My First Real Time Taking The Train DownTown
At 1:40 something and we got on the brown line train and got off on Adams and Wabash. On the train me and my friend were the only two on the cart so we were talking and gossiping until our stop. At 2:11 pm I walked past a tea shop that looked very old-timey and it caught my attention. It gave me vibes that it was based on a British place.
At 2:17 I passed the place where my dad used to work. It was a We Work space on Michigan Avenue. I remember one time he took me to work for “bring your daughter to work day” and I thought that he was so cool. I still do! I also noticed that this is the road that the lollapalooza entrance is on so I sent a text to my friends who I attended the festival with and told them how excited I am for next summer.
At 2:23 I was at the Art Institute of Chicago. Outside of the Art Institute are 2 lions. My friend and I took pictures with them and continued down Michigan Ave.
At 2:30 I walked past a group of students that looked like how we looked during immersion week. They all had their heads turned up and were so focused on what was around them. The teacher was asking them “Have any of you visited here before?” and the majority of the group raised their hand. He was talking about The Crown Fountain in Millenium Park. I remember coming here as a kid when I first moved here, I remember the faces feeling so much bigger. I started to think how as I have grown up the world doesn’t feel as big as it once did.
At 2:37 I was at The Bean! I took a few selfies in it and noticed how big of a tourist spot this was. There were families taking group pictures in front of it and children finding it as a playplace. The ambiance of The Bean felt rushed and busy. Everyone had one objective and it was to take a selfie under the curve of the bean. Whereas on Michigan Ave by the shops, there is a different ambiance and it feels that this is a place where moseying is more normal and accepted. People are deciding on what stores to pass and what stores to walk inside of.
On my walk down Michigan Ave I heard the busy streets, it was loud today because there was construction. At 2:40 I came across a man who looked like a flaneur which we read about last week. He was walking alongside the outside of a group of people, which could be his family, and was just looking at the city around him. He paid no mind to the joyous conversation his family was having and seemed to keep to himself. At 2:43 I walked past a man trying to hand me his mixtape, I told him that I hope he “Blows up” and then he started harassing me to follow him on Instagram.
At 2:45 I walked past two men who were complimenting everyone that was walking by. The man that spoke to me told me that “Blue was my color”. At 2:58 I walked past a Mexican Culture store. I noticed the people coming and going were all of the same culture. I think it is really fascinating that Chicago has a store dedicated to a specific culture. Also how in every big city there are mini communities within them. Such as ChinaTown and Brownsville.
At 3:06, but also everywhere else in the city, a swarm of pigeons flew right in front of us. A little girl looked at her dad and asked “Is that a duck?”, and he said “yes”, which I found to be funny yet confusing!
At 3:18 I crossed over the bridge, I heard a family talking in spanish and I do not know much but I heard the family ask the grandpa if he was “Frio” which I know means cold. And it was on this September afternoon. At 3:22 right in front of a Starbucks, a homeless man started talking to me and my friend. At first he was asking for money and we politely said we did not have any cash on us. After the 4th time of him asking we just decided to ignore them. We were at a crosswalk and we could not get away from him. He began to start saying how he “longed for a girl” like me and my friend. Now I know I’m 18 and I cannot use the excuse of “im underage” anymore, but I did tell him to stay where he was because he was very close to me. This I can relate to Solnit chapter 14 “Walking After Midnight: Women, Sex, and Public Space”. As a woman you understand what your mom says once you turn a certain age about walking at night and to never walk alone. But sometimes it doesn’t matter if it is a bright day with a bunch of friends, some men still feel like they have the right to talk to you, and go far enough to even make you uncomfortable. The man stayed where he was as my friend and I continued our walk. At 3:34 I walked past a old couple and they were helping each other walk down the street. The crossing signal turned off and they did not make it across in time. An angry man honked at them and the grandma gave the driver the finger! Me and my friend had a laugh as we decided we wanted to walk somewhere to get food. At 3:40 I walked past “Jean Baptiste Point Du SABLE HOMESITE’’ which indicated it was a National Historic Landmark. According to The Encyclopedia of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable was the first citizen to live in Chicago. He was a negro and lived there until year 1800. Du Sable lived in a log cabin like home that did not have any nails or bolts. He lived with a cot for sleeping that was high and away from animals. This landmark was made to honor him and show the progress of Chicago’s evolution.
At 3:56 I walked past the John B Murphy memorial. It is so beautiful on the outside and almost looks out of place in the area it surrounds. My friend and I decided to eat at a pizza place right by the CTA stop.I forgot to use an app until the end of my walk, so I downloaded the Derive app at 3:50 the app asked me to go to a high point. I walked up the stairs to the CTA train stop. I looked over at the Merchandise Mart stop and took a look at the town around me. The ambiance here was different. People looked like they were all going home after a long day rather than on Michigan Ave where it feels like everyone is going somewhere.
