ExperimentalType Fall 2011: October 2011

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Journey from Milwaukee to Grand Rapids

Journey

I took a walk through the back alley, and woods behind my house that leads onto the bike trail that runs along the river and up through shore wood.

My journey started out at my dwelling on the upper east side of Milwaukee. When I first opened my door, I was greeted with a gorgeous fully formed rainbow that extended over the UWM campus. From there, I journeyed north into the city of Shorewood on Oakland Ave. I decided to pay attention to the details of my surrounding, things that are often missed when driving a car or bicycle. I paid extra attention to the reflections, textures, and items that I encountered along the way. It was a rainy Sunday evening when I first set out on my journey, which provided an interesting collection of reflections along the way. The concrete lit up from the streetlights and clouded sunlight. Textures that once had been rough turned into a mirrored infinity of the sky and buildings. As I walked along Oakland ave, I couldn’t help but feel that I was surrounded by manmade architecture that engulfed the city. The sound of cars screeching, motors running, and casual conversations in the Russian and English language all mixed together to greet my hearing senses. As I reached the stoplight of Oakland and Menlo, I decided to take a left and instantly fell into a more natural environment of trees, with brown, green, and red leafs. Although the neighborhood was much more natural, it still retained the qualities of the urban city, with houses condensed to small lots. After a short walk, I came upon a tunnel at Hubbard park. This was the gateway to the Milwaukee river and provided me with a complete immersion into the natural environment with very little emphasis on urban living.