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It was becoming common place, popped Joãozão in the bag grabbed ten rolls of film and headed west when I left the train. Another day at the fair grounds and I had 90 minutes to kill.

The plan was to get as far north as grand - past the Italian bakeries -and as far west as Ogden – trying not to buy a coffee at Sip - before wandering back. Didn’t want a coffee at Sip as I wanted to be close when I had my coffee and I actually wanted to have it grazing but seated calmly before heading into MFA fair.

I was conscious before all this West Loop wandering, that I was mindlessly rushing to school and had recently noticed that I hadn’t sat outside before the madness started at roughly nine o’clock – give or take an hour.

I had planned to walk through River North when I didn’t have to be at school early to return to a morning stroll through areas that weren’t as busy as Michigan Avenue. Of course no self respecting photographer – in fact if one were a self respecting photographer at the WGAS one would never say it, as the word has such a bad connotation that one should simply say the “ph” word – no “ph” would be out and about anyway. For as we all know one goes to one’s studio and experiences the world outside via osmosis, then recreates like ol’ Henry Peach Robinson. And if they were caught outdoors there would never be a camera – marling and skitching don’t mix.

This was better. Even though, with its rectilinear streets, it was becoming harder to be surprised, I tried to walk where there was a chance of change and surprise. Randolph Market where restaurants were closing as quickly as they had opened. Photographed safe things – the outdoor cafés not quite ready to go – ah eating within smelling distance of the meat packing district just two blocks away. Photographed things left by closing restaurants.

Tried to work along Fulton Street – for some reason trying to dodge giant juggernauts as they are barrelling down on you gets the observation juices flowing much more so that the mere merchant lorries, I am pretty sure that I would bounce off one of them.

This day it seemed that the spirit of Richard Wentworth had taken over my psyche – kept seeing his works everywhere – the same bit of fence mended three times in different fashions seemed to be the culmination of that experience.

Did a lot of zigzagging, thinking that if I made some sort of drunken oval I would hit just about everything I wanted. Did a better job than I had expected as with only 30 minutes to get to the fair grounds on time – a novel thought at the WGAS where on time is seen with the same guidelines Amtrak within the hour – while I hadn’t made my destination – too many alleys – I was pretty close.

This meant radical steps to get back – familiar route to cut down on the gawking – large coffee and cranberry muffin – I pretend it is a partridgeberry - to take away. I try to walk and chew muffin at the same time.

pool at a doggy day care - lake street