Is silence really such a commodity?

[brooklyn1234]

After awhile you'll start to find the city noises soothing to some degree. Honestly. Whenever my out of town friends come to visit they always point out sounds that I don't even hear anymore. Plus whenever I leave the city I find the silence at night to be eerie.

As others have said, the key is to look for a back-facing apartment on a higher floor. I've lived in two apartments recently- one that was back facing that was pretty quiet. In my last place I was facing a backyard. The way the building was laid out was like a big square with a center courtyard- any of the apartments facing into the courtyard were LOUD. I did hear some traffic noise, but the thing that actually bugged me a little bit was that I could hear the bus stopping on the street. Like the little beep-beep-beep that it made when it lowered down to let people on. But whatever. My current place is a floor-through on a street that isn't terribly busy, but it's a wider street and has an on-ramp to the BQE 3 blocks north of me, so people do tear down it pretty often. My living room is LOUD. Like can't hear the TV well with the windows open. But my bedroom faces into an air shaft and is DEAD silent...unless the downstairs neighbors are having a party with their windows open. Then the noise radiates through. So look for a place with no air shaft and no courtyard. Backyard facing. And don't worry because the city noises will be soothing in time .

[Febtober]

Silence is something you don't really notice until you don't have it.

I'm up in Harlem and my unit faces the alley, which is very important. About the only noise that I'll still hear are sirens. In the three and a half years I've lived here, I've heard my neighbors through the wall maybe four or five times.

I never really thought about until I started seeing this girl in Washington Heights. Her unit faced the street, and holy hell. All night long it was non stop car horns, people shouting, etc... I have no idea how she did it.

Fortunately I could put in ear plugs and be just fine, so that's always an option.

[Henna]

Originally Posted by ehanson

I moved from Astoria to Inwood 2 years ago and got an earful of that kind of motorbike madness, blasting car stereos until 4am, etc... practically everyday during the warmer months (it was so bad during the height of summer that I didn't want to even go home after work). That drove me crazy and nearly sent me packing for the burbs but I moved to Sunnyside which was much more quiet. I also looked at places in Riverdale, Pelham Bay Park/ Morris Park in the Bronx- these are "secret" nice enclave neighborhoods with manageable subway commutes that not many people know of... yet.

Last time I was in Harlem, which I think was last summer or spring, there were large gangs of motorbikes speeding around the streets and making as much noise as they possibly could. I believe that's part of what they like about doing it -- being as loud and as obnoxious as possible. I would hate to live anywhere where I'd have to hear that sound.

Another thing to watch for is the noise from people's conversations. People's voices can actual travel very easily into apartments from the sidewalk, so I do think it's better to have a rear-facing apartment. Also you are less likely to hear honking horns in a back apartment.

If you want to avoid any honking horns, check the traffic patterns on the streets. The reason people honk is because they get impatient that traffic is not moving, either because of congested streets or because a bus can't get around a delivery truck. So also make sure you are not on a bus route street.

I simply got lucky and managed to avoid almost all this kind of noise. Also I managed to avoid living below any toddlers or small children. The couple above me is heavy-footed by they also aren't home much so it's not bothersome.

And even though I do live a mile from an airport, I only hear plane noise about once every few months. The normal flight patterns do not go over my apartment. It's only when a runway closes for maintenance that they re-route the planes. One day when they did that I thought I would go out of my mind from the noise. Luckily it hasn't happened again since.

[Above Average Bear]

See if you can find a space that is not on a major avenue, bus stop, train station, airport flight path, away from street parking, stores, schools, and apartment buildings. Get triple glazed windows, double hung insulated doors, 3/4 inch sheet rock walls, (although plaster is better)that have sound proofing. Oh and get carpeting, a high floor, as far away from the elevator and trash shoot as possible, and considerate neighbors...you will be fine...

[sirtiger]

I briefly lived in a place where it faces the brick wall. It was nice & quiet....until I felt like I was in a prison