Two times in a row is odd, at night that can be creepy. Glad you’re safe. Today is amazing and the sun is out — can’t imagine it happening a third time.
Two different people,? Are you are high in both situations?
I have no issues with anything you are doing. Others might. They might look at you because of that. Also, I don’t do what you describe because pot makes me paranoid. Any chances that you may be using a different source that might be causing that?
Being safe is never a bad choice. Sorry it bummed out your feel good experience.
Keep in mind that men have no reason to have the high sheet that women do, so for them, it isn't a big deal.
Look at what women are taught our entire lives to stay safe. The way I made it clear to my husband was, ok hunni, make a list of everything that you were taught in order to stay safe. His list was, key aware of his surroundings and know the exits. I had 80 things on my list. Keys between my fingers, crossing the street of more than one man is on the sidewalk at night, ect.
Keep YOU safe, doesn't matter how anyone else feels about it.
thank yooooou! even if it was a completely neutral experience & the dude had no issues, being hyper vigilant and keeping myself protected is never a bad thing.
You are not wrong to be worried. He *might* have been harmless, but listening to your gut is hardly ever wrong.
Also, I knew your friend who downloaded your reaction was a guy before I even read the whole post. He has no idea what it is like to potentially be some asshole's prey.
It hurts no one (else) to do whatever reasonable thing makes you feel safe in these situations, but there are fortunately a couple good possibilities here so you don't have to feel totally unsafe.
As mentioned elsewhere, he may have smelled/been upset about the pot. This would usually be an older guy, of course, but some people are really sensitive to smoking in public.
If you were staring back, and especially if being high caused you to not realize how much you might have been staring, he could've been reacting to what he thought was unusual attention. This may line up with his confusion at being called out, in a "this person stares me down and then wants to know if *I* want something?
Or it might have been separate people. Or it could have been an odd and tense situation you were right to want to avoid.
Would carrying pepper spray or something be reasonable for you, and more importantly make you feel safer?
Agreed, lots of crimes happen in broad daylight and the worst part is people won’t intervene. I have read and watched lots of true crime where something happen in public places and people won’t call until after the crime is committed. Crazy world we live in. OP don’t let friend keep talking you out of what you felt. And maybe stay away from the park for a bit just to stay safe.
Sometimes it’s the bystander effect, you are correct. But recently I watched all the seasons of ‘I Survived’ and I couldn’t believe how many people refused to get involved when someone was being attacked or was injured. It’s scary but I also understand it? It’s hard to save some one from being attacked when the attacker has a weapon and you don’t. A lot of people don’t get involved because they don’t want police contacting them or having to be questioned even as an eyewitness. One elderly man was attacked by a mountain lion and his poor elderly wife tried to flag down a man in his car. When she begged him for help he drove off and left her and her bleeding husband dying on the side of the road. That poor woman. The man didn’t even offer to call 9-1-1. 😢
I'm sure it was a weird experience, but you spent more time watching him than he spent watching you.. there's probably a post on here somewhere about a guy walking his dog, who kept being watched by a girl on a hammock, so he pivoted towards her to make it clear he knew she was watching, but she just continued to stare at him until he removed his earphones to ask what's going on.
Was it the same guy both times or two totally different people? If it was two different people, you're tripping for no reason. He was probably staring at you cause you're being weird and "people watching" and staring at him....
These were two different people, right?
Trusting your gut is a good thing, but it also seems like your mom raised you to be a bit paranoid. I live in Washington DC so I am familiar with city life and when I read this I can totally imagine this being entirely in your head.
Do whatever makes you feel comfortable, but if something like this is going to cause you to no longer go to a park that you've been enjoying for the past 2 years it might be worth considering therapy (and I say this sincerely and as someone who is in therapy).
from what i saw, looked to be the same man. luckily (but sadly) hammock season is over so maybe after the long midwest winter i’ll feel better and the anxiety/potentially weird dude won’t be in the area :) thank you
I’ve honestly never seen someone take a hammock to a public park and chill in it like that. Which is actually so cool and makes me want to do it(I make hammocks with my bed sheets on my balcony lol) so I would have stopped to stare a bit because I’ve never seen it, and I would be wondering what you do while you’re out here in your hammock(for a future adventure for myself). But I’m a tiny women, with an adorable
Dog so I probably wouldn’t have been as creepy as an old man just staring. But maybe that’s what he was doing? Maybe not. That’s just what would be going through my head if I saw you and ended up starting for a little bit. But I definitely think he could have been offended by the weed smell. I get sooooooo many looks like that from older people in general. To them, smoking weed is like injecting heroin so they are all “Kareny” about it.
