A walk up Halsted

Gaper's Block has up an entertaining and interesting piece by John Greenfield that details a day spent walking north up Halsted in Chicago, all the way from its terminus in the far south side of suburban Chicago, all the way to where it becomes Broadway in the neighborhood of Boystown.

Articles like this always fascinates me, as it focuses in on the minutiae and small details of the street and city – stuff found on the sidewalk, signs scrawled and hung up on poles announcing to the community a yardsale of lost dog. Whenever I walk around my neighborhood on my way to the grocery or just to stretch my legs after spending a day studying, I like to peer down alleyways to see what people have thrown away. I like to read the gang graffiti that seems to tattoo the city. I like to see what kind of trash has made its way into the branches of a denuded tree. Stuff like that isn't attractive, but by no means is it without worth. Those artifacts are the mark of our civilization and culture, and no matter its transience, it's all here for all to see, regardless of its import to any intended audiences.

And thinking about all of that, I believe that it may be time for me to put on my shoes and head out for a stroll, to the beach or nowhere at all.