Solo Pedestrianry
Which brings me to the point I was making two days ago - welcome to my brain.
People keep asking me if I’m moving back to Chicago after my Melbourne sojourn (which, if you pronounce it the aussie way, kind of rhymes!). The answer is most likely ‘no,’ as Chicago is not the hotbed of national politics and media that we’d like to think.
The question that usually follows is: well, are you going to stay in Australia? The answer to that is probably also ‘no,’ but I wish it was ‘yes’ for at least one very important reason: walking.
I hate what living in Chicago does to me. After just six weeks visiting home, I felt unsafe walking home after the films the other night. One of the great things about living in Melbourne is that I can walk home at 1am by myself without concern. And yet I found myself looking around and constantly glancing over my shoulder. I wondered if the guy in black on Victoria Parade was just just drunk or if he kept stopping because he meant me harm. I crossed the road.
Look, it’s wise to be a savvy city girl no matter where you are, and it’s also wise to look over your shoulder when you’re walking alone late at night. But I hate the resurgent sense of threat that comes from visiting the States. After a year of living in Melb, I looked to see if anyone was there, not to see if I should be scared. It might not make sense, but those are two different things.
I appreciate the lack of feeling of risk I have walking alone here. I would everywhere were as safe.
ps - Also my bike is fixed, which just makes me speedier anyway. I have ten gears again!
Sphere: Related Content
January 21st, 2008 at 5:13 am
After a year in Long Beach, which is surprisingly segregated and safe, I forgot nearly everything I learned about city living in San Francisco. Then I moved to a not-so-safe part of Brooklyn and nearly got mugged because I still had the notion that I could walk anywhere at any time. That changed in a hurry. Then someone broke into my apartment and stole every electronic device I own. I was paranoid forever, but am just now starting to get over that and not constantly look over my shoulder. It also helps that I’ve been riding my bike a lot more. Hard to get mugged when you’re moving at a high rate of speed. Anyway, this is all to say that I know what you’re talking about in regards to feeling safe and walking. And also one of the main reasons I will be moving back to Los Angeles soon.
By the way, no one else I know would appreciate this, but when I first moved here I stayed with Tracie from Jezebel for a few days. Near the end of my stay I smoked pot with her and Rich (fourfour) while watching The Yellow Brick Road. My mind was blown on so many levels I can’t even adequately describe it. Bloggers united!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:03 am
Wow, Brian, I am so insanely jealous about the second paragraph and so insanely not jealous about the first. Thank you for making it so easy to categorize my feelings.
Biking does help a lot, doesn’t it? I figure anyone who drags me off that is going to have to separate me from the hulking steel mass that is my bicycle; that isn’t going to be easy. Take the Jaws of Life or something if it fell on my leg.
When do you move back? I thought you were doing school or something…
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 am
At this point it looks like I’ll be moving back to LA in May. I can’t tell you the the kind of enmity I’ve heard from New Yorkers over that city. When asked if they’ve ever lived there before, they scoff as if I just suggested something unseemly. I’d go back sooner but I’d like to have worked my current job (paralegal) for at least six months and save more money.
I’m actually done with school now. This summer I finally got my journalism degree from Long Beach state and then moved to Brooklyn to become a professional writer. It turns out I was a bit overly optimistic about that.
Anyway, I was going to ask, I’d like to start following the election and was wondering what sites you would recommend for coverage? So far I’ve been reading tpm and wonkette, but is there anything else that’s good?
February 17th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Whoops - sorry I was in Asia.
I read those two daily, plus I read electoral-vote.com. He’s pretty good, and if you’re into polling, he sort of breaks it down in a pretty manageable way.
Sorry things haven’t worked out quite as you’d hoped. Sounds like it’s been an ordeal!
April 1st, 2008 at 3:10 am
I am from rural america and when I moved to a city it was like a whole new world of fear. I was so scared of my own shadow that I became incredibly agoraphobic.
I guess the problem is the dividing line between rural dwellers and city dwellers. Rural communities rely on the lack of population to insure safety and city communities rely on the surplus of population to insure safety. Its only when there are fewer people out on the streets the one feels unsafe in the city.
I now consider myself a city dweller the primary differences is I work near where I live and I feel a sense of community among my neighbors. That is the beauty of city living.
Good luck in choosing a new dwelling place.