Wandering Footsteps Along Lake Michigan
3:30pm
I began my walk outside of University Center. Rather than use a prompt to aid my wandering, I let my curiosity lead me. I used my apple watch to track the distance and time. When I stepped outside, it was a pleasant day, with perfect weather for walking. It was a crisp, moderate temperature with cloudy skies to keep the sun out of my face. The streets were neither wildly busy nor abandoned. There was an even flow of pedestrians, many of whom were college-aged and wearing backpacks.
3:33pm
I turned the corner of Ida B. Wells Drive and began on the side where Columbia College had a building. I found myself between two young women both wearing black purses. They seemed to be friends and heading toward the park. I assumed the park would be a good place, so I headed toward it.
3:37pm
After crossing Michigan Ave, I headed over the bridge in the park. There were so many empty tracks, and no trains in sight.
3:40pm
When I made it toward Buckingham Fountain, I had to wait at Columbus Drive for the crosswalk. I waited with two men on electric scooters. One wore a red jacket, and the other man had a black shirt and a black backpack.
3:42pm
When we crossed and approached Buckingham Fountain, seagulls circled in the air, and families were posing for pictures.
Seeing everyone having a good time reminded me of the article “20 Reasons Aleksandar Hemon Will Never Leave Chicago” by Emmet Sullivan. He includes an excerpt from Aleksandar Hemon where he explains why he does not wish to leave Chicago. Hemon says, “Early September anyplace in the city, when the sunlight angles have abruptly changed and everything and everyone appears better, all the edges softened; the torments of the hot summer are now over, the cold torments of the winter have not begun, and people bask in the perishable possibility of a kind and gentle city”. I thought this was such a great description of September weather in Chicago because as I had experienced on the walk, the weather was truly perfect. People who were going about seemed genuinely happy to be outside, and I think that the city did feel more gentle in a way.
3:45pm
Once passing the fountain, I headed down these gray steps to walk along Lake Shore Drive. I was hoping to walk along the beach.
3:47pm
Two women pushing a stroller passed me, followed by several kids with cotton candy.
3:50pm
At Jackson Drive, I was able to walk down to the lakeshore sidewalk. It was cooler, and I received a nice breeze. A small boat sailed past, pretty close to the shore, a person inside of it. Bikers and pedestrians passed by in large quantities. Families sat on stone ledges near the water.
3:53pm
A little girl was dancing around, doing little spins for the rest of her family who was sitting on one ledge higher. I watched her for a moment as I passed by.
I connected this with a quote from Rebecca Solnit’s book. She says, “Even the most ordinary things struck me with wonder, and the people on the street offered a thousand glimpses of lives like and utterly unlike mine”. I connected with this quote because it was something ordinary that touched me. The girl seemed so playful and happy, and just a glimpse at her with her family gave me a small peek into their lives.
4:00pm
As I continued past the end of Monroe, I kept walking on the sidewalk. Eventually, I stumbled across a stand selling cotton candy in the same colors I’d seen the kids carrying earlier. At this point on my path, I was being passed by a lot of people jogging.
4:03pm
As I continued down the lakeside path, I passed by a massive harbor of boats. There was a wooden platform that had several small boats that were for rental. One particularly interesting boat I saw stood out by being covered in greenery. Pots were hung using hooks at the top, and it made the small vessel look much less intimidating than the others.
4:10pm
When I reached the corner of Lakefront Trail, there was a security car parked in the corner. I had assumed the path would keep going, so I now had to decide where to go. There was a massive bridge above the area I was standing in, and I looked at the other pedestrians to see which way I should go. I couldn’t figure out how to get onto the bridge because there were no stairs in sight. Luckily, I spotted a man who was similarly confused. He was walking around looking for stairs and peering up at the people walking. I stayed where I was and observed him, hoping he could figure it out, and I would follow. He walked back to his wife and daughter, seeming dejected. But my luck had not expired yet, and I saw a different man signaling to the people at the top. He seemed to figure something out, so I trailed behind him and walked under the bridge, discovering a staircase inside to get up.
I connect this experience to what Rob Walker said in his article “The Art of Noticing: Five Ways to Experience a City Differently”. He said, “Risk the possibility of feeling lost — at least every so often”. Not only did I not really understand where I was going, but I wasn’t using my phone to figure it out. Normally, I would use my phone to navigate if I was confused, but instead, I observed the people around me and used my environment to figure it out.
4:14pm
When I made it up the stairs, the bridge had a sign that said it was a ten-minute walk to get to Navy Pier, and I could see big groups of tourists headed in that direction. The last time I had been to Navy Pier was so many years ago, so I thought it seemed like a missed opportunity not to go walk around and check out the area. I walked down the bridge and got a brief view of Trump Tower.
4:19pm
I turned off of Lake Shore Drive and down Illinois Street when I saw that was where most people were headed.
4:25pm
The area became packed as I walked down the pier. There was loud music playing from several areas.
4:28pm
On my left, there was Chicago’s Shakespeare Theatre, which I had never heard of, but it looked cool. There were a variety of boats and ships for people to pay to be on, as well as a rich selection of food.
4:34pm
I passed by a place for roasted nuts, which smelled salty and warm. There was also a stand for Dippin’ Dots.
4:40pm
At the end of Navy Pier, there was some sort of performance going on. It was hard to see with so many people there, but I was able to read where it said “Aloha Chicago”, so I assumed it was some sort of Hawaiian event. It seemed loud and high energy, but I decided to keep walking, so I could continue onward.
4:45pm
My walk back from Navy Pier was oddly peaceful. I came straight out of a crowd and headed down the pedestrian walkway along Grand Ave. I was passed once or twice by other walkers, but I was mostly on my own, able to look out at the lake and hear the distant screams of the kids on rides at Navy Pier.
4:57pm
When I glanced down at my watch, I saw I was at just over three miles of travel, and I was feeling satisfied with what I had seen. Up ahead, I saw a bay for buses.
5:04pm
When I finally reached the bus stop, I decided to end my walk.
After my walk, I used the Chicago Park District website to learn more about Buckingham Fountain. I discovered a lot about the history of it, but what I found most fascinating was how there is apparently a timed schedule for water displays. Every hour, there is a twenty-minute display, and starting at dusk, those displays come with light and music. I hadn’t realized the fountain was so sophisticated.
