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1869, Ep. 175 with Michael McColly, author of Walking Chicago's Coast | Otter.ai

1869, Ep. 175 with Michael McColly, author of Walking Chicago's Coast

Cornell University Press28min

Jonathan Hall

00:08

Welcome to 1869 the Cornell University Press Podcast. I'm Jonathan Hall In this episode, we speak with Michael McColly, author of the new book, Walking Chicago's Coast: A 63-mile Journey to the Indiana Dunes. Michael McColly's essays have appeared in The New York Times, the Boston Review, and the Sun magazine. He is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-winning memoir, The After Death Room, chronicling his journey, reporting on AIDS activism in Africa, Asia and the United States. We spoke to Michael about how your perception radically changes when you move through the world with intention, how his 63 mile journey through Chicago forever changed how he views the city and concrete steps listeners can take to see their own neighborhoods and cities in a brand new light. Hello, Michael, welcome to the podcast.

Michael McColly

01:02

How you doing? John, good to be here.

Michael McColly

01:05

I'm doing well. Glad to have you on the podcast, and I'm looking forward to talking to you about your new book, Walking Chicago's Coast: A 63-mile Journey to the Indiana Dunes. Tell us the backstory to this book. What made you walk 63 miles and write a book.

Michael McColly

01:23

Well, there's a couple of sort of background stories to this book. I actually was hiking in Great Britain prior to this walk, and I spent about, you know, about three and a half weeks. And as many people have this experience, when they go traveling somewhere, returning is always a kind of downer. You know, I felt like I was not ready to quit walking the experience in the UK, where you can walk out of cities, you can walk out of London or Edinburgh, and I just felt like I was not ready to walk back into my apartment. And, you know, get ready for for teaching again. So I came up with this idea strangely while swimming in Lake Michigan, which I do a lot. And it was, it was crazy, and I sort of laughed off the idea of of, of the idea, and then it began to make sense to me after about, you know, a day, and I began to sort of go online and see if I could do it. And then I drove the route to just to get a sense of where I was going to have to walk. I've lived in Chicago many years. I knew the the areas that I was walking through from a map and from driving, but I knew that I was going to have to walk it, and the dunes were always an important place for me, so it had a pilgrimage aspect to it. I kind of felt like I wanted to, you know, sort of honor the dunes. I spent a lot of time hiking there, from, you know, being in high school all the way to the years I've spent in Chicago, it's a place that became a kind of refuge place for me. I I suffer from depression, so I've often gone there to deal with depression. I also live with HIV, and when I contracted HIV, it was a place I went to kind of deal with the trauma, the fear, the the grief, all of these things. So it has always had this special place for me, the dunes. So I, you know, made, in my mind, a kind of commitment to sort of make an intention to try to do this. And so I, you know, I, like I said, I drove it and then went online and started reading. And then I two days, almost two days after I arrived in the UK, or, I mean, after I came back from the UK, I set out. I told myself, if you don't do it. After a few days, you won't do it. It's a nice idea, but this is you got to do it now. And off I went. And I got up late. I there was parking in Chicago, of course, like lot of big cities, there are special days for street cleaning. And I noticed that my, you know, that my street was going to be cleaned, and so I had to move my car, and it was kind of crazy beginning, but I set out and, you know, the rest is sort of history. You know, I often thought I was not going to make it. I mean, I felt like this will be a great adventure to the Chicago Loop, which is about 12 miles from where I live. Or if you know Chicago, there's a whole lakefront trail which is about 18 miles long. I thought my I'll probably get, I'll probably reach that and get on a bus and come home, you know, but it had its own momentum, and I just kept going.

Speaker 1

06:10

That's great. That's great, you know, you said, you know, two days after coming back from the UK, there's, there's a depression, like, Oh, I'm back in the, you know, the same old, my same old place. But I think what's really cool is that by making this decision, the shift occurred in your brain that happens when we travel, when you travel, and you're in a place you've never seen before, you see a lot more than you normally would absolutely there's a great quote in the beginning of your book where you just started off. You mentioned like you have to deal with, with parking and all these things. It didn't, it didn't go the beginning of the trip. Didn't start off like immediately, as you expected. But as you're walking along, you say, right here, posted below the street lamp over my head, a green street sign spells it out, Sheridan road. I had read the name of the Civil War General and legendary figure in Chicago's history consciously and unconsciously hundreds of times, but here today, on foot, at the beginning of this walk, my perception has shifted by simply telling myself, I'm going to walk across the city, there's an awakened sense of the meaning of A simple street sign with a name on it. So, like, there's suddenly, there's perception shift, and that's throughout the book. So you know you you've lived in Chicago many years and but now you're like seeing it through new eyes. Tell us more about these what you experienced in Chicago, even though you may have experienced it many times. What? What new things did you see with your new eyes?

