Bean There
Exploration #2
6:02 PM I arrive at Cloud Gate and sit on a bench facing one of Chicago’s biggest tourist attractions. I marvel at the giant, shiny legume as its spectators use it as a background in their pictures.
6:10 PM It’s not as humid as I thought it would be.
6:17 PM There is a colored man sitting on the bench next to me, about two yards away. He is shirtless and appears to be reading a textbook. He gets a call. He is now yelling on the phone and it is making me rather uncomfortable.
6:19 PM The man sitting on the bench next to me hangs up the phone.
6:20 PM There is a Hispanic woman parading around the bean, holding up a small American flag and posing for pictures.
6:22 PM A young couple poses for a picture, kissing under the center of the bean.
6:23 PM A Hispanic family sits on the bench across from me. The elderly woman that is with them has a stroller with no child in it.
6:26 PM I hear someone laugh very loudly.
6:28 PM A little girl is crying as she makes her way into her mother’s arms. The toddler wearing a baby blue skirt with a gray shirt soon stops crying after her mother picks her up. It isn’t long before I see her bouncing around again.
6:29 PM Two men sit next to me. They converse in a foreign language.
6:31 PM The people sitting in front of me get up to go pose for a group picture with the bean.
6:32 PM I hear an ambulance approaching in the distance.
6:33 PM A middle aged man drives by in a green little cart with black garbage bags in the trunk.
6:36 PM The men sitting next to me begin to smoke cigarettes, polluting the oxygen around them and the lungs of the people inhaling it.
6:37 PM Some people begin to complain about the men smoking. Two other men behind us try to get the smokers’ attention, but to no avail.
6:38 PM I begin to cough as the smoke invades my lungs. I take it as my invitation to leave.
Does a walk through Chicago’s street soothe you, induce stress, or produce some other emotional response? Why? Are there certain kinds of streets or places in the city that produce these emotional responses? Where, when, how, and why?
Chicago is a beautiful city full of adventure waiting to be discovered in the light of day. I enjoy walking through the city streets, embracing the urban vibes and cultural scenery. I find it soothing to get some fresh air while getting lost in my thoughts. I often find myself reminiscing about the bits and pieces that I remember of my life in Chicago and wondering about the things I don’t remember. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons to go for walks; it’s not extremely hot nor extremely cold. I find the most pleasant walks to be solitary ones. That being said, I can only take them while the sun is still protecting me.
When the sun goes down, Chicago turns into a jungle in which women are the prey and thirsty men are the predators. The stench of vulnerability seems to waft behind us women as we walk by. It is almost as if the smell lingers. I always get weary and paranoid being out in the streets at night. Being catcalled just makes me uncomfortable and sometimes threatened if the predator is persistent and/or aggressive.
Like the apartment on Parkside Street where I grew up, Chicago is Home, but it can be an ominous environment.
