Yellow Brick Road to Oz Park
Warm weather hasn’t always been my favorite. I think it has to do with being born in November, or it’s just that I love leggings as much as I hate sweating. Either way, the one day I actually enjoyed the warm weather was this week, when I went to Oz Park.
My friend Megan and I decided we wanted to take pictures for Instagram (as any teenage girl would), so we hopped on the CTA bus route 37 and headed to wherever it may take us. We got off and saw Oz park, immediately drawn. After taking a couple pictures, we walked into the quiet garden and were greeted by an adorable little dog. Her owner said her name was Lily and we got into a discussion about our dogs. We only spoke for about ten minutes, but Lily and her owner didn’t feel like complete strangers by the time we said goodbye.
Megan and I took a series of pictures, some posed and some candid. We walked around the park for a while before finding a bench to sit on.
We sat for about a half hour or so in complete silence. In my walking journal, I noted a couple things I heard and saw. One of the direst things I noticed was how many trees and plants there were around me. The park scenery was so calming and relaxing, so it made it easy to stay in the park garden for such a long time. Some other nice things about the park included how lively it was. There were so many people and all of them were doing something different. There was a group of t-ball players and their dads cheered them on. There was a playground with children in it. There were tennis players of all ages. The list goes on. Something funny I heard was “Alf, you’re my dad!” (said by a teenager to his friend).
Something I should have taken into consideration would be how many mosquitos there would be. I know for a fact I was bitten a couple times, but it was worth it. When Megan and I were done sitting, we decided to walk back to campus before class started. We began the trek down Webster Ave. We were pointing all the dogs and petting all of them, as one would. We ultimately walked by a Starbucks and went in, buying a quick drink before restarting our walk. The map I drew was drawn after the walk, because I wanted to make sure I knew where I went throughout the entire walk, instead of gradually making it.
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Why might walking in the city have an element of transgression? What is the relationship between safety and risk while walking in the city?
Walking might have a certain element of transgression because many times, in Chicago especially, people j-walk and cross the street before the light turns green (or white, since the walking icon is white). Walking this way is a transgression of the law. However, many times, these walking habits are ignored. It happens so often that it has become a norm for most city walkers, including myself. We all have somewhere to get to, and if we are in a huge rush, we will make shortcuts for ourselves. This combines safety and risk because there is a risk of getting hit by a car or getting caught breaking the law. The safety comes in because when people transgress, they make sure they have the ability to do so. For example, when j-walking, I look and make sure no cars are coming so that I can cross safely. The same applies to crossing the street before the light changes. It’s all just a matter of habit.
(Word Count: 164)
