45 + 220 points
Walking by Dela Dejavoo
May 19th, 2008 7:26 PMThis was the first task I ever fell in love with. The day after I joined sf0 I saw it and knew I had to do it. I knew that even if I quickly became disenchated with sf0 and never actually played the game I would still do this "task."
There were two things about it that made it so appealing to me.
1. Personal challenge/ exploration. I'm a very curious person. I like to explore and what better thing to explore than myself. The first challenge, of course, was if I could do it. I was pretty certain I could. But I wanted to see and document what happened to me physically when I pushed my limits. I wanted to know what parts of me would get tired/ begin hurting first, what would happen to my body with each additional mile. And I wanted to see and document my psychological state, my motivation, my thoughts. I wanted to know at what point I would get weary or lonely, at what point I would start to regret my choice to do this task, and what my mind would resort to in order to keep my body moving.
2. Exploration of my city. There's a lot of city out there. And a lot of it can be seen in a 25 mile walk. When walking, the pace, lack of encumbrance, and ability to traverse routes that are not predetermined makes the city very accessible. I set out to make my exploration of the city as diverse as possible. I wanted to walk through the clean, shiny parts and the dirty urban decaying parts, through parks, past skyscrapers, through family neighborhoods, and along railroad tracks.
There were two things about it that made it so appealing to me.
1. Personal challenge/ exploration. I'm a very curious person. I like to explore and what better thing to explore than myself. The first challenge, of course, was if I could do it. I was pretty certain I could. But I wanted to see and document what happened to me physically when I pushed my limits. I wanted to know what parts of me would get tired/ begin hurting first, what would happen to my body with each additional mile. And I wanted to see and document my psychological state, my motivation, my thoughts. I wanted to know at what point I would get weary or lonely, at what point I would start to regret my choice to do this task, and what my mind would resort to in order to keep my body moving.
2. Exploration of my city. There's a lot of city out there. And a lot of it can be seen in a 25 mile walk. When walking, the pace, lack of encumbrance, and ability to traverse routes that are not predetermined makes the city very accessible. I set out to make my exploration of the city as diverse as possible. I wanted to walk through the clean, shiny parts and the dirty urban decaying parts, through parks, past skyscrapers, through family neighborhoods, and along railroad tracks.
During my 11 hour journey I went to several parks, three museums, the zoo, the conservatory, the largest public library in the world, the second tallest building in the world, an outdoor flea market taking up many city blocks, and to several railroad bridges. I walked along railroad tracks, down the Magnificent Mile, along the lake, along the highway, through Little Italy, Greektown, Little Village, and Chinatown.
Doing this task made for one of the more bizarre days of my life. It was amazing and it was very difficult. It was in many ways like a strange drug trip. My mind was definitely altered, a certain level of delirium set in. After a while the rythym of my legs moving induced a trance-like state in which most thoughts stopped, in which my mind and my body became more connected than usual, and out of exhaustion both did nothing but walk. There came a point in which sitting, or even stopping the movement, required more energy than I had. Moving forward was the course of least resistance. My face became bright pink with wind burn and despite constant hydration the wind had chapped my lips so much it hurt to eat. But then, if it had been easy I would have been disappointed.
Documentation:
Here is my route:
View Larger Map
Each hour I stopped walking for 5 minutes to sit (or stand) and take notes. The notes (in blue and verbatim) as well as a small selection of photos (this praxis would be insanely long if I posted all of them) from each hour are below.
7:30am-9:00am-
it is a beautiful 57 degrees, sunny, breezy. first 20 minutes of walk i was very nervous. kept taking inventory of body and wondering if i was too tired/ injured. but once i got to A. Finkl & Sons the excitement kicked in and nerves vanished. awesome to walk around industrial corridor, seeing the great machines and huge piles of steel. moving directly into lincoln park (a yuppy neighborhood) was quite a change. realized i've spent pretty much no time in this neighborhood. boutique after boutique. Lush. Paul Frank. Origins. Bebe. dozens of starbucks. oh, the first person i saw when leaving my apartment was a man with no legs. it made me remember to enjoy this walk, to be aware of everything that allows me to do such frivolous and self-centered things.
First time of the day crossing the river. This will happen many many more times. In the lowish left you can see the Sears Tower. This building will appear in many photos from many angles throughout the day.
Inside A. Finkl & Sons. I love biking through their complex. There are always the sounds of huge machinery churning and clanking and often beautiful light shows of sparks flying out their massive doors. It was great to walk by at a slower pace and get a good look.
"lovely" Lincoln Park
9:00am-10:00am- got a bit lost looking for Oz Park but a very nice man walking his dog gave me directions. spent a while after walking on side streets past very expensive Lincoln Park homes. got sick of that quickly. legs feel fine but as i approached lake started to get windier and colder. Conservatory was welcomed relief. beautiful and warm. wished i wasn't walking right through so i could stay a bit longer. orchid room a bit of a letdown though palm room was lovely and had added benefit of fruit trees.Emerald City Gardens in Oz Park. I found statues of Dorothy, Toto, the
Tinman, and the Scarecrow but could not find the Lion.
