HEAR BELOW 2023: Map and Sonic Points of Interest
Pedway Route Overview
1 mile round trip, about 35-40 min
IMAGE: Map of the Chicago Pedway System
Image Credit: City of Chicago
Directions and Parking for HEAR BELOW: My Pedway Soundwalk
The 2023 HEAR BELOW: My Pedway Soundwalk is an east-west route beginning at Chicago’s Millennium Station (roughly Randolph and Michigan) and, depending on the day of the week, ending at the State of Illinois Building or the Blue Line station. You may travel it in either direction, depending on how you arrive in the loop and/or where you choose to park. (See the trailheads in the map below.) How you choose to navigate the soundwalk trail, what other plans you have downtown, and how much you are willing to pay for parking will determine how you will arrive at the soundwalk trail. It’s all up to you; it’s your soundwalk.
If you are beginning at Millennium Station, street parking is available on Columbus Drive south of Monroe. You have to pay the meters during the day and on weekends. Carefully check the parking regulations because you don’t want to have to go to lower, lower Randolph Street to retrieve your vehicle. You might also find parking north of the river; again, read the parking signs carefully. If you wish to start from the west, parking is a little easier on the west side of the south branch of the Chicago River. As always, pay attention to the parking regulations. From either end, it’s a short to medium-length walk to the beginning of either end of the Hear Below soundwalk. On the other hand, if you take the CTA, the Red Line will let you off underground at State and Lake, the Brown and Green Lines have an elevated stop at Washington and Wabash, and the Blue Line has an underground stop at Washington and Dearborn (the west end of the Pedway soundwalk).
A Note on WiFi. For the most part, plan for limited WiFi in the pedway. Data should be available throughout the pedway and is dependent on your carrier. Our advice is to plan ahead to load maps before starting your soundwalk. GPS, while not as accurate underground as above ground should be relatively accurate.
• • •
Let’s Get Started – Breathing Exercise
When you get to the beginning of the HEAR BELOW soundwalk, take some time to slow down before beginning your walk. Relax your body, feel your feet firmly on the ground, and let your arms hang loosely at your sides. If you are comfortable, close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose for five counts, hold it for five counts, and breathe out of your mouth for five counts. Repeat three to five times until you feel yourself slowing down and relaxing.
Continue breathing and listen to the sounds all around you. Listen to the sounds closest to you. Are they constant or sustained, or are they intermittent? Next, listen for the sounds farther away from you. Again, ask yourself, are they constant or intermittent? Finally, listen for the sounds farthest away from you, ones you can barely hear. Are these sounds constant or intermittent? Are any of the sounds you are hearing unusual? Are you hearing things you don’t expect?
Take a few more breaths as you have been doing. When you are ready, open your eyes and begin the HEAR BELOW soundwalk. As you proceed, it is best to walk in silence. A soundwalk is intended to be a personal listening experience. If you are walking with someone else, save your thoughts to the end of the walk before having a conversation. The sound of your footsteps becomes part of the walk; listen to the leaves, gravel, and pavement under your feet. Pause at each of the following sonic points of interest. Listen to the sound around you, read the description, and listen to the brief recording.
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SONIC POINTS OF INTEREST
1. MILLENNIUM STATION
Mallory’s Route 1
GPS: 41°52’59” N 87°37’29″W, 590 ft Elevation
Access: Elevator and Stairs from Street-Level
Image Description: Entrance to Millennium Station at the southwest corner of Michigan and Randolph Streets
Image Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
Image Description: The beginning of Pedway at Randolph and Michigan Ave
Image Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
DESCRIPTION
Entry to Millennium Station is located at the intersection of Randolph and Michigan Ave. next to the Chicago Cultural Center building. One can access the pedway through the Millennium Station entrance or through the Randolph St. Lobby. Keep an eye/ear out for a Divvy bike stand that is located next to the stairs.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
The Millennium Station pedway entrance drones with bustling traffic, commuters, and mechanical noise from flickering lights and the air ventilation moving through the passageways. The multiple passageways that branch off from the stairs allow for the drone of the city traffic to wash through the corridors, blending into the rhythmic pattern of the revolving door that occasionally pushes through sounds from the other connected passageways creating a multidimensional sense of space.
