In the 1957 Swedish epic film The Seventh Seal, a medieval knight
named Antonius Block attempts to extend his life during the Black
Plague by challenging Death himself to a game of CHESS. In much the
same way, the 1,000 plus members of Walking ACROSS CHICAGO ATTEMPT TO
AVOID FAMILY OBLIGATIONS, tax returns, and normal weekend routines as
we traverse the city each month, walking away from somewhere and
ending up nowhere.While I wouldn’t want to spoil the outcome of the
great dark comedic film for those who haven’t seen it, it is true
that the film’s director Ingmar Bergman will be celebrating his
100th birthday from below a tombstone on the island of Fårö on July
14.
On this month’s 7.5 mile walk, we will honor Bergman, the game of
chess, and death itself as we visit several of Chicago’s outdoor
chess sets- first at Paseo Prairie Garden (2614 N. Kedzie), then
Humboldt Park (southeast corner by Luis Munoz Marin Drive), then
Senior Citizen’s Park (2228 N. Oakley), then Lincoln Park Chess
Pavilion (1601 N. Lake Shore Drive). The first to arrive and willing
at each site will play a game; others can watch or re-enact scenes
from the movie or run circles around trees in squirrel-like fashion.
The starting point is right by the Blue Line CTA (and also a stop of
the Diversey bus). We will meet right in the garden, but you can stop
at New Wave Coffee (3103 W. Logan) or Mac Donald’s (2707 N.
Milwaukee) for restrooms. If the weather outside is frightful, games
will still be played under shelter in the CTA Blue Line underground,
Humboldt Park Boat House, and within local businesses near the planned
locations.
As always, please use Google Maps or similar to find the best way to
reach the starting point from wherever you are traveling. If you don't
know how to play CHESS, find another walker who doesn't know how to
play CHESS AND MAKE UP THE RULES AS YOU GO. Because the walks are
spontaneous and we encourage stopping at interesting places on the
way, we don’t operate on a strict timetable once the walk begins. If
you miss the beginning and want to catch up later, it’s best to
connect directly with another walker you know. I will also encourage
members of the group to volunteer to post our location on this page
periodically. Otherwise, here is our general course:
https://goo.gl/maps/RpCRMiTGauv [https://goo.gl/maps/RpCRMiTGauv]
Bring chess pieces if you have them!
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09/03/2019 Last update