborhood to get some exercise. Everything felt a little more connected while on this street. About halfway through I started to notice both sides of the street were very different from each other. On one side you could see older charming houses that brought you in. Then on the other side it was full of very modern not so warming houses that didn’t seem to belong.
Next I turned onto Surrey Ct. and could feel like I knew where I was at even though I’ve never been there before. It was a little more of the same but the roughness to the street was more present. The sounds were more dismal and the cracks in the sidewalks seemed to be more apparent than previous streets. I say all of this but I wouldn’t say this street wasn’t any more uninviting than the others. The halloween decorations were more apparent and brought out many memories while my mind was able to freely think from the minimal amounts of sounds. As I got closer to the end I realized I had just made a big square and returned to Fullerton Ave. right next to my dorms. I wasn’t sure what to do and stood there for a second trying to figure out why this may be. Was I really walking without a purpose, or without any agenda? It all seemed too perfect to end up this close. I decided I would walk down Fullerton then Sheffield but take a different path.
Immediately as I turn left onto Fullerton everything intensifies. No more dark, more people, louder, more cars, more stores, and less trees. The city illuminated and it felt like two totally different worlds. As I walked down this street I noticed two very apparent things first: I was walking much faster, and two, my mind was racing. These two go hand and hand with the business of a city and how the mind takes control without you even thinking about it. The thoughts in my head weren’t me picking apart what I was seeing but more just random thoughts that had no answer. I turned left onto Sheffield and walked past my dorm again but with a different path to take.
I walked further down the street and my eyes immediately got drawn to this figure to the left. A black diamond encrusted leopard, yes it’s insanely awesome. This street gave me nothing new except for the leopard which I stopped and stared at for way too long. I walked further down and saw a street sign but no street it seemed, so I had to investigate. It was approximately 7:53 as I stumbled upon the McCormick Row housing district. I’ve seen it in the daytime and it was very different at night. It felt a lot more bare than the streets with no people. The rows and rows of apartments seemed to have no end to them as they all were just the same thing over and over.
As I got onto Sheffield again everything felt more calm. Sheffield is a busy street and for a second there wasn’t a single other sound besides a plane flying above. This brought out the stillness of everything around me. Everything seemed to disappear and every thought I had went away for half a second.
The walk was getting to a close as I was almost to the 2 mile point around 8:12. As I saw the large bright Lou Malnati’s sign I immediately got hungry and a little jealous of everyone inside. I decided it was time to head back but wanted to go on Lincoln Ave instead of going to the normal route back. I could feel the sweat start to stick to my legs and feet getting heavier with every step. Every single restaurant now seemed to draw me in. They all seemed more vibrant and more welcoming than before. All the lights seemed brighter with every look around. I had to stop and take a second to gather myself to feel like I was alive. I looked around and stumbled upon a pair of car keys that seemed to blend into the night. As I went in to grab them I stood back up and started walking without thinking about it once more.
Everything seemed to now become a distraction, the lights, stores, people, dogs. So with that, this sculpture had to be looked at more closely. As you look at it without having any sort of knowledge your mind might decipher it as a person or a figure of some sort. This is what I decided would be my “special thing” to learn about. This is the Eagle Columns and has two more sculptures that go with it. The artist, Richard Hunt, is depicting abstract eagles rising out of these bronze columns. They are supposed to memorialize politician John Peter Altgeld and Vachel Lindsey who were prominent Illinois figures during their time.
The walk was now over for the most part as the sculpture took me back down Sheffield. This walk was definitely different from the others. The way your mind works at night versus daytime is totally different. There’s a certain stillness to the nighttime that brings out a hollowness to your thoughts. As your sense of sound and sight seems to dissipate the senses of movement and smell heighten. This walk was something that I enjoyed and now attracts me to the day of the night.
