The Sounds of NYC

I notice sound most on the subways because I am constantly on the move and the subway is generally my primary means of transportation.  One thing that has always interested me about a subway car is that no matter if it is jam-packed with commuters, it can still be silent.  So many people venturing off by themselves, listening to headphones or reading the paper, secluded in their own little worlds in silence around the scores of other people around them.  The train I frequent most often, the R, is an especially loud sounding train because it is one of the older subway trains.  I think the sound of a subway train zooming by or the sound of being on one is one New York City’s greatest sounds.  The silence is broken however around 3:30pm every weekday when masses high school students board the trains and fill it with their loud laughter and crude conversations to each other.  One of my favorite sounds at Hunter is the sound of voices echoing off the glass windows in the skywalks, especially the one between the North and West Buildings.  You get a great flavor of Hunter students there because all conversations are loud and can be easily overheard.  Then you walk into the North Building and there are a handful of school clubs playing music or calling out as advertisement for the bake sale or what not.  Which neighborhood you’re in can affect the sounds you hear also because the languages vary from place to place.  In my neighborhood of Astoria for instance, there is a good mix of Greek, Spanish and English speakers.  In Manhattan the primary language is English but there are so many tourists in Manhattan that you are bound to hear a great variety of languages from all over the world.