3 Days 3 Ways

1. Car

My primary means of getting around in the city. I really like driving. I appreciate the luxury of getting places quickly. Furthermore, my car feels like a private place for me. It was very nice driving spot to spot and just watching from the security of my shell.

*Erie and Broadway. The slow crawl of cars on the 43 south. That bridge is massive. Third Ward flowers (I like them).

*North on Milwaukee St. A woman wearing all black passes my sight (she looks wealthy). I make a bad five second drawing (she is walking faster than most people jog). Got places to be. I wonder if she sees me—I can’t tell. She’s wearing black sunglasses.

*Chicago and Broadway. There are a lot of brick buildings in the Third Ward. Basically all of them are brick. I see a tree. Huh.

*Water and Buffalo. I’m really appreciating the few trees that exist in the city. I see trees by the riverwalk. A flag soars above our city (wind is traveling south).

*Downtown. Cars zipping through our city. Funny to think this was all marshlands once.

*St Paul Bridge. Plankton and Buffalo. Past the Pritzloft to the train tracks. I like it back here. No sound, except the wind and rush of cars on the distant 784. A train comes. The timing is almost too good. Amtrak. Faces look out the windows—some asleep, others are bored (probably too many train rides). I’ve never been on a long train ride. I wonder if it’s like the bus. The whistle blows. It’s gone. A fancy condo rises above the Plankinton Bridge.

*Go through downtown. I spent a while at the tracks. There is something really appealing about the isolation of that area. No cars. No people. But I’m only a few blocks from Downtown Milwaukee.

*McCormack-Brady Street Park. Never seen this park. But it is really nice. Wish I came under the bridge more.

2. City Bus

Today I resorted to public transit. It’s night. The city bus only has a few people on it.

*Water and Chicago. Just waiting here is significant to me. There are many places in the city that are linked with memories. I spent many days and nights waiting for the bus as a Foundations student. I had a car then. But a lot of times it was really nice to just take the bus. I didn’t really know the city, and often didn’t know where I was going. Riding the bus was almost always with friends. Waiting at the stop reminded me off the frigid winter nights we would stand at the stop.

*As I get on the bus I feel more vulnerable. You’re not in control of who gets on the bus, or what may happen on the bus. Everyone is quiet and minding their own business. Riding public transportation gives me a stronger feeling of unity, as dumb as that may sound. I mean, none of us are talking to each other or sharing our day, everyone probably just wants to get where they’re going. I don’t know. It’s cool knowing that at any one time the bus can represent a plethora of Milwaukee’s diversity. And in a city so divided, that’s kind of cool.

*The bus ride goes quick on the 15. At night now the city looks amazing. With building lights shining I feel pride in my city.

*Water and Cherry Street. I look to my right and see a vacant lot. It has just been a pile of dirt for three years, probably more. If there’s gonna be a dirt mound, I hope it can be used for something. Maybe kids could sled off it. Then again you don’t see many kids in Milwaukee.

3. Walking

Decided to only walk to Downtown. I figured that that was far enough for me. Day to day I experience the city in a much different way. Because I am physically disabled, I don’t go on voluntary walks that much. I usually drive as much as I can. I enjoy walking, but only in shorter periods of time. If I walk too much then I’m in pain. But it feels good to slow down and take in everything slowly. It really changes the city. I am used to moving through the city at a faster rate. Walking is the essential means of human transportation. But in Milwaukee it is secondary to me. I was aware of the sky more without a roof over my head—the city is immense when seen entirely rather than through a windshield.

*I go back to the train tracks. I love this spot. Maybe pleasant memories of throwing rocks at trains with Steve makes it better. A lot of dirt patches. I look south. I see old brick buildings rise above the tree line. And by tree line I guess I mean a bunch of tall bushes poking over a long haggard fence.

*Flags on all the bridges. September Eleventh. The number of flags varies from bridge to bridge. Hmm. I doubt it was intentional. Water and Clybourn. Water and Michigan.

*Water and Wisconsin. 4-way intersection. People wait on each corner. It’s the middle of a workday. A roller-blader zips by. That’s funny. I wish it were roller skates, though. This is as far as I go.

3 Days, 3 Ways- McKenna Shaffer

Day 1 Way 1—Biking

Biking is not one of my favorite modes of transportation, but I thought I’d give it a shot anyway. I dusted off my bike, Brenda, and set out on my trip. As soon as I had started, I instantly regretted my decision to bike. The first thing I had done on my initial walk, was walk down the flight of stairs that lead to the bike trail below Kenilworth. Since breaking my face was not on my list of things to do for the day, I cheated and walked my bike down the stairs. I biked on the trail for about a city block and then headed up the ramp near the intersection of Oakland and North. Biking up the ramp by Sil’s Donuts was very difficult. My bike only has one speed and my brain was thinking about one thing—donuts. On the route to the Marsupial Bridge I noticed other things that I hadn’t on my initial walk—things like traffic lights, other traffic, and hills. The Commerce St hill was pretty enjoyable. I didn’t even have to peddle. Biking up the path that lead to the Marsupial Bridge was easier said than done. “Why didn’t I buy a mountain bike?” I thought to myself. Upon reaching the Marsupial Bridge I reflected on my trip. I couldn’t remember anything interesting I had seen and I didn’t enjoy my surroundings. I was also reminded why I never ride my bike.

Day 2, Way 2 – Running

The next day I thought running would be easier than biking and I could enjoy my surroundings more. I found that this was neither easy nor enjoyable. 1.4 miles is a long way for someone who doesn’t run regularly. While running to the Marsupial Bridge I was more aware of things like sun and shade. The sun made me feel hot and tired, and the shade made me feel a bit cooler, but still tired. I also noticed a lot of benches and wanted to take a break at sit on all of them. My main concern while running to the Marsupial Bridge, was getting there as fast so I could take a break. I wasn’t focused on much else going on around me.

Day 3, Way 3—Driving

On day three I had obtained my father’s car-- a Mustang Convertible. I thought that this would easily be the most enjoyable mode of transportation. Since I was unable to drive on the bike path I started driving North West on Kenilworth St. I had forgotten about one thing—one way streets. After circling the block and heading North on Prospect I was on my way down North Ave. I had the top down on the convertible and was enjoying the nice day and the music on the radio. While driving I was more aware of things like speed limit signs, turn lanes, and pedestrians than my previous trips. To get to the correct side of the Marsupial Bridge I had to take an alternate route down Commerce St and take a left on Pleasant St. and then another left on Water St. Although this mode of transportation was the fastest and easiest, I found that I enjoyed the original walk the most. I was able to make more observations of what was going on around me.

3 Days, 3 Ways-Amber Blanchard

Way 1 (bus) Riding the bus was way different than walking. I couldn’t really observe my surroundings of area that I was traveling. When riding in a bus all the people that were on the bus distracted me. Also when reflecting on my first walk I couldn’t hear really any of my surroundings. In my first notes I wrote down how I noticed my path be loud, then quiet, and then loud again. When riding the bus I could really hear was the loud bus noises, from it stopping and going. Also I mention smells in my initial walk, when on the bus I couldn’t really smell any of those great things rather all I could smell was the city bus. I think taking this route was much less enjoyable because I was so contained to one space. Whereas I feel when I was walking my senses had much more available to them.

Way 2 (driving) Driving myself was similar to taking the bus but also different in ways. When I drove by myself I started off with the music off in my car and the windows down. When I did this all I could hear was the clicking noise from my car that was just clearly telling me that something was wrong with my car. After I couldn’t listen to that repetitive noise anymore I turned on my car radio. By doing this it really muffled out other noises in the environment, similar to the bus, however this time I was making the decision to drown out the atmospheres sounds. Along my drive I drove through Sils coffee and donuts. I mention that on my walk I could smell as I passed the building by foot, when driving past it I couldn’t really smell it but I saw it, and the convenience of driving through to get a coffee, lazy I know, but it was delicious coffee nonetheless. When driving in the car I felt I was able to create my own little world, of smells and noises and sights. In the bus the environment was controlled, contained and created by me and other people. Walking, I was in the environment that was created by everyone, and everything surrounding me, I was more so absorbing my surroundings.

Way 3 (riding as a passenger in a car) Riding in someone else’s car with someone else driving brings a whole new environment. I purposely didn’t tell them that I was doing this as an assignment because I wanted my driver to act as natural as possible. Also my driver was upset and confused why I wanted to take this certain path that was “a way round about way to getting downtown”. Because of this I believe that my driver was driving fast just trying to get from one place to the next. They also had their music blaring as loud as possible. So I’d say I probably got the least of the experience this way. I barely paid attention to my surroundings and more attention to the road and the other cars that were surrounding this crazy driver and me. Even though this might have been the environment that I had the least sensual experience during it was still an experience. The smells of the leftover fast food bags in the back seat, or the spilled coffee from the day before and the sounds of the blaring music, extreme road rage, and my “oh my gosh are you going to stop” all added to the experience.

