6th Street Sound Walk

I did this sound walk at night, so that may or may not have factored much into what I heard.

I actually heard the same flurry of sounds over and over again. I thought it would be more varied, but I guess Mondays aren't the best nights to walk down 6th?

There was the constant sound of cars, of course. They all sounded different based on what kind of car it was, how fast it was going, whether it was breaking, how old it was, etc. I could also hear lots of heels as women walked.

There were constant bar and venue noises too. As you walked by, you could hear different music, bar murmuring, shouting, dishes clanking, silverware, etc.

I also heard a motorcycle, people talking through microphones, people throwing stuff in trash cans, and keys jingling as people walked.

One bar I passed by had really heavy bass that I could hear, but I also felt it more than I could hear it. Of course, there were people talking and laughing and one homeless woman who was laughing hysterically by herself. I could also hear drums and hi-hats. It was funny because at one point I could hear lots of hi-hats being played at different rhythms. I could hear one more prominently, but as I walked away I could start hearing another one.

There was also some whistling, beeping coming from a pizza place, a menu sign being dragged across the floor, a guy with bongos, a guy eating chips, bikes rolling by and a car door shutting. Whenever I passed by a sports bar, I could hear the cacophony of TVs, TV announcers, guys talking and people cheering. At one point I also heard what I think was music coming from little speakers inside a police car. I'm not sure if it was music or not and whether or not it was coming from the police cars. There was just too much music everywhere and it was all different kinds of music, of course, and all sounded different: either really loud, normal, muffled, etc, depending on the location.

I also heard a shopping bag as a lady walked by, and someone stepping on something plastic and destroying it. There was one building I passed by that had really loud AC that left me temporarily unable to hear the rest of the city as I walked by it and then I also heard someone stepping on a sewer lid. As I got closer and closer to Guadalupe, I could distinguish smaller sounds better because it was getting progressively quieter. I could hear a guy with boots walking and muffled conversations, TVs, and general restaurant noise coming from a restaurant with closed doors.

Once I got to Colorado it became significantly quieter. There was a girl across the street talking on the phone and I could hear that, but it was funny because I could mostly hear the "s"s in her conversation. She needed some de-essing. I started to hear little rocks as people walked by and someone walking on grass. There was someone walking with sandals and then I heard a homeless person pushing a shopping cart down a sidewalk.

Other things I had noted before from the louder part of the street were the balls from pool tables clanking, street singing, and slow clapping.

Overall, I think I kept hearing the same city and 6th street noises, just at different levels and in different forms.