Today I walked in a new neighborhood. I decided to stay on the main block, so not to get lost within the residential streets. I started under an old viaduct. The paint on the viaduct looked aged and the murals on the walls were deteriorated. Driving under it looked like it would be great trouble. Underneath there were potholes, that could probably swallow up an entire car. Of course, not seriously, but they appeared to be that deep. The lighting underneath the viaduct was very dim and bleak. After escaping the horribly lit viaduct, things got brighter. I could see green and a radiant shining sun.
Everything looked welcoming and full of life. The first thing to my left, on the opposite side of the street, was a warehouse. I searched for a sign, and I quickly found a blue sign that said “CINESPACE Chicago Film Studios”. By the name of the building I could assume it had something to do with film. My curiosity took me across the street.
Man was it hard to cross the street there! There were four lanes of moving traffic going in both directions and of course, no stop signs or street lights. I knew that once I stepped off the pavement, there’d be a rush of cars. I looked east, toward the traffic that would be have been going west, I didn’t see any cars coming. I walked out past the first two lanes. I stopped halfway, only two more lanes to go. I checked to make sure I didn’t see any cars coming. I walked out. The next thing I knew, I heard a screeching sound turning the corner. I stopped walking immediately, but the car didn’t even stop, it just kept going.
“You idiot!” I screamed after the truck.
I checked once again and saw no cars coming. I cautiously continued across the street. When I finally got to the other side, I noticed that I hadn’t fallen in a pothole. Unlike the viaduct the street was smooth. The asphalt was still black and the road looked completely new.
The building was blocked by a brick wall and tucked into the corner behind trees. I walked to the other side of the building and saw a tall wired gate. I examined the inside and saw a fire truck and about two police cars. As I was looking in, my view was suddenly blocked, by a huge guy. He was about the size of Shaq, but better looking and he had somewhat of a smirk. I examined him and saw that his shirt said Cinespace Chicago Film Studios Security.
Not knowing what to say, I started with a simple smile, “Hello.”
“Hello, Do you have a Cine Pass, Miss?” he asked with a big smile.
I noticed that he had nice teeth. They were super white and perfectly straight, maybe a little too straight.
“No Sir, I’m afraid I don’t.” I replied.
“Well I am going to have to ask you to keep things moving along.” he said with an even bigger smile.
As I walked off, I heard him say “Have a good day!”
“You too.” I reply annoyed. Why do security guards always ruin the fun?
I continued my walk. On the other side of the street I saw a tacky looking hot dog stand. It was a Maxwell St. Polish Stand. It looked like a banana threw up on the place. It was a horrible yellow, a very bright horrible yellow. There was a line outside of the window, so I assumed the food was good. Most of the people lined up outside had nurse scrubs on, so I figured there had to be a hospital nearby. I continued walking, uninterested in the polish stand. Definitely not interested enough to cross the street again.
I walked about a block before I saw a tall sad looking building. Between this and the three ambulances outside, I could conclude that the place was a hospital. Not a fan of hospitals, I continued my walk briskly.
I walked to the end of the block where I waited until the little white walking person, signaled me to walk. As I looked ahead the next two blocks looked like a park. After the sign came up, I crossed the street, safely. The first sign I saw, was a large green sign that read Douglas Park. From this corner of the park, I could see about two more blocks of greenery. The park drew me to it with its burst of color and activities. There were kids playing various sports, including tennis, soccer, and basketball. The park appeared to have everyone from ages 0 to 99 moving about, talking and laughing.
I turned to look back at how far I’d gone since the viaduct. To my surprise I had only came three blocks. I turned back around and decided to find a bench somewhere. I would end up sitting there the rest of the day watching the never ending games.
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