The Alleys of College Park

“The world is extremely asymmetrical and the things that rest on it are fairly level.” – a slice of Summer Rodman’s journal from the recent Destination Journal in College Park, Florida. (Image: Summer Rodman)

The group (5 total) took to the alleys behind a small stretch of businesses, focusing mainly on smelling and hearing. A giant leaf moved down a driveway – causing us to search for its tree; we explored a white, unusual medical complex/former home – urban fossils like scabs on its walls, an abandoned fireplace, and a basketball hoop. Nearby we found freshly poured tar and another white structure with an unknown purpose. We walked into Top Drawer Consignments from the back entrance, the patch of landscaping outside the door was inviting – floral plantings – and inside a change of smell and scenery. We weren’t able to track many smells on the walk – faint burger grease outdoors and eucalyptus or unknown candle scents mixed inside the shop. On the way back to Downtown Credo (our starting and ending spot) we used the sidewalks in front of the buildings – sitting down on benches to pay attention to the waves of cars and the sounds from their radios and passengers – stopping and starting and rolling forward.