Soundwalk

Gabriella Vetrano

Filmp160

Soundwalk

            Walking the High Line on an especially pleasant weekday afternoon provided me with the perfect opportunity to conduct my soundwalk. I entered the High Line on West 23^rd and walked down to Gansevoort Street and the Whitey Museum of Art. Along the way, I tuned in to the sounds and sights around me, “opening my ears” to the sounds of New York City. 

            I found that walking the High Line offered a balance between the hustle and bustle of the city and the calmness that comes with being above it. I could hear birds singing as they sat up in the trees, but I could also hear the cars driving underneath the tracks I was standing on. The sounds of tourists asking to snap pictures combined with the yelling of vendors promoting the sweets they sell from their carts. On quieter parts of the walk, I’d stop, close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees or the rustling of plants as people brushed past them. I walked deeper into Chelsea and it got later in the evening the city came alive underneath my feet. I could hear the sounds of cars driving through the streets and people laughing excitedly, talking to their friends about their plans for the night or the coming weekend. I passed a rooftop bar that was playing host to a few patrons bopping along to some indie music the DJ was playing; another bar further down the line was hosting a party that was playing the top 100 pop hits from 2008. As I exited the line and headed down to the subway I left the sounds of Chelsea behind me.