Michael McColly

07:43

Yeah, it was very interesting. And many people talk about how setting an intention does shift your sense of perception. And I, I've studied yoga for many years, so I'm aware of this idea of ritualizing an experience. And so I I noticed, you know, I noticed, like, the sidewalks, and, I mean, I you know, how they're made, the architecture of buildings that I have walked by, but somehow I felt like I was like, like you mentioned I was a traveler in my own town, and so I gave myself the permission to sort of look and enjoy what I was experiencing, because I was going on this trip, and so I was not headed to back to work or to visit somebody or out. It was solely for the intention of traveling where I lived. And it surprised me. It also surprised me how sometimes memory comes out of buildings and places when you have the time, or your or you also give yourself the time to let memories come back into your head. And so, because that sometimes happens to us when we're driving around, oh, this is where I used to live, whatever. But if you're walking and you're purposely walking through areas, there's a lot of your history and past bubbling up out of streets. And it really it was very interesting to me. So yeah, a lot came up. A lot of stories, family stories, all kinds of stuff.

Speaker 1

09:43

Great, great. What were some of the things? So after this experience, how do you view Chicago differently now?

Michael McColly

09:53

Well, I think that there was the shit, there was the difference between. You know, ideas about a city. I mean, I've lived here for 30 some years. I know things. I've lived in eight different neighborhoods. I've taught all these students and things like that, but I began to feel the city, you know, there's the idea, the intellectual sense of the I know the stories and history and all this, but it's beginning to have the feeling of what a city is, and the texture of of a city and the history. There was a lot of times where history kind of, kind of comes out of buildings out of land. The stories are, are, are sometimes painful. They're, they're, they're, you sense the suffering of people that have made this city. I began to look at buildings, and I remember thinking, My God, all of these people built this, this city built this particular building, built this highway. All these homes were lived in by, you know, several generations of people. People walk here they are. You know, Chicago isn't really that old. I mean, it's about 200 and years old or so, and I just had this deeper sense of the layers of of history that I was walking on, and that that that surprised me, because it was a sense that that I was Beginning to cultivate. Because, again, I had this perceptual change. And there I felt like there were ghosts of me around, and there was a ghost of all of the people that have lived here, and also a lot of the suffering of the city. Feels like there's been a lot of dark things that have happened here. I mean, that was my sense, you know, particularly when I went into industrial areas where it was a very difficult job for people to work in the steel mills and, you know, and oil refineries, hard, hard work that a lot of people in the city have experienced. So I sense that. Yeah,

Speaker 1

12:28

so these dark places, well, let's, let's go into some places, okay, yeah, polluted neighborhoods. They call them so horrible names sacrifice zones and industrial waterways. They're right along the waterway and the rivers. They're super fun sites, all these polluted sites, brown fields, so that. So that's the dark side. But then there was also the positive of how nature can come out of these depths, even when it's polluted. So there's like, there's the yin and the yang and the dark. Yeah, tell us both about this kind of natural experience of wastelands, man made wastelands, but then also nature's resurgence.