Nicole Spahn: Three days, Three ways

I walked the same exact rout that I had walked when we did this exercise in class. I headed away from Kenilwoth on Farwell, went down Windsor toward the river.Took that all the way to Cambridge which takes you to Kane, which turns into water.

Number One: Holding hands.

On this walk I held hands with a little someone the entire walk there. It was around 8:30 at night, so we got to see a few drunks out and about. We saw a crazy red car make a fast U-turn by cambridge. The car had its music bumping and some kids that were sitting on a stoop starting pumping there hands in the air when they herd the music. When the boy had an itch we had to work as a team to scratch it. Also he loves cigarettes and was really bummed he couldn't use his hand to light now while we walked. Time went by much faster than when I was walking alone. The scenery walking around Kane was magical. walking with someone also made the time fly by, we had lots to talk about and I didn't notice my surroundings as much as when it was daylight out. By the time we were done with the walk out palms were moist and we were ready for some food from Trocadero.

Number Two: Clapping.

Once again this journey took place after the sun had set. I clapped my hands every time my left foot hit the ground. I got a few strange looks from people walking there dog and engaged in some conversation, but really not much at all. It was very hard for me to keep clapping when all I wanted to do was touch leaves and other things. Yes, I found out I have a strong desire to touch things while I walk, and when you have to keep clapping you really notice it. I found myself walking fast along this journey as well just to get the clapping over with.

Number Three: Riding my bicycle.

Riding my bike everything went by fast. I didn't notice any people or specific things, just bumps in the road. I ride a road bike so the tires are very thing. It was almost like a game to avoid all the little holes in the road. I took this ride during the day and the sun was so hot that riding down the hill was the most refreshing thing i felt that entire afternoon. Riding down the hill was like a reward for biking to the end.

3 days, 3 ways.

1. For my first journey to the Holton Street Pedestrian Bridge, I decided to take the 15 bus which follows my original path quite closely, only having to exit and enter the bus again once to continue my route. This experience was very different from my first walk to the bridge. Almost immediately upon entering the bus, I took notice to the cool air pumping through the vehicle as the temperature remained warm outside. While riding the bus you are forced to interact with other commuters along the same route going about their day. I was reminded this as I sat and watched with entertainment an older woman, clearly not in her right mind, berate the bus driver for his "bumpy" driving skills.

2. For the second day I chose to travel by car as opposed to public transportation. Although this is not my typical mode of transportation, I thought it would be interesting to understand the experience as we have a large portion of commuting students attending UWM from all around Milwaukee. My first observation as I began to drive was how utterly disconnected I felt to the outside world around me. Although I was still perceiving the same surrounding as the day before something felt completely different. While riding the bus you act as a passenger, so you are given an extraordinary amount of freedom during the ride that the driver is unable to experience for obvious reasons. While I spent most of my time examining my surroundings as a passenger, one is almost too flooded with information and distractions to take anything other than that from this experience.

3. For my final journey in transportation, I borrow a bike from a friend to complete my trek. By bike, just as by car, I was able to follow my exact path from the original walk on Thursday. It has been some time since I have rode a bike as mine has been in dis immediate repair since last winter, so it really felt nice once I got going. Although I was still restricted d by the traffic flows and rules of the road, I felt a much greater connection to my surroundings while biking. Unlike transportation by motor vehicle, I was able to feel the wind in my face and the sweet smells of Italian baked goods waft down Brady St. as I made my way to the bridge.

"We make he world and, in turn, the world makes us."

As I consider the Nato Thompson reading and my experiences over the past three days, I found this quote to be quite eye opening. I had never really thought about the way others might be experiencing the walk down the very same sidewalk, look over a bridge, or as they take in the same smell. This is something important to keep in consideration as we make art regarding physical or geographical locations, as the non-artist or viewer might see what we see or think as a complete abstraction totally disconnected from their world or vice versa.

