I grew up in the wilderness. I would spend my free time tromping around on the countryside getting lost and having to find my way home. You could say I made a bit of a sport of it. As such, I learned to use my intuition and deductive reasoning skills to get myself out of jams I found myself in. This skill has proven infinitely useful as I embark on my journey into a new kind of wilderness.

“The City Survival Guide” is an account of some of the ways I’ve applied these skills to my new setting.

Navigation

Chicago’s street system is laid out in a very intuitive way. The streets run North to South and East to West. The numbering of the blocks begins at the intersection of State Street and Madison Avenue. This is 0W/E, and 0N/S respectively.

With a few exceptions, every 8 blocks is a mile with a major road every 1/2 mile (or every 4 blocks.) These major roads are the routes along which most public transit travels.

I’ve found myself in the situation on multiple occasions where I am on a street and don’t know which way is North. It’s winter here so there’s a pretty consistent cloud cover and the position of the sun in the sky is not a reliable indicator. There are a couple of ways to determine this. The first method is based on satellite dishes.

The Satellite Belt

It is more cost effective to launch a satellite into orbit from The Equator. The centripetal force of the Earth’s rotation gives the satellite some extra lift and cuts down in fuel costs. For this reason, commercial satellites point almost exclusively South in the Northern Hemisphere.

A Stick in the Mud

The second method is one I used to call upon when I’d go hiking in the woods. Find an object which stands upright and casts a shadow. Ideally, it should be tall and slender. One can shove a stick in the mud if one so chooses. Put a place-marker at the tip of the shadow. Wait 15 minutes, and mark the point of the shadow at its new location.

The shadow has traveled almost due West to almost due East during the time that has elapsed. Stand with your left foot on the first mark and your right on the second. You are now facing almost due North.

Analogue Turn-By-Turn Navigation Systems

Now a word on who to ask for directions: shop owners and patrons are largely useless. With modern technology, very few actually learn the layout of the street system and instead rely on GPS to get around. Public transit officials can be just as bad but some of them can be helpful. Ideally you want to find a mail carrier. They look at addresses every day and tend to know their area pretty well.

Being Alert

There are certain times when you should remain extremely alert and aware of your surroundings. For example, traveling on the trains after midnight can be risky. Make sure all of your sensory input is available. Don’t listen to music, play with a $700 smart phone, or read a book on public transit during peak crime hours.

If you’re walking in a neighborhood in which you feel threatened, don’t be afraid of your reflection. Walk far away from buildings. You have better perception around corners and you can use the reflections of the windows to observe others walking behind you.

Try to travel in groups but if you have to travel alone, know that your body language says a lot to a potential attacker. Walk with your hands out of your pockets. The last thing that you want is to have some thug approach you as you fumble to get your hands out of your coat pockets. Don’t let an attacker have the advantage of the element of surprise.