The Colors of Chicago!
My journey of finding blue and green objects in Chicago…
My journey of exploration began on Monday, at the Chicago Union Station, and ended at Quincy (Brown Line). As a result, I was able to notice plenty of objects that were both blue and green, but only a few that really stood out.
On September 8 (Monday), I found my first object when I got out of the station, as it was a (dirty) dark blue sign that serves to tell people where they are, what is near them, and how they could get to other locations (directions). I picked this to be my first object for the color blue because it felt like a good representation of Chicago. Busy and filled with things to do! The sounds that I kept on hearing (lots of people walking by, probably with the goals of reaching their destinations in mind) and the various smells (mostly sweat, as most people had just come out of packed trains) around the sign were quite strong, as they forced me to quickly move along.
As I walked forward, I found a construction worker standing by, looking up at a Chase Bank, as he had a bag full of different items that he presumably used at work. Two of the items were hanging outside of his bag, as they were (big) green and blue rolls of tape. He was quite surprised when I asked if I could take a picture of the two rolls tape, but we had a friendly conversation about the assignment, and he seemed quite amused by it. Sadly though, I couldn’t really listen to everything that he said towards the end, as the cars driving by us were quite loud, and the smell of paint (from his bag) was quite distracting too. I wouldn’t really count these as my second blue object, or my first green object, as it was just something that I felt like I had (coincidentally) come across…
As I kept walking, I finally reached a turn that I usually take to get on the Brown Line, as the tunnel that I used was quite interesting. I ended up finding my second object in the tunnel, as I discovered that some wooden green walls had been erected under the Brown Line, so people didn’t have to see the construction that was taking place under the train tracks. Despite not being able to see the construction, I was still able to hear it, as the power tools and conversations between the workers echoed through the tunnel. Other than that, the smell of wood, and words written on the green walls (with the use of spray paint), made people walk quite quickly through the tunnel, as they were all determined to reach their destinations, etc.
Once everyone walked out of the tunnel, we were introduced to a huge, green sign. The sign read “Tower Self Park (211 West Adams),” as it was talking about the building that was right beside the staircase of the Brown Line, and it was something that (I can assure) everyone noticed/read while walking by. I chose the sign to be my third object, as it was quite thick, with the area that it was located in being quite loud (mixture of sounds — cars and people talking to each other), and consumed by the aroma of coffee (from Dunkin’ Donuts).
But, as I walked a bit towards the staircase, a couple of blue sign stands caught my attention, as I picked them to be my fourth object(s). They were sat under a black streetlight, and despite being a darker shade of blue, the wooden objects had (somehow) stood out to me. The sign stands were just a few steps away from the (huge) green sign though, as the area that surrounded them was the same, with people and cars making up the sounds, and coffee being the primary scent in the air. After taking the picture though, I had to tun up the stairs, as I almost missed my train to Fullerton.
What is a map? How do Krygier & Wood define a map? How is a map related to the world it depicts? Why do we make maps?
By definition, a map is a representation of an area (of land or sea) that shows all of its physical features. Similarly, Krygier & Wood would define a map as a proposition in graphic form, which affirms the existence and location of its subjects. In fact, the affirmation is very ringing, as it challenges disbelievers to go check out places and things on their own. A map is related to the world that it depicts, as maps are supposed to be filled with features, cities, roads, and other things that actually exist in the world, whether you see them on a day-to-day basis, or if you have never seen/heard of them in your life. The last point actually helps show why we make and need maps, as they are necessary to help us navigate through new places (or places that we’ve rarely been to) that we might visit, and are unfamiliar with. (154 words)
