Strolling Along The Lake
Today I decided to walk all the way down Fullerton Parkway to the lake front. I have wanted to do it for a while now, but I had been pushing it off because of my lack of free time. I decided this was a perfect opportunity to do so. I began my walk from the quad.
3:00
I am on campus surrounded by many students walking to and from class. The air is a little chilly, but nothing to complain about. The streets are filled with students walking here or there. I begin my walk down Fullerton. Fullerton runs through about eight miles of Chicago beginning at the lakefront. It was named after Alexander Fullerton who was a lawyer, politician, and real estate owner who got to Chicago in 1833. It was claimed that he was one of the leaders who “helped Chicago take its first baby steps” (Roz, ABC 7 news). It makes me wonder of all the historical events that have occurred on the very street I walk on. I use this street every day to get where I need to go, but today I decided to venture much further down it.
3:15
I pass by the Fullerton L stop and see many people commuting from place to place. There are students, adults, and families all in this central hub traveling to where they need to go. I smell the distant cigarette smoke and trash discarded on the street. Typically, this would just be something I walk right over, but today it made me think. Each discarded ventra pass, food wrapper, and cigarette butt are ghosts of someone who has walked the streets before me. Where were they going? Who were they with? This area has a loud personality. It contrasts with that of the peaceful quad. While both places are full of students, the L stop is a much more chaotic atmosphere full of everyone in a rush to get where they need to go. I see people waiting to get on a CTA bus and wonder: Where are they off to this afternoon?
3:20
I see a girl sitting on the curb crying on the phone with someone. I don’t stop to interrupt her, but I do wonder if she’s okay. Everyone is on their own path, but she looked like a student just like me. It reminded me of my lows and made me hope that whoever is on the other end of that phone call is helping her get through it.
3:23
I am further down now escaping the chaotic space. There are far less people walking but more street traffic. I see a long line of cars, each person looking more impatient than the last. They wait for the light to change. Everyone always seems to be in such a hurry. Usually I am too, but on this walk I am simply strolling along. I have no place to be. I am not in a rush. I smell the food as I pass by restaurants and store fronts. I see people sitting down with friends, colleagues, or significant others.
3:26
Now, I have moved on to a more residential area. A lady stops me and says excuse me. Immediately, I assumed she would be a danger to me. I assumed she would be asking for money. Instead, she simply asks me where Depaul is from where we were. As I was passing by, I tell her to keep walking straight and she would find it just down the street. She thanks me and I move on with my walk. I have been taught to walk with my head down and never talk to strangers on the street. Sometimes, it is important to do so, but this made me second guess. As a young woman, I have been told never to walk alone. Even when I told my mom I was walking through Lincoln Park to the lake, she cautioned me to bring someone with me. Typically, I would never walk alone, but I knew if I took precautions, I would be okay in the broad daylight. This week’s readings were centered around this topic. Solnit writes “Women have routinely been punished and intimidated for attempting that most simple of freedoms, talking a walk, because their walking and indeed their very beings have been construed as inevitably, continually sexual in those societies concerned with controlling women’s sexuality.” (Solnit, 299). It is always a thought in my head, no matter how safe the area is. At night, it gets even worse. While the lady I spoke to today only had the intention of making sure she was headed in the right direction, I immediately assumed she was a sign of danger. At night, this gets even worse. I will never walk alone at night for fear that someone with negative intentions would catch me alone and vulnerable. In “Walking While Black” Garnette Cadogan expresses her challenges as a woman of color who had to walk many places alone. She writes “A lone woman walking in the middle of the night was as common a sight as Sasquatch; moonlight pedestrianism was too dangerous for her” (Cadogan). While her struggles are different than mine, and I was not put in any situation of danger today, many women face the fear of needing to get somewhere alone in the dark or in an unfamiliar area. I cannot even begin to imagine what she went through growing up in a dangerous area, and then moving to the US and facing even more struggles due to the color of her skin. My brief experience talking to a stranger was in no way a scary experience, but it made me think of those who have not been so fortunate. It made me feel for those who don’t feel safe in the neighborhood they live or work in. It made me think about how hard it must be not to feel safe in your own skin.
3:29
The air is cool and refreshing. It feels like Fall is officially here. I can feel the wind on my face, but it doesn’t have that bite to it that in soon will when Winter hits Chicago.
3:33
I reach Lincoln Park. It is relatively empty, but I see people out running or walking their dogs. It reminds me of home.
3:37
The sun is out now. I can see the colors in the leaves and flowers around me so clearly.
3:42
I have reached the lakefront. It is one of my favorite parts of the city because you can see the distant skyline. I sat and watched the waves crash against the concrete. I walked up and down the path for a few minutes before turning back home. I could sit and stare at the city on the lake for hours on end if I wanted to. I listened to my music.
4:00
Now, I begin my walk home. It feels like a whole new day. I often take walks to clear my head, but this was much needed. My schoolwork has been piling up, and this break was all that I needed to stop the stress from weighing down on me.
4:05
I look at the mural painted on the underpass. Art makes walking in the city so much more exciting. This particular one is called “A Kaleidoscope of Hidden Worlds” done by Rence Robbins. It brings color to what otherwise would be a boring intersection.
4:15
I even see this sidewalk poem done by Poetry by Boots. I saw one of these on my walk through Argyle and wrote about it in that week’s reflection. Her art spans through the city of Chicago and now it has become something I look for when I explore a new place.
4:27
I make it all the way back to campus and pass the things I see every day. This time, I slow down and watch everyone’s interactions. Today, I walked down only one street, but I discovered so much about my surroundings. Sometimes, it is important to slow down and notice what’s going on around you. I thought about all of the people who have walked this path before me and all those who will take it after. Though I took this walk alone, on the streets in a city you are never truly alone. There is always something going on worth noticing.
