The World I Hear
There are various textures of sound in New York City. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Time Square has an amplified sound that is very audible from 42nd street and up. Police and fireman sirens are being rung constantly as there is usually a tumultuous scene. Also, on the corner of every street, there are comic strips promoters who are shouting in hope of attracting potential audience members. On a daily basis, the sound of, “comedy show tonight!” is heard from several intersections. Also the sounds of excited tourists are ricocheted around Time Square. These three sounds are direct clues of Time Square’s location.
Manhattan in general has a common sound that signifies the city. The raucous, obnoxious sound of the yellow taxis and other vehicles honking that sounds like an augmented trumpet is a clue that people’s whereabouts are in Manhattan. However, certain neighborhoods are far diverse than others. For instance, at night time in the Upper East and Westside, the sound of the environment is less deafening than the swarming parts of Manhattan such as the three squares: Herald, Time, and Union Square.
I enjoy the sound of the subways arriving and departing from the main streets around the city because I will know if I will have enough time to catch the very next train or wait five to eight minutes for the following one. When a subway arrives, potholes in proximity has a large proportion of steam rising and it sounds like a boiling room heating up.
