A friend of mine from Michigan came into town last weekend so I decided to take her for a walk on our side of the lake, both as a way to complete this assignment, and also because it was nice out and a walk sounded like more fun than sitting In my apartment and watching “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” on television.
I normally walk down Fullerton to the lakefront but we met up with a second from of my (one who lives in the city) and walked a different way that, consequently, took us past a bunch of statues I’ve never noticed before and a park. I like parks. They are a nice way to make up for all the cement and asphalt of the city—which I don’t necessarily hate—I mean, I did choose to live here, in Chicago, rather than by the redwood forest, or something. Nonetheless, I do think that there is a forced quality to the nature that exists in cities, such as in parks. Here, nature is planned and redirected. Trees are spaced out evenly a long the sidewalk and gardens occupy neat fenced-in squares and window boxes. The nature we find here, in many ways, is manipulated and controlled so that it doesn’t interfere with our lives unless we want it to (weather excluded, of course). Even as my two friends and I walked through this park and a long the edge of a pond, I swear a school of fish and a couple of ducks were swimming a long side us, eyeing our Starbucks iced-coffees.
We finally arrived at the lake (one of my favorite parts of this city.) It was beautiful and calm and I was in an obnoxiously good mood as my vitamin D deprived body greedily soaked up as much sunlight as it could. Looking out at the lake I saw the black silhouettes of the water intake cribs, which have had to be moved out farther and farther to access clean water and I realized that we have not only manipulated nature, but that the damage done goes beyond a few ducks with a taste for people food.
On April 17th, I went for a walk outside. I left my cell phone and iPod at home and just listened to the world around me. I allowed myself to become totally immersed in the sights and sounds of the city passing me by. I live in the Gold Coast neighborhood so there are many tall, skyscrapers around me vs. the more family friendly neighborhood of Lincoln Park. The shrubbery,trees, and dog parks of Lincoln Park are replaced with concrete, super trees known as buildings and not much grass to run around on.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I notice that along with the hum-drum of the city I still hear birds in the distance and when I do come upon a park, it is like a jewel in the middle of the urban environment. I walk down to Rush street and sit in the middle of the triangle between State street and Rush Street, and sit down on a bench. It is a decently nice day given the weather we have put up with this Chicago winter and I am taken aback by the beauty in just watching this city happen. It doesn't stop for anyone. The people, the noises, the traffic, the shopping, nature...it's all around.
I find myself being thankful to live in such a diverse city not only in people but also in landscapes and cityscapes. Chicago is truly the only urban environment i've ever been in which i feel close to the geography, the people and the nature it resides with. Nature happens all around us all the time, I'm glad I took an hour to sit down and really listen and feel it. Sometimes when you live in an urban area you forget that steel and concrete aren't what was here before us, and will be here long after we're gone...