I
decided to walk around the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, where I currently live.
It is very small, as it’s only about one square mile, but very densely
populated, so there are an assortment of sounds to be heard.
As I left my apartment on the main
street of the city, I was greeted with the sound of construction right outside
my door. The pounding jackhammer attacked my ears, but I could still hear the
construction workers speaking, the backing up of a truck, and the cars going
by. This wasn’t unfamiliar, though, as there always seems to be a broken water
main or something that needs to be fixed in front of my apartment. I decided I
wanted to walk along the Hudson, so I started walking east. As I walked along,
I heard the barking of dogs, the chatter of new moms as they pushed their
strollers along, and the laughter of friends. As soon as I crossed my street,
though, I remembered that I couldn’t walk directly east to the river because a
college campus was in the way. As I heard my footsteps abruptly stop, I noticed
the sound the wind was making as it blew past me. I started walking north to
get around the campus. I heard chirping birds, conversations, cars, and the
sound of my purse bouncing against my side. When I got to the Hudson the sounds
of the cars ended and were replaced by the water splashing. My footsteps were
overshadowed by the pounding steps of joggers. From behind me I heard the sound
of wheels on the sidewalk, and a small child on a scooter soon followed.
As I started making my way home, I
cut through a park. The grass muffled my footsteps, but birds, dogs, and kids
playing on a nearby playground filled the silence. As I walked up to my
apartment, I felt refreshed and relaxed after only paying attention to the
sounds around me.
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