A new outlook on walking
Tuesday 9/13
11:04 AM: I press play on my current spotify queue, put on my athletic clothes, lace up my hoka running shoes, and my feet hit the pavement outside of University Hall. As someone who regularly enjoys going for long solitary walks, this assignment should not worry me, but it does. I am used to walking for hours to clear my head and get exercise, not focusing on my surroundings or being very observant. The task of remembering small details and taking mental field notes on one of my walks taunts me. Nevertheless, I set out on this journey with no destination and no time limit to hold me back.
11:11 AM: Now a few blocks from campus, the first thing I notice is the amount of construction currently going on in Lincoln Park. It seems like every street corner has a new project going on, which is only adding the noise pollution of the city. I turn up my music to try and focus on other things, and keep going on my walk. As I near Clybourn Ave, I can sense that I am on the edge of Lincoln Park, and my senses heighten as I realize I am not entirely sure of my whereabouts. Although I know this area is relatively safe, being a young woman walking alone I make sure to have my guard up and decide to turn around before I can get lost outside of my home neighborhood.
11:33 AM: At 2 miles in, I am approaching Halsted, and I see many high school students returning to class, passing through OZ park. Although I was in their position no more than 5 months ago, I feel as if I am eons away from that part of my life. The highschool version of myself walking around a small Michigan city is a completely different person than who I am now. Once I enter OZ park I can hear the marching band practicing for what I can assume is the homecoming game or pep rally. The sounds of the instruments make me nostalgic for my days spent performing at my high school games and pep rallies on the dance team.
11:45 AM: After crossing N. Lincoln Ave, I am back in a part of the neighborhood that I have not really explored that much, but it is still somewhat familiar. I get distracted for a few moments when I can feel my phone ringing with multiple texts from a friend. I look down at the screen for a minute to respond and when I look up I notice the immense amount of greenery on this particular street. The biodiversity is unique for an urban city, and it is strikingly beautiful. I decide to focus again and keep heading down the road.
11:49 AM: At this point, I did not realize how far I had walked, until I looked in the distance and saw the Lincoln Park Zoo. I had never been to this part of Lincoln Park before and was surprised to see that I ended up here. Now at about 3 miles I decide to turn around completely and head back to campus, since I do have a class to make it to in an hour. One thing I notice in particular is the smells of the air here. Back home in Michigan, it was pleasant and most of the time clean, but here I can almost always smell something with the stench of sewage or garbage. I try to ignore it, hoping one day I will acclimate to this new aspect of my environment.
12:15 PM: 4.63 miles done, I approach the quad, where there is even more construction going on. I swipe into my dorm building and make my way up the four flights of stairs. With this walk not even being my longest recently, it still somehow feels completely different. I took more time to notice the noises, sights, and smells around me. This new approach to walking is now a tool I can utilize in my everyday life.
Map:
Reading Question Response: In “The Solitary Stroller and the City,” Rebecca Solnit writes, “Cities have always offered anonymity, variety, and conjunction, qualities best basked in by walking” (p. 182). How have you experienced the anonymity, variety, and conjunction of Chicago while walking?
Throughout my many walking experiences in Chicago these past 3 weeks, I have experienced the many different examples of anonymity, variety, and conjunction that this city has to offer. While walking in a large city like Chicago, anonymity is everywhere. As you stroll down a street you will see countless numbers of people whom you might never see again. You most likely will never know their names or anything about them, and this aspect of anonymity also applies to you. In my opinion, this experience of being just an anonymous face in the crowd is much more applicable to a city setting, and it is harder to have when I am out and about in my smaller hometown. The variety and conjunction of the environment is also something more unique to a big city like Chicago. Each corner you turn at could be something new. Like a different neighborhood, or community of people. This is a huge contrast to my experiences at home, where I could walk for miles and see the same settings of suburbia. I continue to encounter anonymity, variety, and conjunction in my everyday life here in Chicago, and walking has helped me take a much more significant notice of these qualities.