3 Days, 3 Ways

1. Passenger in Vehicle

After first walking the path I had chosen to take to the bridge by Trocedero, I asked a friend of mine to allow me to ride in the back seat of their car as they drove the same path. This encounter was extremely different than the one I had experienced when walking by myself. When walking by myself, I found plenty of time to view details and reflect on the area I was around. Driving was a very different story. I found it impossible to even be aware of my surroundings while distractions like the radio and talking to a friend were involved. It seemed like the path went by tremendously fast and we were there before I could even think to pay attention to the atmosphere.

2. Riding a Bike

On the second day, I decided to ride my bike along that same path. Biking in my primary way of transportation when the weather in permitting. Again, I found it hard to concentration as intently on the sights and sounds of the city around me, but I was able to appreciate it much more than when I was in the car. I’m one of those bikers that get competitive and will not allow another biker to pass them, so on the busier streets I couldn’t help but be more concerned with keeping my pace in reference to other bikers. On the side streets I was actually able to experience the route in a similar manor to the first time.

3. Riding a Skateboard

For my third trudge through my path, I asked yet another friend if I could borrow their skateboard. I had not been on a skateboard for over ten years, so it was a pretty frustrating attempt. Unlike the first two days, this trip took a grueling amount of time to complete. However, similar to first two “ways”, I found it very hard to concentrate on anything other than the transportation I had chosen. I was much more concerned with not falling and breaking my face than taking in the sights and sounds around me. The only sounds that really caught my attention were people yelling things about how awful I was at skateboarding and cars honking as they went by. I was far too embarrassed to take notice of anything else.

Shannon Wunderlich: 3 Days 3 Ways

I wasn't sure how to approach my first walk.
Sometimes I'm not actually a very creative person.
I walk this route relatively often, from home to school,
so I wanted to shake things up, get a different perspective.
But all I could think to do was walk through alleyways.
So, I started there, taking photographs, hoping to string something together.
As I went, I noticed the stark contrast between walking down those narrow side streets and the brief moments in which I'd emerge back into plain sight to dash across rush hour traffic before slipping back into the shadows. Despite the time of day, sunlight seemed scarce on my route.
I thought about the Nato Thomspon reading, specifically about the ideals of the Situationists, even more specifically about their concept of the dérive. A dérive is defined as a type of unplanned journey through a landscape (which is usually urban) where an individual sort of allows their surroundings to determine their course rather than their own personal agenda. In English, the word itself can be literally translated to "drift." Ultimately, the intent of a dérive is to allow geographic and architectural aspects of an environment to direct your course in such a way that yields an entirely new and authentic experience.
So, I drifted.

WALK ONE
Instead of clinging to alleys, I took a cue from the sunlight and the shadows cast by the cityscape and decided to play the lava game.
I'm sure everyone played this game as a kid, in some form or another. Basically, there are certain rules for places on the ground that you're not allowed to step on. They're lava. Your feet will melt. Sometimes it's a certain color of tile or type of flooring. This time I treated sunlight as lava and tried to see if I could find my way across town without setting a single foot on lit ground.
I kind of had a lot of fun doing this. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely challenging (I had to cheat twice), but I wound my way through the city in ways that I'd never traversed before. Searching for shadow bridges across busy streets allowed me a new appreciation for light poles and street signs, made me more aware of trees and vacant city lots (i.e. wastelands of bubbling hot magma to be avoided at all costs). Construction barricades became gateways and pedestrians sometimes served as temporary taxis, if you walked close enough together. Sometimes the only way forward was to go back the way I'd come. Sometimes the only way out of a jam was in, as I found myself snaking my way through bank lobbies and the MSOE campus in moments of desperation. I was more in tune with the time of day as I watched shadows grow longer, changing my course. I was also made aware of just how easy it is to make people uncomfortable. Granted, there were times when I looked like a pretty big freak, emerging from the depths of a parking garage basement or pressing myself up against a wall to take advantage of the only sliver of a shadow that could grant me forward motion, but there were other times when all I had to do was change sides of the sidewalk to make someone think twice about me. As I hopped across the speckled lawn of Cathedral Square, I could swear there was a gaggle of disapproving mothers speculating at my intoxication. It was funny to think about the fine line between "normalcy" and "disorderly conduct."

