Anti-Cruise

When I was fifteen I happened to turn on HBO when they played this documentary called The Cruise about a double-decker bus tour guide named Timothy "Speed" Levitch. Its shot in beautiful black and white and follows Levitch around as he waxes philosophically and inspiringly about life, love, and NYC. It altered and elevated my outlook on creativity and the human condition.

One of his main points of discourse is his ideology- The Cruise- compromising adventure, experimentation, experience, and basically living life to its fullest. The force, he says, opposing this is the anti-cruise manifesting itself in things as small as roadblocks or detours to organizations as large as law enforcement and the government itself. The anti-cruise is to be evaded and thwarted at all costs.

A couple years ago I noticed these signs going up around Chicago "No Cruising Zone". Upon some investigation it appears it is in reference to an ordnance which makes people who drive through these neighborhoods more than once in an hour subject to a written warning and eventual fines. The stated intent is to relieve congestion. Any time I see these signs I can't help but think of Levitch.

This sign is a very clear manifestation of the anti-cruise. And I have no doubt the intention of the Chicago Municipal Code is to restrict its citizens sense of adventure and exploration. To restrict, contain, and control.

Chicago, the sprawling metropolis of the middle west, holds untold mystery and beauty if you are brave enough to seek it out.