Chicago Is So Two Years Ago

Through my travels of the city I have come up with a thesis in a sense about how the city is constructed here it goes.

There are three main levels to the city with two sub-levels in between. The main three are called 1) The Underground 2) The Facade and 3) The Elevated Place.

First The Underground a.k.a Hell. This is the subway stations. When people go down to the depths, they change. No longer are they smiling, friendly people. They become afraid and shut themselves behind mental walls. They don't look at you but rather though you. And who wouldn't? The rancid odor of time and rust and the crazy entertainers making everything that more awkward. You lose all sense of time and place down in Hell.

Next is The Facade, what everyone sees. This is the main level of the city, the ground. What the mayor wants you to see. Things are all ordered nicely with street lights, shops and houses. Trees line the sidewalks and the weather is all around you. This is the image of Chicago and every city, and this is where people act normal, or as they think of it.

Last is The Elevated Place. Obviously this would be the elevated trains, the "el" or "L." This in a sense is similar to The Underground since they both are train systems and people here also hide behind their own walls. But there is one important distinction. From The Elevated Place you truly see the city. You see every good and bad thing. You see the skyline and the ghetto. Only here can you see Chicago for what it truly is.

Now there are two sub-levels. The first is between The Underground and The Facade that I call The Underworld. Chicago was built on a marsh, and therefore the city is raised from it's normal level a few feet or so. This is most prominent by the lake where there exists a whole other street underneath Michigan Avenue. Very few people know about this, and of course, no tourists go down. There are also places where the entrance is farther down than the ground, such as my dorm and many houses and apartment buildings.

The last sub-level is between The Facade and The Elevated Place. I call it The Metra. It is not as high up as the "el" but it exists above the ground somewhat and has an atmosphere between the two. One can somewhat see the city for what it is but there exists no real change in people's demeanor, for no one fears getting mugged on a Metra train.

This is my thesis and I am crazy.