Loops around the Loop

Time for completed walk; 11–12:40

Walk time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Observations:

I walked past the Art Institute of Chicago, passing by the Lion Statues on the edge of the entrance

The Bean under construction

The Alleys between buildings

People taking pictures on the ledge in Millennium Park looking to the Chicago Buildings

Experiences:

• I guess the most exhilarating experience was grabbing my wrap and bringing it to Millenium Park to enjoy. The weather was amazing and the whole experience was comforting, just enough to document. I had a lot of things that I was wrapped up in back at home, with my anxiety with my restaurant and siblings, I never got a chance to fully enjoy the spaces around me. I rarely got to experience the sun beaming at my face at noon back at home. I have realized that my time here in Chicago has been very healing. I had to grow up at such a young age that I never truly got to experience the life around me. I was working 20–30 hours after school and on the weekends, completing homework before bed, and missing out on an enjoyable life a normal kid would have. Now, I hear the sounds of cars passing by on Michigan Avenue, and the voices of children laughing around the Crown Fountain. If I had only a day to live, I would walk across Downtown Chicago on a sunny day with just my thoughts and a pair of headphones.

Snapshots of my view on the bench at Millennium Park (documented on a vlog I recorded)

• My second experience was the walk to Just Salad on Wacker Dr. This was around 11:35 and about a 20 minute stroll. For a city guy or gal this is not as exhilarating as they may experience it quite often, but for me this was peaceful. While the overwhelming number of people may not be a pleasant experience for all, I feel happy knowing everyone is occupied and I’m just another person walking by. I love to feel calm and collected, to be wandering around with no directions, and to admire glass buildings towering over me. On Wacker Dr right at the corner, I spotted Giordano’s with their cheesy Chicago-style deep dish, and the Nutella cafe right under the CTA. It was almost noon on a Wednesday so not a whole crowd. The delicious smells of the restaurants off E Lake St are just a magnificent smell of Halal, Mediterranean, and Bakery goods were just an adrenaline rush during my walk. The ideal walk in my opinion, is the sun gleaming right on your cheeks while the wind is slowly cooling you from the heat.

Me enjoying my Chicken Caesar wrap in Millennium Park (Left) The walk on Michigan Avenue at Noon across The Art Institute (Right)

Objects Obtained:

• Chicken Caesar Wrap From Just Salad, 111 E Wacker Dr Around 3:30 PM
• Headphones with Cord From Target, S Wabash St Around 11:20 AM

Since I’m being aware of my budget, I picked up accessories that were necessities that I was planning to buy anyways. I didn’t give myself the chance to splurge on things that are specified to the neighborhood of the Loop. The headphones were useful because while walking I wanted to make the experience more euphoric (I believe that the right music elevates an experience). Chicken Caesar Wrap was my lunch.

Map:

My Beginning of my Walk (left) The walk on Michigan Ave. and Millennium Park (right)

Rebecca Solnit Quote:

Rebecca Solnit’s quote on Page 182, directly reflected on my writing about my walk. While walking around the city, I felt comforted in the whole space of anonymity. I loved how walking solidified a feeling of unknown and grasped my peace to settle in with my thoughts, to think deeply about the world around me especially considering the overwhelming lifestyle of Chicago. To go along, variety is what a city offers. Variety is accessible in a city where hundreds of shops are on the same block. Across from Just Salad was a plaza with steps lining down to benches and picnic tables, hovering over an elevated institute. Both these ideals have an importance of what I admire about Chicago, I can simply enjoy what the city offers when I’m unenergized to socialize. I tend to disregard the conjunctioned events happening around me and focus on a single thing during my time of peace. To be frank, I was noticing the tables while grabbing my wrap which occupied my attention, it naturally comes to me. In Chicago, it’s not rare to have experiences similar to that. I believe that Solnit’s quote resonated with my deep thoughts I had experienced during my walk, it related to the enjoyment of my lonesome time.