Listen Listen

Walking home from school drop off yesterday I decided to listen to the city. Here's what I heard.

At first it was just traffic noise. It's amazing how much noise is produced even by a barely-two-lanes one-way street, and it wasn't even terribly busy.

Luckily I was walking by a park, so once I focused and cut through the traffic noise, I heard the water running in the fountain. It was actually pretty loud, but I seem to tune it out and not even notice it. Then I heard birds in the trees, more and more as I tried to ignore the traffic noise.

The end of my sidewalk was blocked off by a crew trimming the tall trees. Sound of saws. A distant siren.

Then I started hearing people. Many were talking on the phone. A deep sigh right next to me. Someone coughing at the bus stop. Another sigh and some getting-up-from-the-bench groans. A bus.

I turned to a pedestrian street. Deliveries in full swing. Sounds of delivery carts rolling on bumpy street tiles. More people talking. Walking by a candy shop I heard a rustle. The shop owner was pouring candy into one of the clear cubes, candy wrappers rustling.

I crossed the street. Clicking of coins on the counter - someone's paying at the coffee to go. People talking. I turn around the basilica. This street is surprisingly echoey. A man and a woman yelling. It doesn't sound like an argument but It's loud like they are far away from each other and have to be loud. She's outside and he's somewhere deep inside the building.

A cafe owner sweeping the patio. A high-pitched noise somewhere far away. A kid? A cat? Maybe a seagull. A woman pulling a wheeled grocery bag across the street. More traffic noise. I'm home!