Finally, here it is: the long-awaited “Around Champaign” post! This one was compiled from photos taken on various wanders around town, over the course of a few months.
Champaign, IL comprises one half of a pair of smallish twin cities, the two of which are collectively known as “Champaign-Urbana.” While I live on the Champaign side, downtown Urbana is only a quick 15-minute drive away. The two cities feel more like two distinct neighborhoods of one larger, more sprawling city–or three distinct neighborhoods, if you take into account the bustling pseudo-city that is Campustown.
Yes, Champaign-Urbana is a college town, and because of this has managed to avoid some of the signs of depression that have swallowed many other towns in the midwest. However, it still didn’t escape the recession unscathed–and these days the gleaming hi-rises and ramen restaurants make for an interesting juxtaposition with the other side of town’s cracked parking lots and disused warehouses. Champaign, Urbana, and Campustown have never quite gelled into a cohesive whole in my mind. They are certainly distinct bodies, but so interconnected and geographically close (not to mention tiny) that all three share amenities.
This confusion may make for an odd living experience, but in my opinion also leads to some appealing photographic opportunities. Plus, there’s no shortage of the type of photogenic industrial decay that isn’t so readily found in DC.
~~+~~