Seeing South Bend on Foot

When I moved closer to the city this Spring, my goals were to use my car as little as possible and continue to document the city. Since the quarantine, walking around South Bend has become a large part of my daily routine. My walks usually end up being early in the morning with my son to go see the "big rocks" in Howard Park or a couple of hours before sunset to make my big loop around the city. 

On this day, we had just had a heavy Spring rain, and the sun had just peaked out. I grabbed my camera and set out for the big loop. I live on the Northeast side of town, so my route usually starts on the East Bank walking trail.

I first approach Alex Ann Allen's beautiful mural on the J2 Marketing building. It reminds me of the time Zach Shrank and I interviewed Alex for our documentary, Big Enough, Small Enough - South Bend in Transition, while she was creating this wonderful work of art.

Continuing South through town, I end up at one of my favorite abandoned buildings, Close Out City, an old record store on Michigan Street. During this time, the homeless tent encampment was growing as you can see off to the right. Last Fall, I started documenting this building from the same location every time I pass it on my walk or drive.

I make my way under the West Bronson Street Bridge and love the contrast of light and shadows with the reflection of fresh rain on the sidewalk. 

The ivy growing on 116 West Bronson Street almost feels alive at this point. The ever-growing ivy on buildings here in South Bend is such a beautiful site. 

I make a turn on South Main street, back towards home, and as usual, a train is passing by. The light hitting the newly renovated Studebaker building and blue train cars complement each other nicely. 

The trees are just starting to bloom as I finish up the walk in my neighborhood.

I encourage you to leave the car at home and explore the city on foot. You'll be able to slow down and see our beautiful city in a new light. I look forward to crossing paths soon.

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This post was written and photographed by Ryan Blaske, a filmmaker in South Bend. He is a co-creator of the documentary Big Enough, Small Enough - South Bend in Transition and has been featured on sites such as Adobe, Red Bull and The Washington Post.

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