A Newfound Trail

For my walk, I decided to use Randonautica again. I was unable to get the Anomaly setting to work, so I used a Blind Point instead. I manifested seeing some interesting architecture. The walk it generated for me is 3.2 miles.

2:59

I am leaving Oz. I am going left on Fullerton. It’s a little windy, maybe a little cold. I didn’t bring a jacket because I thought it would get too hot. There is a weird stain on the concrete. There are big planters full of dirt, and the stain seems to be the same size as them, so it looks like they removed one.

3:00

Another stain. The same planter missing. Not sure why they removed them. I am turning left onto Racine. I do not really like Fullerton; it is always so loud because of the cars. Glad to be turning onto Racine.

3:02

I am passing what appears to be student housing on my left and I can see The Theatre School on the right. Still kind of interested in The Theatre School, it looks really cool in there. I don’t know how to feel about today’s walk. I do not think I feel anticipatory like last week, maybe I feel a bit lost. It feels like there is a lot to do, but also nothing to do. I feel in between stages; a lot has happened, and many things are coming up, but right now I just feel a little stuck. It feels like fall, the ground is sprinkled with leaves.

3:04

Saw a building that has a checkerboard pattern and sculpted lions on the front of it. I am passing the same park I have passed a few times before. They have a section that has chickens and other birds which is cool. There are a lot of puddles because of the rain. I must avoid the lower parts of the sidewalk.

3:06

I am afraid I look like a tourist because I keep stopping for pictures. Maybe I could think of it more in the way that Sonit put it, “One imagines them [photographers] wandering purposefully, like hunter-gatherers…the photographer leaving us not with their walks, as poets do, but with the fruits of those walks.” I see some blue coloring on a building and again a puddle. It starting to get windier. I am passing a restaurant with the chairs all stacked up, it looks like they are closed for the day. I am in a retail-heavy part of Lincoln Park, it feels familiar.

3:07

I am heading into a more residential area. I can see some freshly trimmed trees, the spots where they cut branches off are an orange color because of the rain. I see a strange house made of white concrete; it is asymmetrical. I see a cute little tree behind a fence, it reminds me of a bonsai tree but bigger.

3:09

I am in an empty section of the neighborhood, there is just a plain building to my right. I peer into the windows and admire the different trinkets and items on the windowsill or desk. It feels like every time I look into a building, it is dark and rundown. I see a green and white building on the corner.

3:11

I see a sign that says, “Scoop the poop, please”. First dog walker spotted, it is a man coming out of his house with a medium-sized dog, maybe a puggle. I am now walking behind a girl and with a baby in a stroller. She says into her phone “I am taking Margo for a walk, we are outside”. Presumably, she is the babysitter. I pass in front of them. I see a building that looks the same as the green and white one from before, but this one has strips of yellow as well.

3:13

I think I am approaching the river now, as I am in the ‘Trader Joe’s area’. I feel stressed as I always do here. Too many cars. I am at the corner facing Fatsos Last Stand. A man walks up behind me, and we wait at the crosswalk together. Once the light changes, he walks across the street, into Fatsos Last Stand. He seems like he has a purpose, maybe he’s an employee.

3:15

It is sunnier on this street; I am getting irritated. A weird part of town, more industrial. I think we might have walked here during immersion week. I see a cup for Fatsos Last Stand littered on the ground. I see a sign that says “Lincoln Yards”, so I must be walking along a work yard type of place. There is a wall to my right that encloses Lincoln Yards which is a deep teal color. I am walking behind a kid holding a blue Gatorade who is walking with an older lady. They both have black backpacks on. There is a part of the wall that has a piece out of it, and I peer inside.

3:17

I am still behind them. I have to walk slower. It is always an awkward moment when you are trying to decide whether to pass someone, but it’s often better to just speed up a bit and pass them rather than be lurking behind them. The boy is telling the lady about the plot of some show, movie, or book. You can tell he is an expert in whatever he is talking about. I pass them. I hear the lady say to him encouragingly “Well, maybe they will start a new series.” This street is very loud with cars, and it smells strongly of gas.

3:19

I can see the bridge that I am going to use to cross over the river. I see a sign that says “push Button for walk signal” with the word “DON’T” spraypainted over it. I am still alongside the teal-colored wall, and now I can see splatters of said color on the sidewalk, probably from when they painted the wall. I am about to cross the river.

3:20

I start on the bridge across the river. There is not a very big barrier between me and the cars flying past, so I hope they don’t swerve at all. I love seeing all the graffiti on the bridge. I see one that says “pokemon!”, and it makes me think of my friends at home.

