Lost in the Familiar
Today, I followed Jennie Savage’s guide to getting lost. It took me in a bit of a loop around campus, since I started from my dorm on the quad. I didn’t expect to go very far, but I was able to dive into my surroundings deeper than I would on any other day.
When I walked out of my building, I was faced with many students scattered around. Everyone was doing their own thing. Some were in hammocks. Some were on picnic blankets. Some were doing homework. Some were chatting with friends. Here, I was surrounded by mostly students. I turned left on Fullerton, and there were still a lot of people around. Some were still students, but others were adults or even families walking down the street. I was able to remove myself from my thoughts to simply observe what was happening around me. I heard birds chirping, both in the podcast and on the street, and saw them flying overhead. The traffic was noisy, and I could hear a combination of all the conversations happening around me. While I walk this street almost every day, I have never truly listened to everything happening around me. I have never put on that watchful eye or really paid much attention at all.
I followed Savage’s directions to a tee and turned left on Clifton. Here I was walking past the other dorms, and it got a little quieter. I was still mostly surrounded by other college students coming back from class or leaving their buildings.
After turning right on Belden, I saw more of the same at first. There were people walking their dogs, but I definitely noticed a lot less people as I walked further from central campus.
Then, I turned on Racine and noticed a lot of road construction. Overall, on this walk I noticed a lot of people doing yard maintenance and a lot of construction on various buildings.
I began to approach a playground where all of the younger kids were out playing.
Sometimes, I forget that we are in a neighborhood. I forget that it is not only Depaul students who reside here. Seeing all the kids playing made me feel nostalgic because it still does not even feel like I am a college student yet. It feels like an extended summer camp in a new place that doesn’t quite feel like home.
I turned right on Webster and passed by one of my favorite restaurants I have tried since being here.
At home, I work at a Mexican cantina, so one of my coworkers who goes to Depaul showed me this place when I first got here. It quickly reminded me so much of home. Walking by it earlier in the day, you can see it in its empty state before it opens for dinner hours. This made me think back to my work in the restaurant industry and all that it takes to create a dining experience for others. On the rest of this street, I could smell the coffee and food being prepared in cafes. It made me hungry, and I almost stopped to check on out, but decided instead to keep walking.
I walked straight for a while before turning right on Magnolia. This area was a little more shaded by the trees overhead. It was also more residential compared to the street of shops and restaurants I was on before. I saw this dog that once again brought back memories of home.
When people see big dogs on the street, they often make remarks as it is a shock to someone who may not have them. I have two big dogs at home, and whenever I see them in the city it brings me back to what I love. It made me miss walking my dogs back in the suburbs. I noted that on this street, there was a lot less background noise. It was very peaceful.
At the end of the street, I wound up back on Fullerton. I had now gone in a small loop on one side of campus and was headed in the other direction. I passed the quad again and it brought me back to watching my fellow students go about their days. Each one of us has a different way we like to use this beautiful space. I love seeing everyone scattered around doing their own thing. As I continued walking, I approached the Fullerton station.
I turned left on Sheffield and then right on Montana to loop around it from the side. Here, there were a lot fewer people walking around and I was once again in another residential area. There was almost no one on the street ahead of me. This left me with my thoughts. I was thinking about how I have been here for a few weeks now. I walk these streets every day, yet it took this podcast to allow me to fully take in my surroundings. I noticed a lot of trash on the ground near the train tracks and outside nearby apartments.
This lone solo cup made me wonder who put it there and what went on. I found myself looking around at remnants of past activities and wondering how these remnants ended up there.
I kept walking until I could turn right on Lincoln Ave. Here, I had escaped the residential area and was surrounded by more shops and various businesses. The street was much busier than the others and there was more traffic. I also noticed that there weren’t very many other students walking nearby. It was mainly older pedestrians.
I slowed down for a bit and let myself observe the traffic going by. There were cars coming from five directions and people crossing the streets. I merged myself in with these pedestrians, but it felt weird observing all of my surroundings in the way I was. I always used to enjoy people watching on vacation, but I had never really done it at school or at home where I typically reside.
I turned right on Fullerton again and was headed back towards campus now. I passed this boba place that I went to the last time I visited before moving here.
I remember walking by with my roomate when we barely knew each other, and the place looked bright and inviting. On a street where most of the shops are grey or brown, this one is bright yellow. It brings the eye straight to it.
I had now looped back around and was approaching the train station from the other side.
I had essentially walked a small radius around campus, where I often venture too, but looked a little closer at the things I would normally walk right by. I was again surrounded by students coming back from the loop and other pedestrians walking the streets. I saw a guy ride by on a skateboard intertwining with traffic. I think it is really cool that this podcast managed to take me almost right back to where I started.
I turned left on Sheffield, headed back towards the student center now.
There I was, surrounded by my fellow students, but my mind was elsewhere. This city is my new home, but I had to truly take a look around until today. I was going to venture somewhere new, but I am so glad I instead took a closer look at the things I encounter all the time. I learned a lot from removing myself from these surroundings, and somehow managed to “get lost” in a space I am mostly familiar with.
In “Paris or Botanizing the Asphalt” Solnit introduces the idea of the “flaneur”. The flaneur is described as “the image of an observant and solitary man strolling about Paris” (257). He walks among crowds but is still alienated within. The word ‘strolling’ is key because he is described as a man of leisure. For most of this text Solnit refers to the flaneur as a man, however at one point this changes. She introduces “the perfect flaneur” as Georgette the flaneuse, claiming “she has made the street some sort of residence” (269). While originally the identity was purely male (of “refined sensibility”), Solnit makes “flaneury” a more general term. I think this gender dilemma could be due to norms of the past and how many roles are solidified to one gender or the other. In “It is not waste all this” Rooney also touches on the concept of the flaneur. She tells of the journey of herself and her friend Eric to locate a Swiss army knife. They travel on the red line and through the city but speak only of their own personal interactions. This connects to the idea that flaneurs separate themselves from the crowd and strangers. (199-word count)
I sort of put myself in the position of a Flaneur today. I separated myself from the crowd while strolling right through it. It was a very valuable experience. Who knew you could get lost in the place where you feel so at home.
