New York, like all large cities, is filled with sounds.
Traffic, construction, loud music. You name it, we’ve got it. And much of it is fast.
Certain sounds, though, signal a sort of slow down. A time not rushed. Perhaps even of listening.
Ones that come to mind are the birds outside my window, a waterfall in Prospect Park, and rarely, silence. Sometimes a side street will have so little traffic, and that of the avenues is so slow, that you can stop and listen to city silence. It is stunning.
Other city sounds I particularly associate with summer are whirring window fans, the kuh-tum, kuh-tum of a subway train, and, of course, the Mr. Softee Truck.
The New York Times recently ran an article about a “sound walker”, Jacek Smolicki, who helps “people engage with their sonic environment.” “Walking with him, The Times wrote, “is a moving meditation, an invitation to awaken the senses.”
The city is a great place to stop and listen. After all, there are so many sounds, both large and quite small.
