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a quick saturday outing into chicago to see what i could pick up at the make it your own d... self fair in bucktown. not going to the usual places and with five hours, planned walks along streets that would have the most promise. joãzão in tow.

i had to be efficient due to the time but had to make sure that i didn’t work myself into a rushing frenzy. down from the train at ravenswood trying ti guess if a walk along irving park would be more interesting than lawrence or maybe a zig zag. indecision left me starting through a neighbourhood so i took to the alleys as they are more interesting than the streets. this one had the added attraction of the el running over it and thus creating this no-man’s land between the road way and the property. a mix of the formal and things- basketball hoops, chairs, grills between parked machines.

misread the address for the printmaking workshop and headed down western thinking it was further south. wandered down slowly making snaps of the taverns and other façades that that potential missed the busy-ness of the former car lots that used to be here. once again chicago trying to clean itself up. i was six blocks off course when i looked at the address and retraced my steps as i was across from the gallery when i started to head south. crossed the street and photographed on the way north.

the only reasons to go to openings is to say hello to the artists and eat the food. did the second. the artists weren’t around. faced stuffed, headed back on a thankfully quiet brown line - disorienting from the lack of constant announcements - recalled the days before societal a.d.d. - for a quick stop at the dukedom - seemed that in fleeing on friday, i left my gloves, and glasses - then up to bucktown.

now making calculations on what is possible to do with the time - if the train takes 10 mintues i’ll have 15 minutes to hang around before catching the train back - i head to the blue line. which is slowed in the tunnel - recalculate time - then again with someone holding open the door.

the usual decision on which would be the most picturesque route - by default i took ashland to blackhawk - default for like the walk in lincoln square i had to decide that i couldn’t head in the opposite direction even if it were only a half block - so as not to waste time. these “forgotten”; neighbourhoods still hold promise there was reuse - many corner taverns now residences but fewer tear downs, more fire escapes, satellite dishes, postboxes, doors. denser habitations.

bought some stuff that i may or may not use but most stuff costing under a buck, i reckoned that i could think about their use later. two refugées from the dukedom, spoke a bit with art school girl then thinking it a respectable time, started the return trip with more time than i had allotted.

wandered alleys as alleys behind new constructions in bucktown - while they are as heavily fortressed as the street, have more interesting discards between the closed taverns and the discarded toys, i photographed until joãozão “caught” cold and refused to open its shutter. never wanting to make things easy i try to make it to central to buy some materials that i ‘ll need for the rest of the week-end. not the most efficient place, race by the owner, yell for him to memo what i am taking and calculate that if i walk a block a minute and don’t look up,i’ll make the train.