Soundwalk in Astoria

For my soundwalk I chose to walk around my neighborhood: Astoria. On a sunny afternoon,  I sat on the swings of an empty playground at first not hearing much but the clinking of the chain as I fidgeted on the seat. As I settled in, the clinking was less prominent as the light screech of the swing rose with every push of my legs to thrust myself higher. When I was satisfied with the height of my swinging I kept my legs up silencing the previous almost squeaky rustle of the impact of my shoes against the cushiony ground. The silence between each screech at each side of the highest swing opened up the focus on the birds chirping all around the trees. After the chirping was moved to the back of my head I could hear another sound, distinct and well-known to me. The trains at the 30th ave station always moved and stopped in a predictable way. First the fast rhythm of the thumping of the train moved at full speed then the wooden track thumps were further and further apart as it slowed down to a screeching halt. Moving closer I could hear the "pling plong" right before the almost smooth opening of the train doors, and an immediate symphony of footsteps some faster and harder than others. The faint sound of the automated voice I'd heard probably a million times by now and knew by heart "Stand clear of the closing doors please." followed by the slightly more echoey "pling plong" as the doors closed first on one half of the train then the other. The train screeched harder and louder this time to begin moving to a rhythmic thumping on the wood again slowly getting faster. As the sound of the train's thumping got lower and lower I heard the rising sound of children running and laughing and screaming and assumed it was recess time as the sound of the several swings screeched alternating back and forth with each other.