Finding My Center

I begin my journey when I walk out of Seton hall my goal is to understand the neighborhood I now live in a little more. I plan to walk in the neighborhood around DePaul. I do not have a specific route in mind. I bring my cell phone which holds my camera app, boomerang and the Fitbit app. These are my tools for my exploration of the neighborhoods of Lincoln park. I plan to check in every five minutes using dictation in the notes app this was so I could continue walking and record everything I see.

I start off walking at 3:47 PM on Monday the 24th it’s raining the sky is completely overcast. It is chilly enough that you need a light jacket the temperatures roughly 69°. I walked on the street off of Sheffield I believe it’s called Montana. There are mostly nice townhomes some are rentals there are cars on the street parked but only one person walking about 500 meters ahead of me. This is a very quiet street besides when the El rumbles by. I smell the rain and I feel it it’s not hard it’s very light, but it does not smell like summer rain. Small puddles are formed on the sidewalk and the sidewalks are all wet.

This street here is loud it is 3:51 there are many cars driving by and I can hear the El rumbling near me. There are a lot more stores on the street still there are not a ton of people but there are a couple groups of people walking.

It is 3:55 the El passes over me it’s loud the cars are still driving loudly it is not raining anymore. There are some drips from buildings and trees. There are some small puddles on the ground. I cut through the park. I see a girl across the street she is in a Jean skirt and a pink shirt she looks unhappy her hair is wet I’m sure she didn’t mean to get caught in the rain. The air is a little bit muggy and as I walk through the grass water droplets from the grass get on my shoes and ankles. Back on the sidewalk, I am by myself a couple cars honk.

I just walked down a street called Lill Avenue the houses were all different some of them were cheap apartments some fancy townhomes. There were different types of things in the yard one had a solo cup and beer cans another had a kids bicycle and one was perfectly clean and had a beautiful garden. There are many different cars from very old cars that are run down to expensive Audi‘s and Porsches. It is 4:02 it is no longer raining but the trees are dripping a little bit. The sidewalks are dry some other parts still have puddles.

I walk on to smaller street but there still is a fair amount of traffic. The houses are not as nice and here their stairways are more rundown and a lot of them have vinyl siding. They have more aggressive fences, and nothing looks loved.

The sidewalks are mostly dry I pass a Honda scooter and woman walking her dog. I hear the sound of construction in the background there are not many people here it is 4:09

I hear sirens in the distance a mail van passes by and a gate starts to automatically shut across the street. I don’t see any people I just see some cars driving on the road the time is 4:11.

I walk past a house with Halloween decorations there are more people walking here, I see a mom with her daughter. The alleys here are broken pavement rather than brick it is 4:16.

At 4:21 I see a Mom walking with her kids home from school. There are not a ton of people mostly kids and parents. Someone passing playing music loudly.There is a mother walking home with her sons they are ages 5 to 7 one of them is on a hover board another is running to catch up with him they are all laughing and happy.

I see a beautiful two-story brick house it has a bunch of sunflowers in the yard they are at least 12 feet tall and there are lights strung in the yard.

I am on a busier street a bike passes with music playing. I see some kids getting into a car, they are with their mom. I hear some kids laughing in the back yard (I can only assume it is a backyard). It is 4:28 also it is 68° out I walk past the Kid’s Café and a fancy park I am in an area for children. There are also nice schools mostly elementary schools and I a lot of kids in school uniforms. There are also a lot of organic and wellness stores here.

At 4:32 I walk down a fancy street there is a lot of shrubbery the houses are fancy one is really big, another one is modern they look expensive. I see a couple walking their dog.

I walk past an elementary school this leads to a street lined with grand houses the one that catches my eye has huge lamps out front with flames and is ornate stone. Another house has a statue of a dog. Yet when I look across the street all I see are sad looking apartments it’s rather odd that one half is so stunning and the other cheap apartments. I turn onto an alley behind the fancy houses. Walking through the alley I see garbage cans and backs of fancy brick houses. I walk past the stone house from before I see that it has a backyard full of trees. I also see a garbage can that has fat ass spray painted on it.

At 4:45 I arrive back on campus, there are a lot more people here. People are talking loudly are mostly college aged and have backpacks on.

It is 4:49 the street is crowded, and loud many trucks, busses and cars pass by. I am on Fullerton there are people on their phones talking and others in groups talking friends. I cross the street and arrive at Seton Hall my walk has reached its end. I take a deep breath and prepare for the four flights up to my dorm room.

Thinking about my experiences today I do not think I necessarily explored a new culture in Chicago, but I got to see where I live — what part of Chicago I have become. The most surprising thing I discovered that even in Lincoln park at four in the afternoon there are still alleys I do not feel safe going into. It makes me sad that there are still places that though public, not everyone has access to. I am very privileged as a middle class white person, but I do get a taste for some of the issues being a woman walking in the city.

Related posts:

Estoy pensando en olvidarte, en ya no pensarte, voy atar mi corazón junto a mi pulmón tal vez así sienta un poco de calor fraternal. Por favor, ya no te acerques más, quiero tener una vida simple y…

MEDIA LITERACY IN HOLOCAUST, a Medium series by Sandy Wu

Trick or treat your friends and fam with one of our 2019 Halloween cards. If you’re looking for scary, we’ve got that. Sweet? Always. And if you’re looking for sassy, you know we have that, too…