WALK TWO
After having taken my first walk,
I was kind of excited by the dérive approach.
It was such an organic experience, forging a connection with cityscape that made us almost equal in determining the course of my actions. I thought about water and the way it circumnavigates obstacles. I wanted to keep up this approach, so I decided to make my second walk without shoes on my feet. I figured that this would function similarly to the lava game, but would allow me to switch filtering my perception through my eyes to experiencing my environment in a more tactile way. We do so much to cover ourselves, to overcome our surroundings, I wondered what would happen after the simple removal of one little buffer.
I started out strong, attempting to retrace the same path I'd taken on my first walk. How hard could it be, right?
I quickly came to understand the popularity of sidewalks as I stopped time and time again to pick tiny pieces of gravel out of the balls of my feet. My awareness of filth was also heightened as I could now feel the raw grime of the city streets on my skin. I took notice of the types of filth that I could pick up on (that's kind of a freak thing to say, I guess) and noticed the ways in which the surrounding buildings impacted their exteriors. Banks and school buildings had much cleaner back and sidestreets than that of restaurants, which made me feel super gross. I started dwelling on the idea of food slime and bacteria permeating through my feet and swore off restaurants for all of seven city blocks. I thought about the idea of "face value" as it pertained to building facades and how it seemed like establishments couldn't give a shit about the parts of their property that didn't contribute to their profits, the back and sidestreets that went unseen. I found myself praising the heavens when there was any patch of grass to take refuge on and cursing the heat of asphalt parking lots. Broken glass forced me to reroute plenty of times. I think what stuck with me most was my heightened awareness of the unnecessary waste generated by us all, particularly how insurmountable it is. It's everywhere. It's almost like our clothes and shoes allow us the luxury of ignorance, cushioning the impact of a harsh environment unfit for our bare skin. So long as we've got our Nike's on, that broken beer bottle is just fine. Those millions of cigarette butts go seemingly unnoticed. It was odd to realize just how careless we are, how that carelessness has perpetuated itself so deeply into our society that it no longer raises eyebrows.

WALK THREE
This walk wasn't actually a walk.
I, like most other people, also took the bus.
This sort of felt like a copout compared to my other walks, though.
Anyway, I took the bus.
The 15 route is home for me.
I take it at least once a day on average.
I tried not to do anything particularly different on this ride,
no games or rules to dictate my interaction with my environment or removal of clothing items,
I just tried to kind of be more "there" than I usually am.
Instead of zoning out and staring out the window with my headphones on, I tried to take notice of what was different about traveling through space in this vehicle rather than just as myself.
Thinking about this mode of travel in comparison to my other walks, walks that had been so much more committed to my surroundings, made the bus seem really weird and creepy. I mean, right? What weird things, buses, cars, trains, planes, these big boxes made out of metal and glass that we hop in to expedite our passage through space, space that we have no actual relationship with, especially when riding as a passenger. When you're driving you at least have to look at and pay attention to your surroundings, interact and yield to them in some small way. But riding the bus felt almost like sealing myself inside of that capsule at the bank drive thru that shoots through that tube from the building to your car. So cold and removed. If there's something interesting, you can't stop to look at it. If you see someone you know walking down the street, you can't get their attention without a creepy text message. I could have been traveling through any place and that bus trip would have felt the same. By comparison, the disconnect was huge. It felt weird shifting from the interactive mindset of my previous walks to the expedited numbness of my typical commute, but it felt weirder thinking about how I would probably reacclimate to this mode of transportation by the end of the day.

3 Days 3 Ways

My three ways in three days were walking, biking, and taking a bus. Walking had to be the most personal of the three, I had time to myself and could do what I wanted and go where I wanted. Biking was the most distracting and the scariest, being on the road with other bikers and drivers meant I mostly had to focus on the road and the literal path I was taking rather than enjoying the scenery. The bus had the least amount of view and the most social interaction, or social observation. Around 5:30 pm, the bus is extremely crowded leaving no space to sit or really move around to see all there is to see.

In concluding that my favorite experience of three ways was walking, I am able to connect with the Nato Thompson reading. The idea that "a sidewalk has a plan" rings very true to my discovery, the art of the pedestrian is VERY much about the relationship to the city. When walking I was able to experience, and really live freely in the city by allowing the sidewalk to guide me on a safe path. On a bike I was very restricted by the rules of the road. The time I could have spent exploring was spent making sure I wasn't hit by another vehicle. On the bus I was not allowed to follow my set plan or explore the city at all, I was literally shuttled from point A to point B, I spent most of my time forced listening to the other passengers. I think walking, the most directly lived experience of my three, would be the best way to learn and get to know a city.

