Passing Through Argyle
Week 2 Walking/Reading Journal
Today I decided to take the redline up to Argyle, with the intention of going to village discount, but while I was there, I decided to walk through the area.
3:56 pm
I got off the train and was faced with countless food places in Uptown’s Asia on Argyle. It is a little area of restaurants and other businesses and a center for Chinese and South Asian Culture. I explored a few of the places and tried the bubble tea and spring rolls from Tank Noodle. They were delicious and I am glad I decided to eat lunch somewhere new. Trying food in new places, especially from unfamiliar cultural areas, is such an effective way to explore new things. It is cool that there is so much culture wrapped up in these streets.
I noticed a lot of people riding on bikes and scooters, and it felt like more of a residential area since it was a bit further outside of the city.
4:23 pm
On the way to the thrift store, I walked down West Argyle Street, the basis of the historic district. The neighborhood originated as Argyle Park, and it consists of a wide range of architectural styles.
The homes and streets are lined with greenery, both on and around the houses. One of the experiences I had on my walk included a guy on a scooter who was blasting music and singing along. He waved to everyone passing by and it made the neighborhood feel a little bit warmer.
4:28 pm
I noticed a lot of these small community gardens. Some of them included signs that asked people passing by not to walk over the garden. This makes the street a lot more interesting to walk along and gives it more of a community feel. One of the objects I collected was a little flower. It represents the gardens I saw. This was an interesting aspect of the neighborhood that I wanted to remember it by. The fact that neighbors can work together to maintain these areas shows that there are strong connections between the people living there.
Another thing I noticed was a lot of pride flags hung from the front porches of the houses lining the street. This also helped build the community feel and make it more of an accepting place. There were not a ton of people out, so these little aspects of the neighborhood helped make it more welcoming.
4:36 pm
I saw this small ABC 7 news crew filming outside a house on this street. I walked by right towards the end of their filming, but the man who lived in the house was outside talking to the film crew. Right as I walked by, they finished and walked away. I noticed this happen because it felt out of the ordinary, but there was nothing unusual about the house or the street it was on.
4:59 pm
I arrived at the village discount and looked around the store for a while. It was full of people and the store was a little chaotic, but it was fun to look around.
5:22 pm
On the walk back, I decided to look a little more closely at the streets and walls around me. I noticed this writing on the sidewalk that I thought was insignificant at first, but when I stopped to take a closer look, I found a poem.
Upon further investigation, I found this Instagram account @poetrybyboots and looked at some of their other work. She writes poetry that she calls “unsolicited advice” and spray paints in various areas. I am glad I could learn something new on what I thought would just be an unproductive walk around the neighborhood.
5:27 pm
I also took note of this mural after we learned about all the art of the streets during immersion week.
I recognize this as one of the skeletons often used to depict and celebrate the Day of the Dead. This reminded me of how much of a difference art can make on the appeal of a community. I really enjoyed exploring this town even though it was only a short walk.
5:42 pm
At the end of the day, I ended up back at the train station to Fullerton. Originally, I was just planning to walk around Lincoln Park, but I am glad I chose to venture somewhere new. I was only there for around 2 hours, and I feel like I learned a lot, but it was such a small glimpse of the area. I have been to Uptown before, and there are so many more places to explore. A city like this is full of endless opportunities for strolling. This relates to this week’s reading of “The Solitary Stroller and the City” by Rebecca Solnit.
Reflection: In “The Solitary Stroller and the City,” Rebecca Solnit writes, “Cities are forever spawning lists” (p. 202). Why do walking, lists, and cities seem to go together?
Cities are endless opportunities. Walking and lists are both concepts that do not have an end. You always have the choice to keep going. Cities may technically have limits, but there is always another path to take within them. Solnit writes “a city always contains more than any inhabitant can know, and a great city always makes the unknown and the possible spurs to the imagination,” (182). Every piece of a city can be broken down and explored further. ‘Spurs to the imagination’ implies something that makes you want to do something or make something happen. Similarly, in class I learned that walks could teach you a lot about your surroundings and be really inspiring. This text also talked a lot about specifically urban walking and all the things a city can teach you. The creator of a written list has all the freedom to continue adding more items. All these concepts have no forced end. (156 words)
Overall, this week I learned that you should not put a limit on yourself or anything you are doing. A person can walk for as long as they want to. A city unfolds to hundreds of mysteries to explore. I could go on and on with a list of all the trivial things I saw today. Even on a short venture to the thrift store, I learned a little bit about new Chinatown and I walked my way through a new place.
