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Fearing that I would be as famous as I am, I at times thought of ways to make money case the career as a late 20th century/ early 21st century photographers didn’t pan out.

Seeing travel programmes of which at the time the title comprised of a number then something to do or see with a superlative thrown in – 5 great railway journeys of the world - seven great river journeys.

I thought on a smaller scale and wanted to do great bus trips in Chicago. At the time I only did two – 60 South Chicago – which is a great bus trip as it winds its way down to the Indiana border at Hegewisch past steel mills, under the Skyway and through three communities.

The second paled in comparison – 11 Lincoln Avenue - which was only great for its non direct diagonal route. In truth though the walk was better than the ride – as during my stint with Shitty 2000, I walked the length of the street within the city limits.

During Shitty 2000 I also took the 14 Jeffrey Express which was great as it left me off in the middle of nowhere but the journey itself was nothing to write home about.

I had to go to school on Monday as a friend who had escaped the States and had lived in Ottawa and now Montréal, was in town and was doing crits with the MFA’s.

Rather than sit about the school fuming, and riding the wave of getting out and about to make snaps, thought of the Blue Island 26th street bus and using this time as a way of seeing if the area heading west had potential. While I had Joãozão with me I was simply riding making visual notes – commercial areas, storefront churches, individuality in the houses, street furniture etc - and returning when I had more time.

It almost didn’t happen as realising that this could be done, I then tried to think of better routes. The Grand Avenue where one passes a giant Paul Bunyan saw this when Oberholzer and I made our way to Oak Park. It could be a triangular route, out Grand where it almost meets Fullerton then back Fullerton.

Maybe south again the South Side is so huge that there must be a bus that doesn’t simply take one of those boring straight as an arrow streets for hundreds of blocks. I could see the decisions creating doubt.

Took the Blue Island/26th finding all sorts of places along the way that would have potential, a few six corners, many local businesses. I could create another faux-pas as learned at the WGAS – be influenced by Gene Atget.

What got me off the bus – as I was in sort of a state of catatonia once again putting things off for later – was a giant cow outside of a Bank of America in Little Village. It was probably the least interesting thing I encountered.

The plan was to get down make the snap and get back on the next bus to continue. Since there wasn’t a bus coming I would just photograph the juice stands, then the stands selling paletas, then the dozens of shops that had torso-less mannequins selling jeans.

This was great, I keep saying that shops in city centres are too self aware and don’t allow for the odd juxtaposition, even the “funky” areas like Milwaukee Avenue in Bucktown, being rapidly gentrified try to hard to not look like downtown.

I could walk ahead toward the terminus and hop on the next bus that came. It is a strategy that I came up with wandering around west Balamer, seeing the bus a refuge in dodgy neighbourhoods – I forget about things like drive by shootings and the like.

Pretty soon it really wasn’t worth hoping on a bus as I wasn’t that far from the “el” – when another piece came to mind – I could take the pink line to the green line and do an homage to the republic flag – there is no white line.

Time was running out I had to head back to the Loop so turned North toward the Pink Line realising that it must have been a profitable morning as the only time I thought of things formal was at the station before entering.

An old morning walk on steroids.