Lincoln Park. The park, not the neighborhood. Much more lovely.
Fern Room at the Conservatory
10:00am-11:00am- going to the zoo right when it opens is very cool. though standing face to face with a polar bear when no one else is anywhere in sight is a little unnerving. headed straight to the monkey house but saw some interesting creatures, bears, camels, lions, and a really adorable warthog along the way. tried to walk to lake but pedestrian bridge was closed so walked all the way to the loop along Lake Shore Drive. annoying, windy, loud, and cold. legs showing first signs of fatigue as i trip over sidewalk edge. get lost and walk in circles looking for synagogue. give up and start walk down mag mile. had to pee so took elevator up to 96th floor of John Hancock building. best restroom in the city. walked right by waitresses and well-dressed people drinking their very expensive drinks. the key is to look like you know where you're going. ate last Odwalla bar. need to find easy food and more water.Just me and some camels
Stuck walking down Lake Shore Drive
I decide to go to the top of this building to pee.
The view from the bathroom. Oh look, there is the Sears Tower. I am much closer to it now.
11:00am-12:00pm- completely failed to go to Nay Pier. before i realized where i was i'd passed Grand Ave. with the amount of walking in circles i've done something needed to be cut anyway and Navy Pier is probably the best thing to cut. more hoity toity crap. bloomingdales and niketown and gucci and nice west, saks on fifth and tiffany & co. took a neat picture of the apple store. came upon the Tribune's Freedom museum. free so i wandered in. it confused me. also, ran into guy who gave me directions to Oz park outside of disney store. he was very surprised to see me and even more surprised to realized I'd walked there.The Apple store with reflection of building across the street.
The Chicago Tribune Freedom Museum. Very Confusing.
Ah, Michigan Avenue
12:00pm-1:00pm- walked through Millennium Park. saw the bean. i love the bean. a woman told me i should walk through some garden so i did. my willpower is obviously weakening. went down to Buckingham Fountain. Then over to Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia. the guy who took my bag was very snooty and definitely annoyed that i walked through the museum so quickly and came right back. the best picture was one of Santa Amaro. gorgeous. went to library and walked through all the levels. found exhibit on Chicago's movable bridges. very interesting. will need to go back and check it out when i can stop and read. feeling a bit fatigued but doing okay. also, i stink.Millennium Park (gifted to Chicago from the aliens)
The bean :)
Buckingham Fountain
Harold Washington Public Library, the largest public library in the world
1:00pm-2:00pm- went to Sears Tower. looked up. walked west to Union Station but the first 3 entrances i went to were closed. walked south toward flea market. started to feel serious fatigue going south on Canal St. kept thinking about how in 5 hours i would be once again walking on Canal St. and the idea seemed beyond me. Legs started feeling wonky. went to market. it was crazy and crowded and a bit overwhelming. bought a warm thermal top for a few dollars. finally i will be warm. Sears Tower, the second tallest building in the world
Near Union Station something started smoking, a lot. I crossed the street.
The Haymarket Flea Market. I might be a little delirious to deal with this. Must find warm shirt and get out.
2:00pm-3:00pm- this is definitely getting harder. fatigue is strong. i am feeling weak. my mind is starting to think of ways to get out of this. it is arguing with itself. eventually reached a sort of brainless state. had to force myself to stop and sit. wanted to just keep going and ignore anything that would make me think. my entire body feels windblown and sweaty but still cold. went through greektown. and little italy. and through a lot of stuff that didn't register. planned to go into museum but somehow missed it. was not going to turn around. screw the museum. The Sears Tower again, now from the south/west.
My favorite attraction in Greektown, the Walgreens
Forced myself to sit down on this bench in Little Italy
3:00pm-4:00pm- seem to have walked through nothing for a long time. sure it was something but i can't really remember. i'm not sitting to take these notes. sitting takes too much energy. oh, went to museum of mexican art which was absolutely wonderful. i MUST go back and really enjoy it. the puddles have become problems. i see them way ahead of me and worry about how i'm going to cross them. i also feel this way about people i see on the sidewalk ahead of me. got a huge spicy fruit cup from a street vendor in little mexico and it burned my chapped lips all to hell. No longer on Magnificent Mile
The most beautiful underside of the tracks I've ever seen
I don't think I was supposed to take pictures inside of the museum. I was a little out of my head.
My cup of fruit. It hurt me.
4:00pm-5:00pm- not really sure what to say here. everything around me is empty and industrial. there are murals. there are more people pushing shopping carts than not. i think my toe might be bleeding. the industrial wasteland makes me feel like i'm walking through a dessert. i need some eye drops. not really sure how i'm still walking. best to not think about it and just keep going.
And then my sidewalk just ends.
5:00pm-6:00pm- really had hard time taking out my notebook. just want to keep moving. for a long time now speed has increased, almost to a slow jog but not quite. every muscle feels like it is contracted, made of something hard and unmovable. following train tracks. once i saw the bridges, my destination, in the distance i knew it would soon be over. wanted to run. brain is on autopilot. can think of nothing but walking.Not sure I'm supposed to be walking here.
Definitely not supposed to be walking here. Ah, but there is a railroad bridge, where I'm headed, up ahead.
