Blog 2- What I Hear

     In Harlem, New York a lot of sounds are present, especially at night. There are the obvious sounds of cars, cabs, and buses, and even the 1 train above 125th and Broadway. Underneath the traveling noises of New York, one might hear obnoxiously loud music of people's IPOD's as they walk by and even some music blasting from the cars. A lot of times you can hear the people rapping and singing along to whatever they're listening to as if no one is around. As you approach the outside to restaurants or bars, you can often hear many people talking and blowing smoke out from their cigarettes. Doors are opening to closing to bodegas and other stores. A jingle may even be heard on the doors. Just then, 3 cop cars with their sirens wailing screech to a hault. The policemen get out of their cars and approach passengers in a car parked on the street. You hear the people surrounding get very quiet, in trying to listen to what is happening. You hear the cops talking to the driver, while another pats down a passenger. You hear the cops talk amongst themselves as they begin to get back into their cars. The people watching start to whisper to each other, discussing what just happened. The cops turn their sirens off and you can hear their tires K-turn to drive back with the traffic. Slowly, the volume of talking begins to pick up again and the sounds go back to normal on the street. You can also hear the swishing noise of people's jackets as they walk down the street.
     A night in Harlem can be very loud and exciting if you open up your ears to listen. I find all of the sounds to be meaningful to me in some way because they represent the 2 1/2 years of the time when I lived there. Memories of different events, such as Tuesday nights at Patrick Ryan's bar, often come to mind and make me smile. Things seem to be quieter in the day, just people traveling and going about their day. The screeching noises of the cop cars surprised me this night because the car being approached did not seem suspicious in any way. It really happened out of nowhere. Now living on the Upper East Side, I can definitely tell the difference between neighborhoods just by the sounds. On my street, I often hear a lot of kids, construction and cars. Overall, it is a pretty quiet area. I am glad to have experienced both neighborhoods in the 3 years I have lived in New York. Although, different, both still make me feel at home.