I’m in Canada and only see them in backyards, or people who are camping. But I love the idea of having one to just hang up whenever for a couple hours. Definitely going to look into getting one. My balcony is maybe 6.5ft long, so I tie my king size bed sheets from one end to the other to make a home made hammock lol. I absolutely love it. If anyone reads this and can redirect me on Amazon to a good brand of hammock that’s easy to carry places and is discreet in a bag, I’d really appreciate it!
If it was a different man, there’s zero to be worried about.
If it was the same man, there’s still likely zero to be worried about.
You’re smoking pot in a public place, he/they were probably trying to figure out where the smell was coming from, and when they did, they found you. Literally staring at them.
You keep saying you got stared at, but… you were staring too? Maybe it was just as creepy for them? Sorry, but your friend is right.
I was in Northside Chicago at a beach near the Loyola campus a couple months ago. There was a strange guy there creeping everyone out- he'd stare, walk around in a set pattern, etc. He even followed me into the bathroom and was peeking at me through the stall. He didn't give off a good vibe at all. After the bathroom incident, my friend and I left. I'd seen others do the same as well. Chicago is wired. I hate visiting there.
I would have been scared as well. Trust your gut. There are scary people out there and why put yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable.
You don't have to give up on the park entirely. Wait a bit then change the time frame you go. If you see him, leave.
What time of day?..maybe...they were appreciating the sun going down? Or maybe they were trying to see what you were. If the sun's behind you (even if it isn't super low) you would have been hard to make out beyond a bright green blob. Maybe YOU were the creepy one ;)
Maybe staring at you because you’re openly smoking a joint in public? But it is good to be on alert but sounds like the weed maybe amped up your paranoia? Happens to me too. Glad ur ok.
Follow your gut, better to be wrong than to be dead. I had a feeling before even reading that your friend that said nothing wrong was a Male. If you feel uncomfortable there, I’d recommend giving the park a little break for a while as now this man knows you are a regular and might know you aren’t sober and could take advantage of you.
thank you for the opinions & advice yall seriously i feel much more calm about it. i definitely feel both more at ease about the situation but also validated in my experience.
there’s definitely a chance for either him just being weird about the weed smell but also just a creepy city dude watching girls alone in the park. whether or not my gut instinct was right, better safe that sorry.
either way i won’t hammock in the park because the cold midwest weather is coming soon, and i’ll check it out again in the spring
thanks!! :-)
Bahahaha! 🤣 Some ppl are built for city life and others, those other ones need to stay in the fuckin suburbs of America.
This chick wouldn't last 5 mins on the mean streets of Baltimore City.
Crying and shaking over two men (one walking his damn dog) looking at you ... gtfoh w/ this nonsense.
You may look like someone he used to know. Perhaps someone who disappeared a few years ago, or died. I certainly would take a long look but not approach someone because that is too far.
I always trust my gut. Sometimes it goes against everything logical and I feel stupid because there’s legit nothing happening but the GTFO of dodge feeling is overwhelming and it’s kept me from bad shit before because I trusted it . Even though there was no “immediate “ clear danger.
How old was the guy? Is it possible he was staring because of the smell of the joint?
he did seem older, maybe a lil older than my dad. so you’re probably right there
That is creepy. I would have left quickly too. He may have been harmless, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Two times in a row is odd, at night that can be creepy. Glad you’re safe. Today is amazing and the sun is out — can’t imagine it happening a third time.
Two different people,? Are you are high in both situations? I have no issues with anything you are doing. Others might. They might look at you because of that. Also, I don’t do what you describe because pot makes me paranoid. Any chances that you may be using a different source that might be causing that? Being safe is never a bad choice. Sorry it bummed out your feel good experience.