What does it mean?
6:00pm-7:00- last stretches. go to bridges. lovely bridges. go to chinatown. nearly walk into people. no longer able to navigate crowds. i know i smell bad. and look like hell. and probably seem stoned. wobble around for a bit. think i want bubble tea but change my mind. that would require standing in line, comprehending a menu, and making an order. no tea for me. find my way to the train station and realize i am done. though my body still thinks it should be walking for a long time after.
And there is the tower again, from the south...again
I've obviously lost my ability to take a decent photograph
44 vote(s)
- rehsamsevoL Lovesmasher
- Aurora Borealis
- teh Lolbrarian
- JJason Recognition
- Terpsichore
- Rainy
- Sparrows Fall
- meredithian
- Kyle Westwood
- auntie matter
- Flitworth
- Flea
- Bex.
- a actinism torrents joins
- done
- Mr. O.
- Loki
- Burn Unit
- GYØ Ben
- Jellybean of Thark
- Zelpha [Erus]
- Julian Muffinbot
- Evil Sugar
- Darkaardvark
- help im a bear
- anna one
- Dax Tran-Caffee
- zer0gee
- Myrna Minx
- MsGoblinPants Extraordinaire
- rongo rongo
- Lank
- Gremlin
- Indy
- Adam
- Le Olexander
- Amoeba Man
- Morse Kode
- Voo
- teucer
- Amby D
- Markov Walker
- votetramp
- PsyDlocke
Favorite of:
Terms
chicago, foecake18 comment(s)
posted by Dax Tran-Caffee on May 19th, 2008 8:27 PM
Hooray for walking!
Thanks for heading down to LIttle VIllage - it's still my favorite neighborhood in Chicago. You passed right by my old apartment.
And dude! I'm a idiot to have not been to the Museum of Mexican Art yet!
I've been meaning to figure out a way to climb the St. Charles Airline Bridge, but I think it's too well guarded.
Some day:
posted by Dela Dejavoo on May 19th, 2008 8:35 PM
yes, definitely go to the Museum of Mexican Art!
when i got there i was already so exhausted and not in any mindset to appreciate much and yet I was blown away.
posted by help im a bear on May 19th, 2008 9:10 PM
what a gorgeous exploration of being human
posted by a actinism torrents joins on May 20th, 2008 12:50 AM
Chicago looks like an interesting place,love the skyline thanks for showing me around:P
posted by meredithian on May 20th, 2008 7:06 AM
i'm impressed with anyone who completes this task. last friday i had to walk halfway into work and then later home from the metra stop when my bike got a flat. my feet are still sore and i only had to walk about 1/5 of your total trip, with a long break in the middle. perhaps i need better footwear.
how is it that even for someone like me who goes running, often, walking can be so hard on the body?
i love industrial wasteland. and the sidewalk that suddenly tapers off into rubble and grass. i think the junk on the street was... someone's open backpack leaving a trail behind them, or someone getting kicked out of their place and their stuff being thrown all around.
i want to go to emerald city gardens; i didn't even know they existed.
posted by Julian Muffinbot on May 20th, 2008 7:37 AM
i did not know about emerald city gardens either and i also totally want to go!
posted by Sparrows Fall on May 21st, 2008 7:49 AM
How's the recovery process going? Are your feet okay?
posted by Dela Dejavoo on May 21st, 2008 1:00 PM
3 hours after i finished i was unable to move. every muscle in my body was frozen and in pain. monday morning i was sore and limping. halfway through the work day (which involves constant walking and climbing) all soreness was gone and my legs were merely very tired. by tuesday morning i was completely back to normal. i think my body is used to healing itself quickly.
posted by Aurora Borealis on May 21st, 2008 1:43 PM
This is by far my favorite task, I can't wait to do it, and you did it in my favorite city in the world, I'm jealous!
posted by rongo rongo on May 21st, 2008 2:35 PM
A fascinating journey---I'm glad you did this!
posted by Amoeba Man on June 14th, 2008 3:46 AM
Epic.
But, would you walk 500 miles?
And then walk 500 more?
posted by Dela Dejavoo on June 15th, 2008 3:48 PM
I'm quite certain I would if I had good reason.
It would just take a very long time.
posted by Voo on June 17th, 2008 3:21 AM
I wish I could add more than 5 points with my vote. Awesome proof.
posted by help im a bear on July 26th, 2008 1:04 PM
seriously i just came back to this and it's amazing
posted by teucer on July 26th, 2008 1:05 PM
So it is.
Thanks for making it appear on my updates again.
posted by Markov Walker on September 8th, 2010 11:44 AM
The Conservatory is an awesome place to go on a date. Especially a morning after date, where you'd been up late and hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. It's a perfect place to share that sort of afterglow.
The Museum of Mexican Art is awesome. I've been through it several times. It's small, it only takes about an hour to get through, and it's got some really, really good art there. When I find people looking for free things to do in this city, I try to send them there.
And Hungry Brain Sunday nights. And Empty Bottle Monday nights. And... too damn many things. I do love this city.
Holy crap, woman. That's pretty intense!