Blog Assignment 2: “What I Hear"

     I live in South Bushwick along the JMZ train where there are several keynotes and sound signals that are part of the New York City soundscape. In my neighborhood there are several keynotes such as the J or Z train passing through on the above ground train track, the huffing and puffing of the B38 bus to downtown Brooklyn, the typical city traffic-with cars honking their horn, and of course the often heard ambulance siren coming or going from Woodhull Hospital.

     A soundmark that is distinctive of my neighborhood that I have heard for over the past two years is the almost daily, 3 p.m. shout of "Hey Boy!" from a yet to be seen neighborhood man. On Sunday's I hear the woman who goes through the buildings trash and takes the soda cans and containers for cash deposits. Also, a new distinct sound is the rim shop that is being constructed next door to my building, coupled with the sounds of children from the middle school down the block.

     This exercise has made me fully aware to all the sounds that happen in my neighborhood and city. Coming from a rural setting where there are only four sounds; birds, farm machinery, crops blowing in the wind, or the perfect hum of a car going down the gravel road that I resided on. The city offers so many layers of sounds, whereas a rural setting offers only a few, yet enjoyable sounds. I realize after writing this I miss the sound of quiet.