East of Eden? West on Fullerton!

My life has decided to center itself around the Fullerton stop of the “L”. Before I go anywhere, I think to myself Can I get there by walking or is it time to head to the train? With my life so focused on the train stop, I always head east on Fullerton. I have never gone further west than Southport and Fullerton. Today, that would all change.

I began my walk at Fullerton. The meeting point of the brown, red, and purple lines. All threads coming and going in different directions, but effortlessly intertwine at this specific location. They all serve their purpose, especially for me: the brown line takes me to work every weekend, the purple line drops me off at my cousin’s house on the Northside, and the red line carries me down to the lake or Chinatown — if I’m in the mood to be adventurous. But not today. The train leaves without me on it.

Today, I wasn’t taking the train; I was leaving it behind. Facing west, the sun blinding my eyes as it slowly begins its descent down the horizon. It was four o’clock in the evening, after all. I forgot it was autumn already. The nights have already begun to elongate. Needless to say, I took one step and then, I did it again and again; following the sun west. This may be a walk of solitude, but I didn’t feel alone. The warmth of the golden rays begged me to take of my sweater. Sure, it was sixty degrees and my body was still accustomed to the blaze of summer, but on this cool breezy day, the sun was my blanket.

The familiar landscape of DePaul’s quad — my usual location of picnics and relaxation between and after class — urged me back to reality. It’s brilliant grass always catching my eye. They had the sprinklers on even though it had rained the night before. Personally, I’m not sure how the grass isn’t dead by over watering, but they must be doing something right though, because it always looks so vibrant and feels so soft.

Continuing on, I pass 1237 — my home for the next year. It’s a large building, and its contemporary design and overall presence solicit the gaze of any passerby. The one thing that always grabs my attention is the giant American flag that covers the entire window; and those windows aren’t small (the dimensions are probably eight feet by thirteen feet).

Anyway, back to the sidewalk. I continue at my steady leisure walking pace down Fullerton. I needed to squint to keep the dusty air out from eyes. It’s really windy today, more so than usual. The construction has created a lot of settled dust on the concrete which I hadn’t noticed before, but the wind disturbed most of it and the mini dust storm had me squinty-eyed for a good five minutes. My mouth even got dry.

During the clouded portion of my walk, I happened to pass this tiny alleyway and its angled, receded entrance. I was tempted to try and squeeze my way through, but I thought it best to not as it was no more than seven or eight inches wide. So, I did what any normal person today would have done I took a photo.

Back to my walk…

As I passed Greenview Ave and began to wonder Where will I turn around? I kept walking anyway.

I passed underneath a bridge. It was old and rusted. It didn’t look decrepit or anything, just “used and abused”. All the people passing over the years flashed in my mind. I wonder how many people have crossed this bridge? Slept underneath it? Stopped for shelter from the rain?

I decided to turn down Clyborn Ave as I wasn’t in the mood to cross the river. There, I past all these bushes growing out of the cracks of the street. I have seen that before, but there were so many of them I couldn’t ignore them anymore. There were cars parked along the curb and bushes growing up out of the cement swaying back and forth like a barbershop quartet of leaves.

I walked down Clyborn Ave. until I ran into a big plaza of stores and decided to turn around. I had been walking for thirty minutes by now and since I was running on two hours of sleep, I thought it best to head back.

I took the same exact route back. I wanted to experience the sun warming my back this time instead of my face. The way back was much less windy, but it had also gotten a bit chillier as the sun had descended halfway now. It was lower, but not gone. I attempted to do a time lapse video on my walk back but noticed that I pressed the wrong button about a block from my apartment. So, I gave up and took a different one.

Anyway, this walk was about going the opposite way I’m used to. I wanted to learn more about the other half of where I live. It was an interesting experience, but I ended up learning that the more I take these walks of solitude, the more I want someone there with me. It’s nice to walk alone, but I walk alone the entire rest of my day. It’s nice to think to yourself once and awhile, but walking with someone else gives you an interesting perspective, too. When you see something interesting and you’re alone, it’s there and you acknowledge it’s presence. When you’re with someone it sparks a conversation, and you get to know more about them.

I was always someone who enjoyed being alone after a long day of being with people. Now, I find I want to be with people more. I hope I can take my walking and be able to do both: walk alone when I feel it necessary and with others when I can.

P.S.

After my walk, I was on my way to get dinner. I wasn’t sure where to go so I decided to wander. On my way of finding a place to eat I stumbled on this gated alleyway. I thought it was too cool to not be in this post. So, here it is…