Blog Assignment - Soundwalk

Apparently the zoo isn’t a hot tourist spot in New York in November but the lack of toddler cries and train operator voices really helps you think. Think about anything really but on this cold fall afternoon, I visited the Bronx zoo (to finish a lab assignment, no I’m not that crazy to go to the zoo in this cold ass weather) and found myself enjoying the quietness of the surroundings mixed with the cool breezes of the somewhat abandoned zoo attractions. My phone was at 3 percent, so I decided to unplug my headphones and just take a walk through the zoo while I took my lab notes.

As I entered the tropical stations, I could hear myself stepping on the leaves as they fell from the autumn trees. In a way, I felt as though I was sneaking into a forbidden jungle with mysterious animals which I may or not have flinched at a couple of times. The sounds of snack wrappers being picked apart by the squirrels, anxiously trying to find the remaining Cheetos dust in the empty bags by the over-piled trash can. As I continue to walk around, I hear a loud growl in the distance, as if a lion was crying out to their loved one to hurry back to their side. I hear a small fountain near the crossing signs of the exhibits, water running down to the tail-sided pennies on the bottom of the fountain.

I hear the markings of my pen as I jot down my notes, almost as if I was trying to write a book in 30 seconds. A minute and a half goes by and I hear the air race against my ears, telling to hurry up. As I start to exist the zoo, I hear two birds fighting over a piece of moldy bread on the ground. Their wings flapping against one another as they let out soft chirps of desperation. I figured I had enough notes for the day as I push against the turnstile and hear the rusted metal rub against the ground.