3 days, 3 ways.

I walked, biked, and rode the bus. Pretty predictable,right?
Whenever I go anywhere I tend to think a lot about everything and anything that interests me. I wasn't thinking about my surroundings.  I was thinking about whatever came into mind right away.  Sometimes I have very random thoughts that are triggered by scent, music, or color. For this assignment, nothing changed. I wasn't really thinking deeply about my surroundings or what was going on. I was walking, observing, and taking some pictures with my phone. Those photos triggered thoughts, which would lead me to question what was in front of me.
Biking and riding the bus simply added other elements to observe. People, for example made me question them and what they did.  The bike ride was fast which added a strong element of ephemerality to the interaction with my surroundings.  I mean, in essence everything is ephemeral, but that's a whole different topic. Here is my stream of consciousness during the 3 different modes of transportation. enjoy.
 Walking:
-The alley smells like rotten eggs
-I'm walking down the alley the entire way.
-Im listening to health while the wind blows against me.
-Julio said my project Sucked, but then Said he liked it. He's lying.
-It smells like fish.
-Just left the alleys.
-Well, they ended.
-So now I'm on Broadway.
-An old girlfriend just texted me.
-There are feathers all over the msoe campus.
-I think they eat birds for lunch.
-Almost walked through a field of crickets. Nvm.
-Just saw Brittany again.
-I'm back in an alley
-Oh, I just got here. Took van buren here.

Bus: -Milwaukee people are so odd.
-these bus billboards are so damn weird.
-this song is so good.

Bike: -my legs hurt.
-my chain is rusty
-i'm tired.

Touching on the Nato Thompson reading, I thought that he made many interesting points about us and the relationship that we have with our geographical surroundings.  "We become what we experience" is something that I found to be very true.  Throughout the three ways of experimenting this route, I became bored and uninterested, just like the route itself.  I was sick of seeing the same thing over and over.  I think that an intimacy between ourselves and our surroundings is only existent when we truly want to be intimate with them, when it catches our interest.  I really like the idea of ephemeral cultural forces.  It's something that triggers the mind in many directions.  "If one wants to change the mind, one must change the geographic conditions that shape it." I would have to disagree with that statement, because I believe that a changing in the mind comes from the changing of our lifestyles and thoughts.  Anyway, good read.  

some pictures from the walk.

3 days, 3 ways

The Original (walk)

Heading down Milwaukee St, I know the route. However, each day it's different; new people, new events. Looking to my left at Catalano Square they're setting up something for tonight.

The hanging plants are swaying back and forth in the breeze today.

Wouldn't all the city enjoy a chance to smell the flowers?

The bus passes by creating a gust of wind.

I feel like people forget that this perfect weather doesn't last all year.

Memories are awaken from the music playing at Coquette Cafe.

I've reached St. Paul by now.

I look at a dog with envy because I miss my own.

He caught my stare and wagged his tail in response. I was allowed to pet him.

I think he helped me more than I helped him.

I come to Clyborn St.

The place where I always know I crossed too soon because there's no pedestrian crossing from the right.

Once approaching Michigan St, to the right I see the ivy taking over near by parking structures.

Captured: Unmarked doors that looks strange amongst all of the office buildings.

Captured: Caution sign indoors for construction.

Around 625 Milwaukee St. I stop to appreciate someone's Random Act of Kindness

After passing Wisconsin Ave. I'm prepared to see more restaurants than I have this whole walk.

I notice some of the new, some of the old on the side of Catch 22

I pass by the Comstock building, the place I now call home.

The journey's half way or more.

I near the stop light and know I can't cross in time.

Although, if I could have I would have missed a bundle of chains I didn't see until it was run over.

Enter MSOE's campus, it seems to be a world on it's own.

Even though it's only blocks away.

An MSOE student glances back at me suspiciously as I walk behind him.

Just before Knapp St. I hear some wind chimes that almost blend in with the building behind them.

This Milwaukee St. journey is about to come to an end.

I pass by mountains of gravel on the right as I make my way towards Water St.

Making my way up Water I notice an upside down sign for future parking.

I hope the future isn't too soon.

A man smiled at me after seeing me snap this photo.

Little does he know he's part of this journey too now.

I walk by an extremely random door, and I've seen a couple of them around the city before.

