Blog #2: Sound Walk

I sat on a park bench in Queens along a busy road. In the background are cars driving down the street and slow footsteps. Construction has been going on for weeks, in the foreground are the workers shouting things to one another and the rumbling of the loud machinery they are using. Occasional car keys can be heard jingling, as well as cars locking and doors slamming since parking is available on this street. I'm sitting in front of a parking meter, quarters can be heard dropping into the machine. It’s a windy day, the leaves are rustling against the concrete and the trees are blowing making a whispering sound almost. The train station is a block away so I can hear it pulling into the station under me. Some cars make a screeching noise when braking at the red light. I can hear the engine from cars idling. There is a hospital a few block down, so ambulances are passing by with the sirens on. Although this description is standard for common NYC streets, it is very unique to this neighborhood as it’s a perfect balance of commercial and residential. The foot steps are sparse yet the traffic is not. The construction sounds are the constant while the sounds of elders walking by with canes become more apparent since it’s less frequent. There is traffic but honking isn’t common because it is a relatively quite neighborhood for NYC. After half an hour someone finally sat near me on the bench, and her phone conversation was vaguely audible. The sounds are also unique to the time of day since it was early afternoon in the middle of the week.