On the hunt for colors
When we were instructed to choose 2 colors during class, I did not know what we were going to use these colors for, but I ended up picking Ginger Root (Dark Orange) and Brass Mesh (gold yellow) as my colors. This ended up being a good choice since our assignment was to go out and match our colors with objects and these are easy colors to find in Chicago. I wanted to do this walk in the loop so I could challenge myself since I it would have been easier to find these colors in Lincoln Park due to nature surrounding it.
My walk began on October 10th around 5:00 PM, I am waiting for the brown line train to go to the loop and I’m brainstorming what I can find to match with my colors, and it would be too easy to match a tree or leaves with my colors so I decided to only do buildings and objects that I can find in the loop and not use nature as a factor. My train had arrived and I took off to Washington and Wells station, I arrive at Washington and Wells and as I start walking down Wells Street I Immediately see a big rat on the side of the sidewalk eating something off the floor. I walk towards it, and it doesn’t even get startled, it was funny to me how it wasn’t scared of humans unlike the other 99% of rats that I’ve encountered here in Chicago.
After my encounter I continue walking and I notice that the steel beams supporting the train tracks were the same shade of yellow as my Brass Mesh color so I snap the picture and take a left on West Adams Street walking towards the bridge, as I get on the bridge I can feel it shaking from the cars coming back and forth but it all seems normal to me since I’ve walked on these bridges dozens of times now. The view as I walk down the bridge is incredible, all the buildings glistening in the sunlight and the water flowing slowly underneath the bridge with the view of the skyline is something that I can never get tired of seeing. I try to spot anything that could resemble my colors, but it is not too easy to find orange in a city other than construction equipment and signs, but I continue looking for anything that could match.
As I get off the bridge, I take a right onto the Riverwalk where I see a building doorway that matches one of my colors and I feel a slight relief since it is beginning to get darker, and it will be more difficult to find any colors. The doorway is a brass color which is a very good match to my color.
I walk down the boardwalk for 2 blocks and admire the architecture all across the city, It is so interesting to see very historic buildings mixed with the modern skyscrapers across the entire city and see how much history is behind this city.
I took a left onto Washington street and see a building with an excavator and inside of it, it seems kind of weird how there was a display of the machinery inside of the building because it is normally used for outdoor purposes but it looks like they were displaying their products. It almost matched perfectly with my brass mesh color.
As I begin to walk back towards the bridge to go back to the loop I see a very well building with high arches and a good view of the river and it was the Bank of America building, the architecture outside of the building was very modern with abstract lines and concrete layers that gave me a feel of the modern architecture here in Chicago.
As Im arriving to the redline station at Lake Street I pass along the civic opera house and notice that the doors match the color of my Ginger Root paint chip so I decide to end my color match here and enjoy the arcitecture of this historic building. Since I began my walk it has gotten darker outside and it has significantly gotten colder outside. the energy outside was busy since it was a sunday afternoon and many people were outside enjoying Chicago and spending time with their friends and family.
Reading Response
According to Malchik in “March,” why is a community’s walkability “one of the single greatest factors in building social capital” (p. 45)? What is social capital? How do your community’s public infrastructure and public spaces support walkability (or not)? How has your community’s walkability factored in your social capital?
A community’s walkability is what determines how people from that community interact with each other while outside. It is important for a community to be walkable because it creates conversation and interactions with other members of your community that would have never been created if you didn’t walk outside. This sense of walkability gives a feeling of unity to the people that live in these communities because they are interacting and building relationships with each other. The easier it is to walk around the more social capital and connections one will create.
Social capital is interacting in a social setting and building social relationships when talking to people. The more capital you build the more likely you are to spark conversation with strangers and others. Social capital is non-tangible, but it is something that connects with your social skills.
My community is a walkable community with a plethora of parks and public spaces, I was lucky to be able to live in such a walkable community where I can see others and create conversations in these public spaces. These spaces were important for me growing up because I got to make new friends and create relationships with people my age. My community’s walkability has affected my social capital by helping it grow and helping me get comfortable being social and not being afraid to make social connections with new people. (230 Words)