The green of this one matches so well with the bar behind it.

I observe an old green van that is just filled with card board boxes.

I've now spotted the bridge, but I still need to figure out how to get down.

Success.

Trip 2 (bus)

I am now one of the people I called out before.

My one hour journey turned into about 10 minutes because the 11 bus route followed my walking path near perfectly with the exception of turning onto Water St.

Even now that I am alone in this space it feels so different.

The structure feels almost intimidating without my classmates' presence.

The echos from the car overhead are making me uncomfortable.

A car came and circled in the parking lot next to me then slowly parked on the street.

I am leaving.

This experience has been completely different.

I was much more interested in the people getting on and off the bus, unlike the walk there

where the buildings and objects captured my attention.

Trip 3 (bike)

Comparing this one back to my original journey as well, walking is clearly the best way to absorb as much as possible from an environment.

As I rode by bike, I was much more concerned with getting hit by cars or not flipping over my bike.

There's a bit more concentration that goes into biking verses walking.

Walking becomes so natural as one ages.

I could write and walk (kind of) at the same time.

And during both the other journeys that was not nearly as easy.

The bus ride was too bumpy and I sadly can not ride my bike without handle bars.

It's almost shocking how much different these experiences were.

First and foremost, I’m going to have to admit that walking was by far the best experience of the four different ways I traveled. Not necessarily because the surroundings are readily available for you to interact with but because by walking you have a longer amount of time to interact with everything you see. In Nato Thompson’s reading he states, “The art of the pedestrian has a longstanding relationship to the city.” In his reading he goes on saying how walking was the “rage” of the cities. I can completely appreciate the opportunities given when walking instead of other forms of transportation, this is also stated in Nato Thompson’s reading. Thompson states, “A sign of refinement and cultural reflection went hand in hand with a propensity for the stroll.” There are many aspects of life and cultural within your surroundings that you completely miss out on through other forms of transportation. I feel that this is why I enjoyed walking the most.

The bus was the first type of transportation I tried for this assignment. It was about 7:45 on Friday evening and I’ll have to admit I was a bit excited to take the bus considering I can count fingers for the amount of times that I’ve ridden on it. Viewing my route at night was considerably different from the first time I traveled it during the day. The amount of information I could see was muted without light however, at times there were glowing lights to present the information I had originally seen the prior day. There were quite a few people on the bus that night. I notice a few others looking back at me wondering what I’m doing observing them. One guy on the bus offered me a piece of gum, I said no thank you.

The second mode of transportation I took was my roommates bike. Considering I have never ridden a bike in a big city before this terrified me. However, I enjoyed my route because the roads were less busy. I enjoyed it for the most obvious reason and the fact that this gave me more intimate time with my surroundings. I took this route at about 10:15 on Saturday morning and the weather was absolutely perfect. It’s different viewing the route from the street like a car, but not. I can see everything, I notice every detail about the parked cars I’m passing. Almost like I could finger out a dent or already feel how shiny a car is just by looking at it from on my bike.

The third mode of transportation I took was the most obvious one, my car. I figured since I normally use this as my mode of transportation it would be interesting to see how I think on this route. It’s exactly 3:18 on Sunday afternoon and the weather is okay but aside all I feel most comfortable in this route now. Possibly because I have already taken this route three other times this week or maybe because I’m in my most used form of transportation. I have the windows down so I can feel a breeze against my hair. I see less detail from my car and if I wanted to stop and interact with something it would be almost impossible. I’ve realized people are less friendly in their cars, like they are in a protective shield of metal. It’s like they don’t care because “you can’t see them”.

3 Days, 3 Ways

The first method of transportation I choose to retrace my route with was running. I went at about 9 in the morning, it was a calm and slightly overcast. I have always noticed that when I am running early in the day people are more likely to say "hello" or "good morning" as I pass by. This mode of transportation is more than trying to get from point A to point B, it also has many benefits. It releases stress, I sleep better at night, and of course get an opportunity to spend some time outside.

The next method of transportation I used was driving. It was later in the evening and a like brisk outside. But this gave me an opportunity to see my designated site lite up by the street lights. Since I do not have my own car, I had someone else drive me. This created more of an "outing" situation. While still paying attention to my surroundings, having someone with me forced my focus to mainly be on them. This method differed from running because the only reason I would drive is to spend time with someone, somewhere. My movement through the city was under their control since I was not the driver. They choose the speed, the music I heard, when to start and stop, etc.