3:21

I see a mural that has a fish on it. It’s for a restaurant. The fish makes me smile. I see an abandoned bike attachment that a kid would sit in. It has the same “pokemon!” tag on it, twice this time. There is a big puddle on the side of the street I am on, and when the cars go through it their wheel splash water. There are few pedestrians here, I feel unwelcome. I keep walking.

3:24

I am now passing underneath a bridge. It is very loud here with many cars, and I am feeling uncomfortable. I see a goblin graffiti and a funny face sticker. There is a busted crosswalk signal where I’m trying to cross. The hand does not have fingers. When I crossed, I realized the sign was really low, maybe someone hit it or something and it broke.

3:29

I am still underneath this bridge, but I am realizing that it is a highway. I don’t feel safe here. It is empty with cars all around. I do not want to be here, but I keep walking. I see a cat sticker, it’s the same cutout of a cat that I saw on my walk last week. I see another one just minutes later.

3:35

I am making it out of the industrial land. I turn off Ashland and onto a park. I assumed this would just be a quick detour, but I quickly realized that this was an entire trail, Bloomington Trail to be exact. There are curved light posts that fascinate me.

3:40

I see a lot of bikers on this trail, a few runners, and some walkers. The bikers are going fast, so I stay on the blue strip of the trail to the right. The blue part is a different material, it’s a bit squishy and fun to walk on. There are metal mile markers embedded into the concrete. The trail is elevated over streets and there are signs for each street. I am really interested in how they build this trail. It seems like quite a big endeavor to build something elevated like this. Being above the ground gives me more of a sense of being lost. I am psychically in between places here; not quite on the L, but not on the street either. Michel de Certeau speaks about the feeling of seeing New York from above, saying “To be lifted to the summit of the World Trade Center is to be lifted out of the city’s grasp”. That’s how I feel on this path. It almost feels like I am cheating, like I am getting a ‘lite’ version of walking through the city. But I am calmer. Maybe that’s why cities invest in something like this, to give people an escape from “the dark space where crowds move back and forth”. (Certeau)

3:50

I pass a guy and girl walking a big, white, fluffy dog that looks like my friend’s dog, Casper, but skinnier. The guy says “Yeah, he went to the hospital, his whole aortic valve was open”. Does not sound good. There is a weird building on the left, it’s very concrete and blank, maybe it’s apartments.

3:52

Many bikers. One biker passed me with music blasting. I see another biker a bit later that has a milk crate attached to his bike. I love seeing bikes that are customized. I am in a lot of pain now; this walk is taking more of a toll on me than I expected.

3:53

I’m not sure if my destination is going to be interesting, but I like this trail. I am approaching a cool-looking structure; I think it’s a bridge. I veer off before the bridge, into this winding path. I think it leads into another park, who knew there were so many parks.

3:55

I am passing over Milwaukee Ave on the bridge. Once I get off the bridge, I am now passing under what seems to be the L. There aren’t any cars on it currently. The trail continues to be lined with curved streetlights, and there is one directly underneath the L. It is very rusted, while the others look clean. I wonder if maybe water rainwater running through the L and onto the light has caused this.

4:00

I am now passing a lot of apartments; they are very blocky and modern. I see another biker with a milk crate attached to the back, it is a beautiful yellow. There is a variety of plants on each side of the path. A couple behind me is commentating on it. The woman says “There’s gotta be at least 100 plants.” I agree.

4:08

Another biker with a milk crate. This one is more of a Target organizational bin, but same idea.

4:16

A kid on a skateboard passes me. He has cool sneakers. The mile marker says 1.6 miles. I am passing an elementary school. I think I am about to exit the trail. I am excited to see where Raundonatuica is taking me. I see some jack o lantern string lights on a porch. I see a building to the left of the string-light porch that has a bubble-looking ceiling.

4:18

There is a sign that says “No electric scooters on the trail”. I am now passing the bubble building, there are glass panes inside. The door reads “Interior of Stone” and I can see giant pieces of granite inside; they must sell them.

4:20

My destination was a few steps past the stone place, it took me to the Steven Michael Carroll House. I googled it and found out that it is an affordable housing unit. It is a very interesting building, so I guess my manifestation worked. I still feel in-between, but more accomplished now. Recently, I’ve been feeling more comfortable in my surroundings, as I know my immediate area more, but this walk was a reminder of how little I know. This trail is just one other place to add to my list of places that I ‘know’. Maybe getting to know a place is just doing that over and over again.