Blog #2: Soundwalk

I decided to take my soundwalk around Hunter College. It was noisy to say the least. I heard honking cars, people chattering, trucks with heavy engines and the hustle and bustle of people trying navigate towards their destinations despite moving food carts and construction workers. The texture of the sound was rich with different elements competing for my ears' attention. Cars were the main instruments of the city symphony with horns, exhaust, engines roaring, and tires screeching making up the sounds played by the cars. Manhattan is known for being a busy borough and a horror to drive in which is why it makes sense that car noises are clues to being in Manhatttan. When I decided to walk away from Lexington and towards Park Avenue, it became quieter. By the time, I got to Central Park I was able to hear the distinct differences from 68th and Lexington. Central Park delighted my ears with chirping birds, rustling leaves, wind and scurrying squirrels. It was much easier to decipher what it was that I was hearing without as many things competing for my attention. By Hunter, I heard voices in the foreground and driving cars in the background. The sounds of moving food trucks were integral to the time which I probably wouldn’t have heard had I walked much later in the evening. The most meaningful sounds were the chatter of the people. While the cars in the background were essential New York City’s identity, the voices and conversations of the people were meaningful because it prevented the city from feeling robotic. I heard someone crying and someone else talking about the importance of legalizing marijuana. The voices were refreshing and the breath of fresh air that the smoke from car exhausts sometimes prevents us from having. Overall, I appreciated the soundwalk because sometimes the sounds around us are drowned out by technology but taking a second to appreciate them was helpful to noticing sounds that I didn’t even notice were there.