LISTEN: Street Jazz Music
Audio Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
Microphone: Zoom H6 XY mic module
South Lobby of the South Water Metra Station
GPS: 41°53’04.0″N 87°37’26.0″W
Access: Pedway from Millennium Station street level entrance
Image Description: South Lobby of South Water Street Metra Station with stairs and ramp leading down to the Metra platforms
Image Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
DESCRIPTION
From the concourse, you are led to another waiting area of the Metra station, where there is a stark contrast between the materials and acoustics of the space as you move from terrazzo to concrete flooring. As this point of the pedway leads down to the Metra track, commuters waiting for the next train sit, wait, and listen to the voice guiding you to the numbered tracks.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
Commuters waiting for the next train sitting on worn wooden benches, sounds of luggage rolling through the space fill the space. The mechanical voice creates a rhythmic pattern that guides the listener in the space to either platform #1, #2, or #3. When the announcer’s voice is transduced through the intercom, the voice overpowers the rhythmic sonic guiding cues that help the listener tune in to important announcements regarding approaching and departing trains.
IMAGE: Millennium Station Concourse waiting area with entrance to the Metra on the left and South Shore on the right
Image Credit: Jeanette Dominguez
LISTEN: Train Public Announcement
Audio Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
Microphone: Zoom H6 XY mic module
LISTEN: Passengers Walking & Talking
Millennium Station Concourse
GPS: 41°53’04.0″N 87°37’26.0″W
Access: Pedway from Millennium Station street level entrance
Image Description: Millennium Station Concourse waiting area with entrance to the Metra on the left and South Shore on the right
Image Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
DESCRIPTION
As you move through the entrance hallway, you will end up in the Millennium Station concourse, a lively space surrounded by a variety of restaurants, coffee shops, and a waiting area for the Metra and South Shore stations. Painted lines on the floor guide commuters through the concourse, making the route feel more like an airport than a sub-ground passageway.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
This section of the concourse is heavily trafficked by commuters, shop workers, and people seeking temporary shelter in the waiting area of the Metra station. Muffled conversations, movement of winter clothing, and wet footsteps become sonic accompaniments to the continuous drone that fills the pedway as air moves through the passageways from section to section.
LISTEN: Ceiling Air System
Audio Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
Microphone: Zoom H6 XY mic module
LISTEN: Ticket Machine
Millennium Station –South Shore Line Train Platform
GPS:
Access: Elevator and stairs accessible from street-level
LISTEN: Bike Locking + People passing by
LISTEN: Metra Train Jet Engine
LISTEN: Pigeon Fighting
LISTEN: Bus Passing by side
Image Description: Millennium Station South Shore Line Platform with exit to the Metra waiting area on the left and entrance to Harris Theater on the right
Image Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
Audio Credit: Mallory Yanhan Qiu
Microphone: Zoom H6 XY mic module
• • •
When you get to the end of the HEAR BELOW soundwalk, take a few moments to relax before exiting the pedway. Take a few deep breaths as you did before the soundwalk and think about what you have heard and witnessed. Think about the world of sounds and sights of the pedway. What is unique about each of the spaces below and above the street level and how does the architecture and materials reflect the sound of the different spaces? How is the east part of the walk—through the Milliennium Station and the Chicago Cultural Center—different from west part of the walk—through the shopping centers, train stations and cavernous spaces like those in City Hall. How is the sound different and why?
We welcome your thoughts and reflections on these questions and on your soundwalk experience. Post your images and videos to social media using the hashtag #hearbelow. If you would like to share them with us so we can share them with others, you may comment below, or if you would like to share audio, video, or still images from your soundwalk, please contact us.