Blog Assignment #2: "What I Hear"

I did my Soundwalk in my neighborhood of Middle Village, Queens.  The majority of the sounds I heard were from cars.  There were a lot of people honking their horns.  I was expecting this since most drivers in NY are extremely aggressive.  However, when I really paid attention I could also hear the sounds their tires made against the streets, the squeaks of some car’s breaks as they slowed down and the slamming of car doors.  I did my Soundwalk on a Saturday afternoon so there were many people walking around as well.  I listened to people’s conversations as they walked by.  I noticed most people weren’t leisurely walking.  They looked like they were in a rush to go somewhere even though it was Saturday.  I heard the sounds their shopping bags made as they rushed back to their cars.  Since there are a lot of trees in this neighborhood, I always heard birds chirping.  I think that is a sound you don’t hear in the city and is particular to more suburban areas.  I enjoy hearing sounds from nature sometimes instead of the industrial sounds that are usually around me.  I enjoyed doing the Soundwalk.  It made me much more aware of my surroundings and even notice things I never have before about my own neighborhood.