Blog Assignment 2: What I Hear

For my soundwalk assignment, the environment I picked to concentrate my sonic perception on was Astoria Park. I wanted to have a different blog where most of what I talked about wouldn’t be the typical street noises and loud chatter that is common on New York City streets. Astoria Park is a quiet place under a bridge which makes this massive park feel like a small fragment of something bigger. I looked around and see some children play. I can hear their laughter. There is also the sound of some of the local residents jogging along to their music to stay fit. There is also an audible amount of small birds and other park critters like squirrels that resonates within the park. It has been windy recently, so I can hear the strong gusts of winds pass thru my ears. The winds make the tree branches move around which is the loudest noise in the park. The leaves rustling therefore set most of the ambience of this park. I wasn’t very close to the bridge, so any car or traffic noises were faint or nonexistent. I was a little close to the water and the waves made from the windy day would have a soft crash against the shore. Some kids were throwing rocks at the water, and the sinking rocks would create a rich splash. I wondered how deep the water at Astoria Park was. I’m glad I went on this soundwalk. Not only was it therapeutic, I liked a lot of things about it, like the neighborhood.