Cars of Chicago
My map relating to cars in the city required a walk through of different neighborhoods. To be able to draw a comparison of cars in the neighborhood, I went around Lincoln Park then headed over to the Gold Coast. I thought these two areas would give me a diverse enough sample size. I went around Lincoln Park first to mark the cars. I set out to observe and record all of the cars that were next to me.
The map is very neutral, it's only purpose is to display where the car is and what kind it is. On the map, there are several reference points, including streets and some other landmarks such as retail stores and restaurants. The Lincoln Park walk spanned from 5:40 P.M. to 7:05 P.M. The walk took longer that it normally would have due to me having to slow down to write the color and model of the car. To record each car, I wrote its color, company, and model, then I put a box around it. There are over 70 cars recorded on the map, showing some of the varieties and consistencies.
The cars around Lincoln Park seem to tell a story of its residence. Most of the cars were Ford’s, Toyota’s, or Hyundai’s. These are all very dependable cars that are very popular amongst students and young to middle aged adults. This suggests to me that there is a mix of young people and middle-aged working adults in the neighborhood. The overall quality of the cars is pretty high, but are not considered “luxury cars”. This is why the map “shows” an area with a lot of people needing to work or go to school. As Ira Glass states, “Which brings me to the oddest thing about maps. They describe human lives without showing us any people” (Glass, 7). This is very true when it comes to the map I created, as the cars give some background on the people that live in the area. There are no people recorded, but the cars themselves are enough to give an explanation.
This makes the community a bit tighter, as there are a lot of the same people in the area. Lincoln Park has such a good reputation due to how hard working its residents are. There are some luxury cars in Lincoln Park. Overall, the take away is that the neighborhood represents dependable, working people and sprinkled among that are the cars of people who could potentially have higher disposable income to spend on a luxury car. It wouldn't make sense if the average student or worker had a luxury car. This shows that these types of people need affordability, but also well performing cars. The types of cars is also consistent around the map. There isn’t one spot where it is all luxury cars or poor quality cars. The average car quality is good, but nothing that would be considered luxury.
To show each car on the map, the color, company, and model are written in the color of the car. Each car is boxed off to be able to separate the cars.
The cars marked were all parked, besides the ones outside Whole Foods. I only included parked cars to reflect the residents of the community. The people driving through can be from a multitude of places. I felt that parked cars more likely meant that the car owners live in the area.
During the walk, I felt comfortable and safe. For the most part, Lincoln park is known to be a safe area. There wasn't anything “sketchy” that was going on. Towards the end, it was getting dark. This is the only time I didn’t feel completely safe. However, I was comfortable for a large majority of the walk. I made my decisions of what streets to go down based on the amount of cars. I wanted a large sample size so that it would be easier to draw a conclusion from the data.
All the elements of the walk combined shows that Lincoln Park is a very pleasant place. There are a lot of cars for people that are students or working, as well as a comfortable walking environment. These things along with other parts allows you to walk safely and to explore your surroundings. Varsha Adusumili argues that “Time expands and slows down as we are stimulated, in wonder and in quiet awe, not worried about what’s coming next, soaking in the present moment” (Abusumili, “The Joy of Long Distance Walking”). This is how a walk through Lincoln Park feels when you are comfortble. It is very peaceful and easy to be absorbed into your surroundings. During my walk, I decided I was going to stop at 6:45. But the next time I looked at my phone it was already 7:00. I was more foused on the walk and taking everything in that time became less important. Lincoln Park overall is meant for people to walk. There isn’t really an area that you walk through in Lincoln Park that is threatening and risky. The area is meant to be traveled on foot, and the area reflects this. There is a lot of sidewalk space, also some businesses and of course, DePaul. Tons of students and workers walk to the L every day, as well as kids walking to class. There is usually a heavy foot presence in the area, so walking around is a very common thing to do.
To see how Lincoln Park compares to another neighborhood, I took a walk through some of the Gold Coast. The mapping of this area is the same and the purpose is merely to show the cars in the area. This walk was from 4:50 to 5:45. This walk was a lot less crowded than the walk in Lincoln Park. There are a lot less people walking up and down the streets. This makes it feel more exclusive, as the people walking the streets probably live in the neighborhood. There isn’t a variation in the housing, so the average person is relatively wealthy here. My walk began on Elm Street, right off of Michigan Avenue. Instantly,there is a noticable difference in this area compared to Lincoln park. From the first row of cars, there are Audi’s, Mercedes’s, and BMW’s. All of these companies are considered luxury car companies to most people. These cars are also effective, but there is more importance placed on price than appearance. The people in this neighborhood can afford more than most people, so the average car is higher quality than Lincoln Park. I came to this area because it is affluent, but I did not expect it to be so clearly noticeable at all times.
Around this area is very busy on either side. There is Michigan Avenue on one side and a main road on the either side. This makes it feel like the people who live here go out and work hard, but it pays off when they return to their area. This area felt safe as well, just like Lincoln Park. The overall feeling in the Gold Coast is different compared to Lincoln Park. The Gold Coast has a more exclusive feeling to it , as its intentions are.
The overall feeling in the Gold Coast is different compared to Lincoln Park. The Gold Coast has a more exclusive feeling to it , as its intentions are. Most of the cars on the street are luxury brands and there are not crowds of people walking up and down the street. I think this shows the vast differences that Chicago neighborhoods can have. There are numerous types of neighborhoods, and you can notice differences in many things. One thing I was able to notice downtown when walking on a main street is that everything is faster downtown. Any person that has to get anywhere is seen speed walking and weaving in between people to get ahead. The streets downtown are extremely packed and much faster.
Nin-Hai Tseng claims “The street works harder than any other part of downtown. It is the nervous system; it communicates the flavor, the feel, the sights. It is the major point of transaction and communication” (Tseng, 1). This is another one of the differences between downtown and Lincoln Park. The streets themselves are even more packed with thousands of people trying to navigate the city. There are also sky scrapers, statues, murals, and other things all over the city. It is meant to be this way, as
Chicago is a very busy and important city. There is always something going on in the city and people are constantly. This is something maps are not the best at representing. This is why the walk it self is extremely important, so that we are able to pickup on things maps cannot show.
My map may be able to give an idea to what the surrounding area is like. Based off the communities the map suggests, it makes sense that there is a lot going on around the area. Young adults are known to go out and have a good time, which means Lincoln Park has to have places to go. The Gold Coast also suggests an area that is busy, as the wealthy are able to pay for things to do around the city. (1615)