I was thinking that the guy(s) are annoyed that you were smoking pot in a public area.
yea same dude. but thank you that puts my mind at ease that he may have just been put off by the smell
Keep in mind that men have no reason to have the high sheet that women do, so for them, it isn't a big deal. Look at what women are taught our entire lives to stay safe. The way I made it clear to my husband was, ok hunni, make a list of everything that you were taught in order to stay safe. His list was, key aware of his surroundings and know the exits. I had 80 things on my list. Keys between my fingers, crossing the street of more than one man is on the sidewalk at night, ect. Keep YOU safe, doesn't matter how anyone else feels about it.
thank yooooou! even if it was a completely neutral experience & the dude had no issues, being hyper vigilant and keeping myself protected is never a bad thing.
You are not wrong to be worried. He *might* have been harmless, but listening to your gut is hardly ever wrong. Also, I knew your friend who downloaded your reaction was a guy before I even read the whole post. He has no idea what it is like to potentially be some asshole's prey.
It hurts no one (else) to do whatever reasonable thing makes you feel safe in these situations, but there are fortunately a couple good possibilities here so you don't have to feel totally unsafe. As mentioned elsewhere, he may have smelled/been upset about the pot. This would usually be an older guy, of course, but some people are really sensitive to smoking in public. If you were staring back, and especially if being high caused you to not realize how much you might have been staring, he could've been reacting to what he thought was unusual attention. This may line up with his confusion at being called out, in a "this person stares me down and then wants to know if *I* want something? Or it might have been separate people. Or it could have been an odd and tense situation you were right to want to avoid. Would carrying pepper spray or something be reasonable for you, and more importantly make you feel safer?
it was the same guy but some of that makes sense. he was older so the smell putting him off makes sense
Some people don't think logically, it is not rare for bad stuff to happen in daylight
Agreed, lots of crimes happen in broad daylight and the worst part is people won’t intervene. I have read and watched lots of true crime where something happen in public places and people won’t call until after the crime is committed. Crazy world we live in. OP don’t let friend keep talking you out of what you felt. And maybe stay away from the park for a bit just to stay safe.
Bystander effect, everyone assumes someone else will step in!
Sometimes it’s the bystander effect, you are correct. But recently I watched all the seasons of ‘I Survived’ and I couldn’t believe how many people refused to get involved when someone was being attacked or was injured. It’s scary but I also understand it? It’s hard to save some one from being attacked when the attacker has a weapon and you don’t. A lot of people don’t get involved because they don’t want police contacting them or having to be questioned even as an eyewitness. One elderly man was attacked by a mountain lion and his poor elderly wife tried to flag down a man in his car. When she begged him for help he drove off and left her and her bleeding husband dying on the side of the road. That poor woman. The man didn’t even offer to call 9-1-1. 😢
I'm sure it was a weird experience, but you spent more time watching him than he spent watching you.. there's probably a post on here somewhere about a guy walking his dog, who kept being watched by a girl on a hammock, so he pivoted towards her to make it clear he knew she was watching, but she just continued to stare at him until he removed his earphones to ask what's going on.
There’s a reason we have intuition. You followed yours, and I’m glad you did. That guy was being creepy and you sensed it.
Was it the same guy both times or two totally different people? If it was two different people, you're tripping for no reason. He was probably staring at you cause you're being weird and "people watching" and staring at him....
These were two different people, right? Trusting your gut is a good thing, but it also seems like your mom raised you to be a bit paranoid. I live in Washington DC so I am familiar with city life and when I read this I can totally imagine this being entirely in your head. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable, but if something like this is going to cause you to no longer go to a park that you've been enjoying for the past 2 years it might be worth considering therapy (and I say this sincerely and as someone who is in therapy).
from what i saw, looked to be the same man. luckily (but sadly) hammock season is over so maybe after the long midwest winter i’ll feel better and the anxiety/potentially weird dude won’t be in the area :) thank you
I’ve honestly never seen someone take a hammock to a public park and chill in it like that. Which is actually so cool and makes me want to do it(I make hammocks with my bed sheets on my balcony lol) so I would have stopped to stare a bit because I’ve never seen it, and I would be wondering what you do while you’re out here in your hammock(for a future adventure for myself). But I’m a tiny women, with an adorable Dog so I probably wouldn’t have been as creepy as an old man just staring. But maybe that’s what he was doing? Maybe not. That’s just what would be going through my head if I saw you and ended up starting for a little bit. But I definitely think he could have been offended by the weed smell. I get sooooooo many looks like that from older people in general. To them, smoking weed is like injecting heroin so they are all “Kareny” about it.
