Saturday Afternoon in Downtown Chicago
It is two days I am in Chicago. Today in Art Institute of Chicago, seeing one of my favorite paintings, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, was a total surprise for me.
Chicago in many ways is like New York—much cleaner (which is nice,) but more racially segregated (which is unpleasent.) At the first few hours after leaving the airport I found it difficult to adjust myself to the weather (I think I am now officially "addicted" to living in California.) But after the first few hours I began to enjoy the snow again. Today, walking around in downtown Chicago and feeling the cold breeze on my face took me back to the winters of Tehran and the joy of aimless wandering in the crowded streets.
- Photos are my own, taken this afternoon.
I was shocked at the visible segregation in Chicago too. I used to take this bus down halstead street, i think it was, it passed by the cabrini green projecs, and when you were on that bus just in the span of one single intersection, you would go from seeing all people of color to zero people of color. And this was my uncomfortable experience in many parts of town. But chicago definitely has many charms, i hope you are enjoying yourself.
ReplyDeleteck, Now I am interested to see Saint Louis. What kind of segregation that can be?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you removed your comment about Chicago being "very white", it bugged me so much yesterday that I came back to leave a comment about it, to find out that you've changed it yourself.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Ramin. By using that term I didn't mean to be rude to the European-Americans, but meant "too segregated." But the day after of writing that post I thought about it and felt embarrassed for using the term "White" to criticize a city, especially because I am always the first one in conversations with my friends who criticizes anybody using this word. I think using the word with a negative connotation is a racist act. Usage of this word is based on the same racist principals it is trying to criticize.
ReplyDeleteI apologize from all my "white" friends here for using that in my blog.
Do you mean G.W Bush and his gang?
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of Mullahs you want to be free from?
great post
ReplyDelete