The third and last method of transportation I used was riding the bus. I went around dusk and it was still fairly warm weather. I frequently use the bus as one of my main modes of transportation to navigate my way through the city and am accustomed to the socially acceptable behaviors. For example, sitting in an open seat rather than next to a stranger, keeping to myself and not engaging in conversation with other bus riders, and appropriately thanking the bus driver for taking me to my destination safely. Riding the bus was the most mundane type of travel. Again, my movement to my destination is in control of the bus driver just like driving in someone's car.

After making an assessment of my three different ways I made some comparisons to the Nato Thompson reading. The observation is made that "we become what we experience". I saw this through my decision to run. People acknowledged me as a "runner" as I passed them. I experienced running through the city and in turn was a runner. The article also discusses how our behaviors are a result of how we move through the world. When riding the bus, my chosen behavior was a product of learned behaviors appropriate for this method of transportation. One of my favorite parts of the article was the comparison to language. Discussing Michel de Certeau's The Practice of Everyday Life, it states "The city can be considered a language: a place where a short-cut across a yard or jay-walking were moments of personal flair. Loitering could be an aside, skateboarding a sonnet." I related this to when I took the bus. On my way back, because I had missed the first bus back to my apartment, I walked a few blocks so I would not be standing and waiting as long for the next bus to arrive. This change in the ordinary bus ride was my "moment of personal flair".

Three Days/Three Ways - B. Rieth

Some notes about the trips, painstakingly transcribed and expanded from fairly haphazard notes.

The Route.

1. Bicycle.

· Time started: about 7:30am by the North Ave. exit on Oakleaf.
· I keep getting hit in the face with flies on the Oakleaf Trail.
· There are a lot of plastic bags in the trees.
· Squirrels!
· I can still hear what I think are trees creaking around the exit by Altera on the Lake.
· Slight detour – I’m not about to attempt to drag my bike up the hill; I go down to the Brady Street exit and backtrack to St. Johns.
· Not too many people out on a Sunday morning.
· Prospect is easier to cross than it was on Thursday evening.
· The rest goes by fairly quickly. My back/neck hurt, for some reason.

2. Walk - Burdened.

· Took my view camera and tripod on this one – starting about 2:45pm from North/Oakland.
· Stopped for a snack at Sils. Overcharged by a dollar = free bag of chips.
· I only have a few holders, and it’s hot (got to be in the 80’s, according to weather.com) and the trip isn’t necessarily the subject that I want to use the film for. I did stop to make one exposure at my St. John’s hill exit. I get a few looks at this point from the higher pedestrian/bicyclist traffic at this time.
· My backpack keeps getting caught on trees up the hill. The tripod isn’t helping. It doesn't seem as heavy when it's only carried a short distance. I still feel like a weirdo once I emerge from the brush behind St. Johns.
· I was spending so much time looking about that I forgot my cig had burnt down – ouch.
· No violinist at Hamilton/Pulaski at the moment. Boo.
· I find that I am paying more attention to the people around me than I was on the bike. More time to contemplate them rather than avoid (hitting/being hit by) them.
· I catch the 15 route at Brady and Van Buren/Holton heading south. I leave the unopened bag of chips for someone to find.

3. Car – Passenger.

· City transportation is out due to my route; luckily my friend was available shortly. Time: about 6:30 from Holton/Brady.
· Country music is not my favorite. Air conditioning, however, is.
· Being in a car makes the trip seem like nothing, even less so than on a bike. Taking pictures of people is easier though, the car being a buffer and all.
· Remember the small bit of graffiti in the parking lot. Reserved>Deserved. We get stuck behind another car idling in the lot...unkind words are spoken.
· The trip ends prematurely: my friend has to get to work, and we cannot follow the route anymore anyways after the lot(one ways going the wrong way).

***Of note: Pictures are from the initial trip and trip 3. I took analog cameras on the other two runs; I’ll try to remember to post some of those once I get them processed/scanned. =)

The End.

3 Ways - 3 Days

MAP

WAY 1- CAR

Journal

WAY 2- WALK

(Random flip flops left at curb)

WAY 3- BUS

Monty Python: Ministry of Silly Walks

Vito Acconci Follow Piece

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/photographs/following_piece_vito_acconci/objectview.aspx?collID=19&OID=190036953