I started my journey from the steps of my office building:
And here’s where I ended up (a parking garage):
Sketch:
…not the best map but I’m not studying cartography for a reason!
Notes:
I walk about a mile to and from work everyday coming from the south direction, and these directions took me north of work a bit. I’m more familiar with this area from driving around it, but walking led me to notice some buildings I hadn’t before. I had a good time just because I actually love walking. It’s my favorite mode of transportation. I love to walk around any city I visit (except Los Angeles because that’s impossible). I walk to work instead of riding my bike even though it takes longer just because it’s more leisurely and I can breathe fresh air. Also, I really do enjoy the geography of my city, Charleston. Architecture in Charleston is quite unique. The Charleston-style home is a tall, slender house with at least one large front porch on the first level (some have them on multiple levels). They come in an array of colors, some are bright blue, some are pastel pink, and some are just white or dark. Something about this variety and quirkiness makes me happy; I guess it’s because it’s not architecture you see everyday. These are the normal style houses in the downtown region. Most of them are at least 150 years old so there a historic quality as well. A lot of them have paint chipping and rotting wood, but many of them have been restored as well. On my walk, I started noticing the buildings that didn’t fit this mold, actually. For example, I work on a medical campus and a lot of the doctor’s offices and other medical buildings are made out of brick, not wood, and don’t fit the tall and slender mold of the Charleston-style house. Some of these brick buildings were sprinkled in between the Charleston-style houses and they seemed to be out of place. To me, it presents a discord with the environment so I find it jarring. I don’t necessarily think every building needs to look the same, but I do find peace with overall cohesiveness in certain areas. I don’t know why it makes me happy, but it does. I definitely think architecture and landscape has a big effect on our moods and feelings.
My walk was very charming among the houses and the trees. I really love looking at foliage as well. I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed my walk as much had there not been any trees or plants. I did end up in the park in the horseshoe of the medical campus, which is really lovely. A lot of trees and grass give a nice green space among all the tall buildings. I always feel a bit depressed when I’m somewhere like NYC where there isn’t much foliage. Something about man-made concrete jungles makes me feel disconnected.
Also of note is the fact that the medical campus is surrounded by a small brick wall, effectively separating it from the “outside” world. I see this wall everyday, but today’s the first time I noticed how it’s used to outline the medical campus. It’s interesting because I actually work just outside the wall and there’s plenty of other buildings outside of the wall as well. I do kind of feel “separated” from the rest of campus at times.
I’m not sure that we can ever be objective when describing a familiar environment. I know with my words here, I’ve expressed that I do love the geography of where I live and work so it’s hard for me to not come from a bias angle. I take this bias whenever I travel as well. We are always forming opinions of where we are. My favorite cities are heavily inspired by their geography, and same with my least favorite cities.
Some photos of my journey:
