[Map & Notes from Day 1]
Day 1: Thursday, 09/08, Walking
We left from MIAD at around 4:30, taking our individual courses. I had made a point to simply focus on being aware of my experience, so I set off with an openness to what would be brought before me. There is so much that’s already present in our daily regimen, whose beauty and layers of historical meaning often go unnoticed. The movement in all directions, of people, cars, seagulls, bursts of wind, and blankets of sun and shade, were all embodiments of the life of this city. And I was in the midst of it. I started noticing the implications of what appeared in my surroundings. My eyes jumped from parking meter to parking meter, and as they settled on a parking structure across the street, I thought about how much we pay, or furthermore are obligated to pay, for time and space. And this thought naturally followed to how all stores, all these buildings climbing up to the sky but not ever reaching it, were all constructs of our culture, our species, and of nature itself. These thoughts tumbled through my head as went on to encounter the old city hall; it’s bells tolling on the hour, new condos going up across the river, and a barren, undeveloped field of wild grasses and gravel, before arriving at the cool stones beneath the shelter of Marsupial Bridge, about an hour after I’d departed.
Day 2: Saturday, 09/10, Bus 15
I stepped onto the 15 from the stop at the intersection of Chicago and Water Street at around 6:00 pm. After thoroughly enjoying my walk on Thursday, this definitely seemed like the easy way out. But the ride did have its own range of interesting and often pleasurable qualities. The focus became the interior of the bus, the people in their seats, and the sounds of the vehicle. I was also particularly engaged with the experience of movement, or of being still inside this object that is propelled at speeds faster than those allowed by our own biology. And yet, we created it. It also struck me that, along with the layout of the roads, this public system of transportation, with its prescribed route and schedule, could determine for us how and when we travel. I hopped off the bus at the stop nearest my destination, which was across the street from the bridge. It was 6:16 pm.
Day 3: Monday, 09/12, Car
We departed from the intersection of Erie and Water Street at approximately 6:35 pm. My friend had offered me a ride after we’d gotten out of class early, and as the logical route was north on Water, it was the perfect opportunity to make notes. Much like my bus ride previously, there sort of seemed to be a degree of separation between the city streets and us as passengers. However, without a series of scheduled stops, a car allowed for slightly more freedom in travel time and direction. I watched familiar objects pass quickly out the window, and the business people and students returning home. But my friend remained the greatest locus of my attention. I listened intently to her comments about school, work, and life, and empathized with the movements she made while driving, leaning into turns and feeling an impulse to tap the break pedal. The time passed quickly. We drove past Marsupial Bridge at about 6:47 pm.
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