Stopping and
listening bring out the individual sounds and keynotes that are unique to Bensonhurst.
The cacophony of everyday noise makes it hard to pick out a specific texture or
sound at first.
The D train that
connects the Chinatowns of New York passes through the neighborhood. The train roars
in to the overhead station every few minutes but it does not seem to interrupt anyone’s
conversations. The most distinct verbal sounds are loud Chinese, Russian, and
English, with Chinese being the most prominent. It is spoken by elderly and
middle-aged women shopping and haggling over prices, and teenagers walking out
of cafes and tea gardens.
The shops on 86th
street contribute significantly to the clutter of sounds as much as their
patrons do. One is guaranteed to be
startled at least once by sudden croaks from cheap plastic frog toys and yipping
robot dogs in front of 99 cent stores. By the supermarkets, one
can hear the rustling of plastic bags as customers grab for fruit, and the
occasional dull thud of an orange falling out of a fruit stand. The incoherent
shouts of the big homeless lady mark the biggest supermarket on the street. She
yells at everyone coming out of the store but it isn’t clear to anyone if she
is just complaining or begging for money.
These sounds don’t change
much throughout the day—at night the D train can still be heard from a distance, although less frequently,
and the sounds of children playing get a little louder as they enjoy the
freedom of an emptier street. This chaotic neighborhood symphony is the
expected, and does not deviate much from it.
