9/28 Walk
For this week’s walk, I decided to walk all around Chicago. I wanted to be around downtown, as that’s where visitors mostly go when coming here for the first time. I liked the experience I got last week being around tourists and all the memories that came back on that walk. SImilarly, I wanted to get that experience again, as it gave me a good moment of reflection. Like what Lauren Elkin said in Radical Flaneuserie, “We all, deep down, want to detach from our lives.”, this quote really stood out to me. I often find myself trying to detach from my everyday life, whether that be through walking to clear my mind or something as simple as taking naps. This feeling of being homesick affects me everyday, and more times than not I wish to “detach” from my life.
3:27- I got off the red line at Grand, and decided to turn on Dearborn St. This street seemed familiar to me, as I have walked it with my dad before the second time I visited the city.
3:29- I proceed to head south and go down a flight of stairs to walk along the river. The intense smells of the river made me make a face, as I was hit with a mix of sewage and ocean. It is a bit cold out, even though everyone is telling me it is not even bad yet. Being from Texas, I am used to pretty high temperatures and 64 is considered peak fall weather back home, and it often does not drop to 60’s until around the end of October or beginning of November.
3:38- Heading east, I made my way towards Michigan Ave., one of the most popular places for tourists whenever they come into the city. I went back up the stairs and saw families exploring the city which brought me a sense of nostalgia, as I think back to traveling with mine.
3:46- I continued heading down Michigan and crossed the bridge, eventually making my way towards E Randolph St., where I decided to turn left. I was approached by a homeless man once again and he proceeded to ask me for money, in which I replied that I did not carry cash on me. It seems like everytime I go out I am somehow approached, which is the opposite of my interactions in Seattle. Over there, the homeless tend to leave people alone, and rarely ask for anything from bypassing strangers. I thought back on Kathleen Rooney’s quote from It is not waste all this, not placed here in disgust, street after street, “The city is dangerous and can not be trusted”. I can interpret this quote in many different ways, the main one being about the people themselves in cities. Crime is so frequent and can happen to anyone, especially when being alone. Chicago is also known for crime, which locals will always deny, but this class has eased me into walking alone.
3:58- As I continued heading down Randolph, I noticed a park and chose to head towards it. I saw an interique flight of stairs, and decided to head down. I took a step back and noticed how beautiful this set of stairs are, and how I would not expect to see that in a city.
4:12- As I wandered around, I found myself in a nice neighborhood. I enjoyed this neighborhood as it was still in the city, but secluded away giving it more of a sense of privacy from the busy city.
4:34- I headed out of the neighborhood and decided to head towards Grant Park. seeing tourists put me in the same mindset that I was in last week, as I thought back on what I was feeling during my last walk. Passing Grant Park, I turned on E Balbo Ave and headed towards the lake again. Grant park hosted some of the most memorable events in Chicago, like Chicago International Aviation Meet in 1911, making it a prominent landmark.
https://chicago.curbed.com/2016/5/4/11585646/chicagos-parks-then-and-now
4:56- I walked along the lake, and reflected on my past week. I am still dealing with being homesick, and seeing my friends at big state schools with giant game days makes me wonder what it would be like to go to a big state school. I never expected to end up in Chicago, let alone Illinois or the midwest, and always saw myself going to a school in a city like Seattle or Boston. Being from the south, football is a big deal to us and attending a school without football has actually affected me more than one can even seem to imagine. Seeing my friends at home attending game days and dressing up to represent their school at these games gives me a big sense of missing out, like I had made the wrong choice for my college. I often think about why I care about football so much, and I think being a cheerleader for six years of my life plays a big part in that as well, not only just because I am from the south. I pondered this question of whether I chose the right place for me as I continued down by the lake, and thought of all the positives that Chicago has to offer. While going down this path, I also saw a goose along the lake, which kind of took me by surprise. I’m not used to seeing other animals that are not birds or squirrels in a big city, and would have never expected this.
5:27- Eventually I hit Wacker Dr., and decided to make my way back to the Grand stop and go back to Lincoln Park. This walk gave me more insight on not only ways for me to connect to the city, but also insight on how I am doing myself. I know I have been struggling with feeling homesick and missing out on activities and experiences that my friends are having, but reflecting on these thoughts and trying to find positives made me realize all the experiences that Chicago has to offer me, and it is up to me to decide if I will take them.
