Reckoning with Anonymity
“The Solitary Stoller in the City” Response:
Admittedly, I was not looking forward to carrying out this assignment. The assignment being going on and documenting a lengthy solo walk. For me, as it is to many, walking without a destination is a foreign concept. At first, I felt a bit self-conscious about my unescorted directionless walk. For some reason, I had the notion that other strollers and passer-byers could tell the intent, or lack thereof, of my walk. I was unlike the people around me who presumably had the intention of getting somewhere, working out, or walking their dog. Because of the fast-paced nature of city life, life in general, and more specifically life on and around college campuses, I felt like I was breaking a social norm to be walking simply to be walking. As my feet carried me further from campus, I became more comfortable with my mission that day, I reckoned with the fact that no one cared. True to what Rebecca Solnit says cities do indeed offer anonymity. I can walk, run, or skip anywhere in this city and I would hardly be the weirdest, most interesting, or anything of note to anyone whom I pass on my route to nowhere.
Field Notes:
