Loved reading this Gregory. I had to laugh at the 2am garbage truck comment. We lived in Barrio Alto for 6 weeks last year and that was a very confusing middle of the night noise! For your noise list I would add the numerous squawking peacocks from the nearby botanic gardens.
Liz, I'm both happy and sorry that you can relate, if you know what I mean. I have yet to live close enough to the peacocks for that to be part of the soundscape (though I recently moved to Ajuda, where there are also peacocks in the botanical gardens). But with my recent move I added two new sounds: seagulls calling, and feral cats mating in the dead of night. Fun stuff!
Oh gosh I mistyped. Barrio Ajuda! Yes. We lived right behind Jardim Botancio d’Ajuda. Actually we grew to enjoy the peacock noises. Can’t say we ever heard the feral cats!
Ah, so it is the same birds! I was in the botanical garden yesterday communing with the albino peacock. Unfortunately, the cats seem to live on my street, which is a few blocks away.
Your photos are lovely Gregory! I really liked your descriptions of the varied cacophonies in your neighborhood and they made me so glad to be living in New Hampshire! Coincidentally I just read Kanon‘s „Leaving Berlin“ which takes place in 1949 during the Airlift with planes coming in low over war torn Berlin every three minutes.i hope you find a flat in a quieter neighborhood not directly under the fightpath! I’m really enjoying your posts and will subscribe when we reach that point. I hope Clarissa finds your new abode!
Thank you, Pamela! I would be happy if we had an airlift situation here, because that would mean real progress was being made! As it is, the planes are mostly full of tourists I would rather not encounter. So lots of air and little lift. It does make me miss New Hampshire!
Great piece indeed. When I think of places I've lived and visited, I typically recall the visual images first, but you really got me thinking about how much the character of a place derives from what you hear (or, if you're lucky, what you don't.) Our current neighborhood here in Japan is, overall, one of the quietest places I've ever lived, and I'm sure that is one of the things I will miss about it when we move.
That’s an interesting observation, Alex! I also tend to think about visual impressions first, and smells second. But maybe I will start to pay more attention to the sounds of places. How would you like to trade neighborhoods, by the way?
Great piece — had me laughing out loud several time. Big-city life certainly has its perks, though I suppose that increased noise levels is not one of them. I really like the taxonomy of sources of noice. Fingers crossed that you’ll find a more quiet place soon!
For anyone who, like my daughter, has memorized every line of The Blues Brothers, this immediately evokes the scene of Elwood’s tiny bedsit, where Jake asks “how often do the trains go by?” And the answer is, of course, “so often, you won’t even notice.”
I think about that quote almost every day. I also think about Chicago when the wind is blowing like a mad, avenging force through Lisbon. What I never see here is deep-dish pizza, sadly.
That's too much noise for me! Living in the country in rural Canada has me spoiled. We hear the occasional big truck, a chainsaw, or a siren infrequently.
Sound pollution is the worst. Having lived in NYC and LA, recently I have been really loving the dead silence of Joshua Tree and not wanting to be in noise anymore. I don't mind it for a visit, but LA and NYC can get grating. The way you laid out Lisbon was perfect. I love all the sound details!
Thank you Kim. I couldn't agree more (with the bit about noise pollution, not the bit about my writing being perfect 😂). Although I bet that Joshua Tree doesn't have great bagels or fish tacos.
Your photos make me want to live there, but then I read the article. Growing up in Los Angeles under the flight pattern helped me relate to much of what you wrote. I hope you find a new and quieter place!
I can imagine that LA presents some similar challenges—plus other ones related to air quality and traffic jams. Don’t worry, I am already on the hunt for greater tranquility!
Loved reading this Gregory. I had to laugh at the 2am garbage truck comment. We lived in Barrio Alto for 6 weeks last year and that was a very confusing middle of the night noise! For your noise list I would add the numerous squawking peacocks from the nearby botanic gardens.
Liz, I'm both happy and sorry that you can relate, if you know what I mean. I have yet to live close enough to the peacocks for that to be part of the soundscape (though I recently moved to Ajuda, where there are also peacocks in the botanical gardens). But with my recent move I added two new sounds: seagulls calling, and feral cats mating in the dead of night. Fun stuff!
Oh gosh I mistyped. Barrio Ajuda! Yes. We lived right behind Jardim Botancio d’Ajuda. Actually we grew to enjoy the peacock noises. Can’t say we ever heard the feral cats!
Ah, so it is the same birds! I was in the botanical garden yesterday communing with the albino peacock. Unfortunately, the cats seem to live on my street, which is a few blocks away.
Your photos are lovely Gregory! I really liked your descriptions of the varied cacophonies in your neighborhood and they made me so glad to be living in New Hampshire! Coincidentally I just read Kanon‘s „Leaving Berlin“ which takes place in 1949 during the Airlift with planes coming in low over war torn Berlin every three minutes.i hope you find a flat in a quieter neighborhood not directly under the fightpath! I’m really enjoying your posts and will subscribe when we reach that point. I hope Clarissa finds your new abode!
Thank you, Pamela! I would be happy if we had an airlift situation here, because that would mean real progress was being made! As it is, the planes are mostly full of tourists I would rather not encounter. So lots of air and little lift. It does make me miss New Hampshire!
Great piece indeed. When I think of places I've lived and visited, I typically recall the visual images first, but you really got me thinking about how much the character of a place derives from what you hear (or, if you're lucky, what you don't.) Our current neighborhood here in Japan is, overall, one of the quietest places I've ever lived, and I'm sure that is one of the things I will miss about it when we move.
That’s an interesting observation, Alex! I also tend to think about visual impressions first, and smells second. But maybe I will start to pay more attention to the sounds of places. How would you like to trade neighborhoods, by the way?
Based on the glowing review of your neighborhood's auditory smörgåsbord, I'd be a fool to decline such an offer!
Clearly. And having lived in Sweden, I know a few things about smörgåsbord, too!
Great piece — had me laughing out loud several time. Big-city life certainly has its perks, though I suppose that increased noise levels is not one of them. I really like the taxonomy of sources of noice. Fingers crossed that you’ll find a more quiet place soon!
Thanks, Tove! I’m sure I will.
For anyone who, like my daughter, has memorized every line of The Blues Brothers, this immediately evokes the scene of Elwood’s tiny bedsit, where Jake asks “how often do the trains go by?” And the answer is, of course, “so often, you won’t even notice.”
Have you ever considered moving to Chicago?
I think about that quote almost every day. I also think about Chicago when the wind is blowing like a mad, avenging force through Lisbon. What I never see here is deep-dish pizza, sadly.
Yes, that would be bad!
That's too much noise for me! Living in the country in rural Canada has me spoiled. We hear the occasional big truck, a chainsaw, or a siren infrequently.
Sounds nice! Unless of course, the three things are related! 😱
Sound pollution is the worst. Having lived in NYC and LA, recently I have been really loving the dead silence of Joshua Tree and not wanting to be in noise anymore. I don't mind it for a visit, but LA and NYC can get grating. The way you laid out Lisbon was perfect. I love all the sound details!
Thank you Kim. I couldn't agree more (with the bit about noise pollution, not the bit about my writing being perfect 😂). Although I bet that Joshua Tree doesn't have great bagels or fish tacos.
Your photos make me want to live there, but then I read the article. Growing up in Los Angeles under the flight pattern helped me relate to much of what you wrote. I hope you find a new and quieter place!
I can imagine that LA presents some similar challenges—plus other ones related to air quality and traffic jams. Don’t worry, I am already on the hunt for greater tranquility!