Michael McColly

13:09

Yeah, I have always, sort of, you know, been a kind of a birder in the city, and so they're, interestingly, the Chicago's lakefront is a is a magnet for birds like right now, as a matter of fact, and it's a fly away for birds that are are coming back south via the sort of The northern part of Canada and down through the lake, like Michigan corridor and along the lake, even though there's degraded areas, these birds don't care. I mean, they they find all of these places to land. And so in that sense, I've always known the birds they enjoyed all parts of the lakefront. But yeah, I mean walking through industrial areas is a real eye opening experience, because you feel the grit and the dirt and the you know, if you walk through British petroleums refinery, you do feel. You feel the greasiness of the of your skin. You do smell the pollution that is pervasive in some days. It's not as bad as others. And your body takes in the sounds of trucks the level of decibels that you can if you walk under an expressway, you really feel the intensity of all of the all of these motorized vehicles on top of you. And of course, you know that here's a neighborhood right here by this expressway. This 12 lanes, you must absorb all of this pollution. The expressways are a major polluter in Chicago, as they are everywhere. And sometimes we think, Well, you know, it's this terrible steel mills and things like that. No, it certainly is not a good thing to live by a steel mill, but if you live by a you know, 12 Lane expressway, you're you're putting your life in in some Jeopardy, I have to tell you that. But it's just it was the it was the sense of the juxtaposition of people's lives right next to oil refineries, and knowing that if there was an accident, which there has been, British petroleum refineries, their lives are in jeopardy. Knowing that there's like a high school 1000 yards from a Superfund site, you know, you just kind of go, this is, this is something that, that is, you can't ignore when you're walking and so I really got, you know, back and forth. I kind of was, you know, appalled by what I was seeing, even though I knew this, because I've driven by it, but it had this other effect. But then you would see, you know, a, you know, a blue heron crossing over the brown fields, you know. And then you go, oh yeah, this is just where they are. And there are these places in the industrial corridor of Chicago and Indiana where there are nature preserves, there are various conservation groups that have have thankfully done some excellent job of conserving certain little pockets. So it's really strange to come upon a kind of nature preserve, also in some cases, in particularly in Gary, Indiana, where the city has has really struggled to remove a lot of buildings and abandon businesses and Homes, there was a rewilding going on naturally. Trees are taken back, parking lots and shopping malls and things like that. So it's a very surreal experience to see nature returning. Nature does not like a vacuum. It will take, you know, take over. If we do nothing, it's going to come back. And so sometimes you kind of go, this is the way the world might look like certain areas that I pass through in 40 or 50 years, which is how long it's been since some of the areas of Northwest Indiana has had its heyday. It's, it's, it's now fallen, and nature has returned.

Speaker 1

18:07

That's great. That's great. What about what are some of the human that, I mean, that is obviously connected to human activity, but what are some of the darker aspects of the human, moving away from nature, but more just on the human experience of living in the city. What were some of the things that were kind of eye opening, or like, I knew this theoretically, but then I saw it in practice.

Michael McColly

18:30

See seeing kids playing, you know, in areas where there's no grass. I mean, yeah, walking through Gary and, you know, it's just there was no, you know, there was no parks. I mean, there's parks in Gary, but they weren't where I was there. When you have a huge high school that has been abandoned, and you just have to go buy it every day, or you have to go buy a a a a scrap yard. You know, it's just in the lack of color in some areas and the dust because of trucks or trains that are, you know, making really loud noises all night long, and and just, you know, this degraded nature of an environment, particularly for for for all human beings, but especially for young people, it just You get a sense of the of the sadness and the psychological effect of of a place not being moving forward and and blooming. It's it's beginning to degrade and fall apart, and there's. Not the energies for it to begin to change. And I think that's what is. Was demoralizing at times and and it was visceral. You know, you kind of, you feel the grief in the in the land and in people that have to deal with it. I mean, some places there was, you know, just, just to put it in there, but there were, you know, sometimes there are places where there's, you know, kind of shrines for for children, or somebody who has passed away or been shot or something like that, on the side of a street. And it was, you know, balloons and little notes and teddy bears and things like that. And you just see that kind of thing that affects you, you know, especially if you've been walking for a long time, sure.

Speaker 1

20:57

So interspersed between some of these dark spaces and sadness and grief. What were some moments that were the opposite of that, where you almost were like ecstatic or happy, or there was light at the end of the tunnel?

