Walking around Downtown

For this week’s walk I decided to go downtown Chicago and walk around. I have been downtown before, but I have never been and critically looked at the things around me. Usually, I am downtown to go to the Loop for classes, but this time, I really wanted to become a tourist and walk around Chicago like I haven’t lived here for three months. I walked on Wacker Drive looking at all the tourists taking pictures or looking up towards the tall buildings in front of me. As I walk, I think about “what story I want to tell.” This city has truly taken over my life. I have walked more than I ever thought possible. Of course, when I moved to the city, I was expecting to walk but, being from a town that isn’t walkable, has really changed my perspective on walking. I would like to tell people the story about how I adapted to Chicago and how it has changed my life in the span of three months. I recently went home for a weekend and was surprised as to how much I missed the city. I have adapted myself here and wouldn’t change it for the world. I was obsessed with getting back and when I did, it felt like I never left. It felt like the city was waiting for me to come back.

Why are some people afraid to leave their neighborhoods?

Back in my hometown, when I would tell people I was going to DePaul, the first thing they would say is, “Where’s that?” When I told them DePaul was in Chicago, everyone gave me a certain “look”. The look always resembled some sort of fear or surprise on their face. I would always get annoyed by this response because Chicago was something I was so passionate about. It got to the point where I was worried to move here. Most people associate Chicago with being dangerous and heavy on crime. While there is crime in Chicago, there is also crime in every city. In Chicago, there are certain places that people are told not to go. Usually, this stems from misinformation on social media. I believe it is harder to go exploring when social media has played a big part in everyone’s lives. Some people may be afraid to venture outside their own neighborhoods because of the “unknown”. While the unknown is scary and unpredictable, it can also educate you on what the city is really like.