Colors of Lincoln Park
Today, I began my walk from the quad and decided to do a grocery run to Trader Joe’s. I wanted to see what I could find along the way.
The first color I spotted was in something I pass each and every day: the blue painter’s tape on one of the corner buildings by the Fullerton station.
It was almost a perfect match to the blue color I chose. I picked out this color because I knew the bright pops of blue in the city would draw me in. On the busy street corner, I stood in the middle of foot traffic walking by. Students were on their way home from class or getting on the train to go who knows where.
The other color I chose was a rusty, brown color. It reminded me of fall, my favorite season, and I knew it would draw me to all the changes that occur when fall arrives.
The leaves are beginning to change. I noticed small piles accumulating on the ground, and it reminded me of home. My family used to own a lake house with a large backyard and lots of trees. Every year when fall came, we would spend hours raking the leaves and putting them in the fire. When we went in for dinner, it felt like we had accomplished so much. We would always smell like a campfire, cheeks bright red from the cold air. Fall in the city is one of my favorite environments. The air is cool but comfortable, decorations are being put up everywhere, and the leaves are turning bright shades of orange and red.
As I continued on my walk, I noticed the blue in one of the cars on the street.
I enjoy observing all the different cars on the streets down here. This one wasn’t anything crazy, but I immediately noticed the pop of color on a street where everything else is dull upon first glance.
Next, I stumbled upon a Chicago Bears themed mural that contained both of my colors to a tee.
This immediately caught my eye and put a smile on my face. Art like this draws eyes and people to it and make the environment more friendly. Some of our readings talked about the “walkability” of the streets, and I think art is apart of what makes a city more walkable. It gives the eye something to go right to and makes people feel right at home walking by.
I passed a little salon and saw some fall decorations in the window.
This pumpkin brought back the same feeling of fall at home. My mom loves her seasonal decorations, and I am positive a version of this pumpkin has sat on our kitchen window at some point in time.
Once I got to Trader Joe’s, I continued my color matching within the store.
I was extremely tempted to bring one of these pumpkins home, but I thought this made a good end to my walk today. It put me in the mood for fall, and made me notice many more things than I have before. I have taken the walk to Trader Joe’s many times, but had never really looked into the colors of the neighborhood.
When I decided I was going to school in the city of Chicago, my family immediately sprung their concerns of safety on me. They warned me never to walk alone, to steer clear of “bad areas,” and never to talk to strangers. Lincoln Park is a “safe” area, but I came in with the fear my family and society had instilled in me and feared exploring the rest of the city. The article “In Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago, Bridges Have Become Barricades” talks about how bridges have been raised to keep crime out of the Loop, Gold Coast, and other surrounding areas. In “one of the most racially and economically segregated places in the country, the bridges…were made uncrossable” (Dumke). This made many people angry, but it speaks to the concerns with violent crime in the city. Now that I have been here for a full month and explored many parts of the city, my mindset is slowly changing. I will always travel safely in a group, but this city contains so much to explore. Taking Walking Chicago has helped me become open to exploring places that I may never have gone before. (192 words)
