Blog Assignment #2

The texture of the sound was very loud, rugged, and cacophonous. There was too much noise to completely distinguish what exactly I was hearing. I operated this experiment right by Hunter College on 68th Street and Lexington walking downtown to other locations. The keynotes I heard were repeated car honking, traffic noises, chatter, footsteps, dogs barking, wheels rolling, construction equipment, and people speaking. A specific mix of sounds are catered towards different neighborhoods. The most evident of Manhattan include: car horns, loud neighbors, construction equipment, barking dogs, and New Yorkers complaining about them. These noises happened to be the loudest in decibels around the afternoon. I feel that traffic noises were sound signals that attracted the most attention. Car horns and traffic sounds are notorious for unlocking people's awareness. This is a particular soundmark for Manhattan because of the saturated and dense population of almost 10 million commuters/locals. It can get very crowded easily and as a result, people can be late to where they want to be so they use their horns as a "wake up call". Hence why New York City is always fast paced. Some sounds that are unique or meaningful to me are sounds that are completely unexpected. A gunshot, drills, music, loud engines, and wild animals are some unexpected sounds. These sounds lure attention and forces peoples heads to turn. The sound of a skateboards wheels rolling is my favorite because it connects you to other skateboarders that can hear you from a mile away. I feel that this is an unexpected sound as well because some do not expect the wheels to roar so loud.