Michael McColly

21:13

Well, you know, there was, you know, times when I, you know, I was picked up at one point because I got lost in East Chicago, and it was late, and I I was not sure exactly where I was, because I'd made a little a change in my direction. In other words, I was lost, and there was a taxi, there was a, you know, a taxi driver that that that rescued me. And he, he was from Chicago, my own neighborhood, as a matter of fact, and he was, he was in the process of moving to Indiana. And so, you know, we, you know, we talked in the taxi, right? He was actually from CO D war. He was from the Ivory Coast and and so we just had a really good conversation. And then, and then, he took me to the to the to the casino where I stayed, which was a former casino built by Donald Trump, of course. And it was just, you know, a good, you know, kind of light moment, you know, to to be, to be rescued by somebody, and then have a really good conversation. And it was 1030 at night, you know. And he was really a nice guy. And some other people that I met who really were very interested in what I was doing, you know, and they were like, oh, keep going. Keep going. So that was good. And other places I actually met, when I got to the Indiana Dunes that, you know, it's a national park. It's one of the smallest ones, but and the Rangers, when I, when I walk through the gate, you know, if you, if you're walking into a national park, you still have to pay. And I was like, joking with them that I actually walked from Chicago, and they said, I'm sorry, you still have to pay. So, you know, it was like, Okay, thanks. But yeah, it was, it was people basically, yeah, and

Speaker 1

23:28

that's cool. That's cool. It makes sense. Makes sense. Because sometimes, when you're alone in your thoughts, you can get kind of going to a dark space, but then people can pull you, pull you up, back out into, oh,

Michael McColly

23:38

yeah, yeah, yes. That was a nice thing, you know, is to people, you know, I was also aware of people, you know, with my my sensitivities, you know, I was glad to see them, wonderful people, one one place I was somebody is moving a refrigerator like you raced over there to help them, and they said, no, no, it's okay. We got it, you know, it's like, but I don't know if I would have done that in a regular, you know, day, you know, it's raced around and try to help people with the refrigerators. I wanted to make connections,

Speaker 1

24:14

yeah, yeah. So, that's, so, that's, this is. It's a very inspiring story. And so, again, the idea is that you don't have to get on a plane to go somewhere exotic to to experience something new. You can find it right in your backyard. You said you lived in Chicago for like, 30 years, and you saw something new. You experienced something new. What? What are some what's some advice you could give to someone who they may not need to travel 63 miles. Maybe they just want to walk 10 miles or 20 miles area and have experience like you did. What would you recommend? How did they get into that state? What was, what would be some advice you'd give someone?

Michael McColly

24:53

Yeah, I hope, yeah. I definitely hope. You know, I'm part of the book is to advocate for. Walking and where you live, because I think walking is not only physically and psychologically healthy to be outside, even in cities, but it's also important to connect yourself to where you live and to other neighborhoods around you and make connections. And I think the it's very healthy socially to make those connections. But I would say, you know, set out to go someplace you've always wanted to go to in the city. Maybe make a pilgrimage to a place that is important to you. And don't, you know, put on your earphones, you know, keep it, you know, keep yourself away from your phone as much as possible, and and maybe not take so many pictures, you know. I mean, try to be present to where you are in the city, and whether you do it alone or with somebody, it doesn't, you know, it doesn't matter, and give yourself the time to do it and and I like, like you've said, make it 10 miles. Make it a little bit more than, Oh, I'm going to go three miles over here. I mean, the distance will affect you, and time will affect you. So push it a little bit, you know, make it, make it, make it 10 miles, you know, and then, or get on a bus, or you're something and and then walk back home from somewhere, you know. So, you know, try, try different things.

Jonathan Hall

26:35

Yeah, I like that. I like that in your book, you you quote Basho, the Japanese poet. And you say that he describes the Wayfarers desire for wandering as a feeling of being, quote, possessed by the gods and under this power, he tells us his soul becomes turned inside out. And then you finish it by saying, everywhere he looks, the world is colored out to him. Quote, roadside images seem to invite me from every corner so that it was impossible to stay at home. So those listening to this podcast, if you can relate to those words from Basho, you will definitely relate to the words of Michael McColly in his new book, Walking Chicago's Coast: A 63-mile Journey to the Indiana Dunes. It was great talking with you. Michael.

Unknown Speaker

27:23

Thank you. John, it was great. Thank you. Jonathan, yes, go out and explore your city.

Jonathan Hall

27:31

Yes, let's do it. Let's do it. Okay, thanks so much. Michael, thank you. That was Michael McColly, author of the new book Walking Chicago's Coast: A 63-mile Journey to the Indiana Dunes. Use the promo code 09POD to save 30% off his new book at our website, cornellpress.cornell.edu.Thank you for listening to 1869 the Cornell University Press podcast.

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