After coming out work last Saturday, I had plans to meet with a couple of friends of mine. One of my friends is not familiar with New York, so I had to meet up with her at the PATH Station. Considering that the trains were delayed and I couldn’t hear any music since I was underground, I thought it was the perfect time to go on a “SoundWalk”.
The train rumbled louder and louder as it approached, while the sound of synchronized footsteps grew in anticipation. When the train opens, you can hear agitated grunts of those who are finally free of the packed can of sardines, together with the sounds of relief from those who are still inside and have a bit more wiggle room. Once inside, there are a number of disjointed noises that collided with one another, mellowed out only by the constant humming of the train itself. Woman chatting amongst themselves as they’re getting ready for the night out. Co-Workers are talking in short burst, as a way to keep a conversation alive and also to keep themselves from sleeping. While the general public are keeping amongst themselves by either playing faint music or snoring in their sleep. The train stopped mid-passing, due to delays, and the train’s noise faded for a bit. Since most New Yorkers unconsciously tune out the constant humming and rumbling, once it was gone, a sense of silence and emptiness was apparent. It felt unnatural, to be missing some of the usual background music that I’ve grown accustomed too, and you can tell how people noticed to. As some woke up and others lowered the volume of their music to see what was going on. Most people sighed in agitation as this silence was a sign of non-movement and went against the constant buzzing of the New York sound. After a bit, the train hummed once again and everything started up once more. As I exited my stop, I was welcomed by a chorus of footsteps and dispersed noises that make up the NY beat. You can tell that I was in a tourist spot by how many times you would hear a camera clicking.
No comments:
Post a Comment