As the weather gets nicer by the day I become more and more
giddy, because it means I can walk from class back to my apartment without
freezing to death. Most of the time I’m plugged up listening to music while I
make the 75-block trek back home, but this last time I wanted to just enjoy my
surroundings. At first I mostly heard the passing traffic, consisting of
honking horns and speeding cars, as well as the typical hustle and bustle of
passerbys. But then I paused and heard the footsteps of people walking behind
me, which became louder and louder the closer they got. Some sounded quicker
than others, and those people passed me at quick pace. There was also the
constant clicking of my boots every time they hit the sidewalk. At first it
sounded very obnoxious, but after a few minutes it became a background noise to
me and it almost put me in a hypnotic state. I also think people don’t realize
how loud they are when they talk on the phone or have a conversation with
someone they’re walking with, because I heard a lot of different conversations
of people passing by. But I think the sound that struck me the most were the
moments when I was walking uptown on 5th Avenue and there was silence. It was the
moments when not many people are around to hear constant footsteps, or the
drone of traffic in the distance. It was at those times I could hear the
children playing in Central Park or hear the air pass through the streets. The
walk reminded me that the city does have its peaceful moments of solitude
amidst all the chaos.
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