My Not-So-Random Randonautica Walk

Field Notes:

I started my walk outside Ozanam Hall and decided to use the Randonautica walk. I decided to take the Randonautica way because I don't want anyone to follow me so I don't want to follow anyone. When I started walking, it was wet and sprinkling. I continued to dodge puddles. I've walked down Fullerton, east towards the train many times. I walked past many people in raincoats.

Pictured first are the doors painted red and yellow. Pictured second is a large puddle I found on the street.

It stopped raining as I continued towards the train. I decided to stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a vanilla long john. I ate my donut as I continued down Fullerton. The residual water on the trees kept coming down as if it was raining. I stopped to take some pictures of an apartment building and two doors painted red and yellow. The doors reminded me of ketchup and mustard. I got to the intersection of Fullerton, Halstead, and Lincoln. The farther I get, the windier it gets. As I continue, I walk past an equinox, a donut shop, and a bakery. I walked past several apartment complexes. Fullerton had fewer shops and more homes and apartments. The homes I walked passed were a combination of old and new including tons of stone, bay windows, and careful architecture. I passed a birthday party.

Pictured first is an older stone home. Pictured second are the balloons for the birthday party. Pictured third is the house I think you’d find in the suburbs.

I passed 3 churches, all made of stone and brick. I walked passed an empty lot. I walked passed many side streets, lined with cars and homes. I walked by a home you'd find in the suburbs. I finally reached my destination. It took me to a parking lot behind Five Guys. Randonautica took me down one street so it was extremely easy to find my way home. On my way home, noticed more beautiful homes and businesses. I was slightly disappointed with my random walk because I thought Randonautica would take me on more twists and turns but it was nice to see.

Pictured first is my final random destination. Pictured second is a beautiful courtyard to an apartment complex. Pictured third is a cute sign on a building.

In my opinion, there are a few different meanings of “losing oneself in the city.” For me, losing myself in the city means just walking around without a destination. It doesn’t have to be downtown, it can be through a neighborhood. I have lost myself in the sense of walking aimlessly, attempting to explore the neighborhood around me. When I got to DePaul I knew I needed to explore and begin to understand my new home. I remember that I the first few days that I was here I would walk around different streets to get acquainted with the neighborhood around me. I would walk down streets full of streets small businesses and shops. Each street was different, filled with different shops and businesses. I would stop into these stores and just look around. I wanted to understand the people and the stores around me. I would lose myself and then have to find a way home.

Word Count: 157

My Extremely Basic and Boring Map