I walked around my neighborhood in East Harlem one afternoon for my "soundwalk." The main keynote sound was the traffic along Lexington Avenue. There were buses, cars, taxis, and bicycles all competing for road space. Another major sound in the background was the subway entering and leaving the station, which I could hear through the grates in the sidewalk. One of the largest sound signal was the construction that's being done on the subway station. There were lots of workers and power tools all making noise at once. Mixed in with those sounds were the conversations people were having with one another, children shouting and laughing, and ambulance sirens making their way toward Mount Sinai Hospital. Street vendors made their sales and people who hang around outside a local liquor store argued among themselves. Tenants shook their keys and opened their front doors while an ice cream truck made one of its last rounds of the season playing its tinny song.
One of the soundmarks unique to where I live is the music that is always playing. People blast it out of stereos and car radios, filling the street with salsa music, hip-hop, and sometimes classic rock. There is also someone who practices the bagpipes somewhere nearby, but I've never spotted them. That particular instrument is one I never expected to hear when I moved into my apartment, but it has blended into the soundtrack of my neighborhood. This mix of cultures in the form of music represents East Harlem and the diverse group of people who live there.