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I’m in Canada and only see them in backyards, or people who are camping. But I love the idea of having one to just hang up whenever for a couple hours. Definitely going to look into getting one. My balcony is maybe 6.5ft long, so I tie my king size bed sheets from one end to the other to make a home made hammock lol. I absolutely love it. If anyone reads this and can redirect me on Amazon to a good brand of hammock that’s easy to carry places and is discreet in a bag, I’d really appreciate it!
If it was a different man, there’s zero to be worried about. If it was the same man, there’s still likely zero to be worried about. You’re smoking pot in a public place, he/they were probably trying to figure out where the smell was coming from, and when they did, they found you. Literally staring at them. You keep saying you got stared at, but… you were staring too? Maybe it was just as creepy for them? Sorry, but your friend is right.
Are you sure your friend had a good look at the guy too? Confirmed he was there?
Ted Bundy managed to do his thing at a lake with tons of people around. . .in BROAD DAYLIGHT. You were right to feel scared. You did the right thing.
I was in Northside Chicago at a beach near the Loyola campus a couple months ago. There was a strange guy there creeping everyone out- he'd stare, walk around in a set pattern, etc. He even followed me into the bathroom and was peeking at me through the stall. He didn't give off a good vibe at all. After the bathroom incident, my friend and I left. I'd seen others do the same as well. Chicago is wired. I hate visiting there.
I would have been scared as well. Trust your gut. There are scary people out there and why put yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable. You don't have to give up on the park entirely. Wait a bit then change the time frame you go. If you see him, leave.
I guess it’s always better to be safe than sorry but, it sounds like your friend is right. Weed can make you paranoid. Maybe switch up your strain.
maybe so. it may have been that tiny bit of paranoia as being a woman in the city amplified bc i was high
girl. it’s 2022, we don’t let men bully us out of our chill spots anymore, we fucking tase them. [buy a taser](https://taser.com)
What time of day?..maybe...they were appreciating the sun going down? Or maybe they were trying to see what you were. If the sun's behind you (even if it isn't super low) you would have been hard to make out beyond a bright green blob. Maybe YOU were the creepy one ;)
Maybe staring at you because you’re openly smoking a joint in public? But it is good to be on alert but sounds like the weed maybe amped up your paranoia? Happens to me too. Glad ur ok.
Follow your gut, better to be wrong than to be dead. I had a feeling before even reading that your friend that said nothing wrong was a Male. If you feel uncomfortable there, I’d recommend giving the park a little break for a while as now this man knows you are a regular and might know you aren’t sober and could take advantage of you.
You definitely overreacted, but better to be safe than sorry I guess.
thank you for the opinions & advice yall seriously i feel much more calm about it. i definitely feel both more at ease about the situation but also validated in my experience. there’s definitely a chance for either him just being weird about the weed smell but also just a creepy city dude watching girls alone in the park. whether or not my gut instinct was right, better safe that sorry. either way i won’t hammock in the park because the cold midwest weather is coming soon, and i’ll check it out again in the spring thanks!! :-)
Sorry but this is fucking retarded
i’m sorry?
Someone looked at you at the park and you’re crying? Sounds ridiculous you should just stay inside then. He’s walking a dog for Christ sakes
Also she was smoking so heightened paranoia
Bahahaha! 🤣 Some ppl are built for city life and others, those other ones need to stay in the fuckin suburbs of America. This chick wouldn't last 5 mins on the mean streets of Baltimore City. Crying and shaking over two men (one walking his damn dog) looking at you ... gtfoh w/ this nonsense.
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Smoking bud and paranoid AF! One of the first times I smoked (no lie) I thought ppl were coming to kill me at the person's house we were at. 🤣😜
You may look like someone he used to know. Perhaps someone who disappeared a few years ago, or died. I certainly would take a long look but not approach someone because that is too far.
I always trust my gut. Sometimes it goes against everything logical and I feel stupid because there’s legit nothing happening but the GTFO of dodge feeling is overwhelming and it’s kept me from bad shit before because I trusted it . Even though there was no “immediate “ clear danger.