I have lived in downtown Waukesha for four years now and let me tell you, it is far from a quiet environment.
This city bustles with noise 24 hours a day.
It begins just before sunrise with the hum of the street sweeper.
Next, the delivery trucks rumble through town, their airbrakes and rolling doors piercing the early morning air just as the sun begins to rise.
The third shift bars then open their doors around 6:30 AM.
Around 7 or 8 AM, construction starts. This includes cranes, trucks, nail guns, drills, back up beepers, and the like.
Next, like clockwork, I can hear the usual groups of joggers go by, discussing world events and local gossip.
As the day continues, the fire department goes out occasionally, the police buzz down Main Street, and the city buses run their routes.
Kids frolic in the streets and parks, people hustle by, and cars cruise up and down the streets- with the occasional stereo turned up loud enough to rattle your fillings.
And just as the business day winds down and evening approaches, people descend on our little downtown to unwind.
The bars open their doors and warm up their bands. Groups of folks stroll the streets with coffees or hop from bar to bar enjoying libations.
Included in that last group are those who over enjoy. They can be heard hooting and hollering up and down Main Street at all hours of the night.
Bar time can bring chaos as drunken fools flood into the streets, singing songs, slamming car doors, and arguing with each other about who is sober enough to drive home.
And just as the city settles in for the evening, the silence is broken again by the street sweeper- and the cycle continues.
Downtown is noisy, but so is every urban setting. Most of the noise is to be expected, and some of it is unnecessary.
It can wear on you after a while, especially the noise that disrupts your sleep.
But if you bring it up for discussion, you hear the same response every time: “that’s what you get for living downtown. If you don’t like it, then you should move!”
Thanks. I’ll consider it.
I just thought that maybe I had the same rights to some peace and quiet after 10PM as other folks in this city do.
And then, a few weeks ago, the train horn ordinance expired and it became obvious to me that the rest of the city doesn’t have the right to a peaceful night sleep either.
So we are all in the same boat now.
Sweet!
That’s what you get for living in a city full of railroads. If you don’t like it…
To be quite honest with you, I like the train horns at this volume. It drowns out all the other noises that disturb my sleep at night.
I can handle a haunting train whistle blaring through the night air over the drunks, the car stereos, the hoodlums up the street, and the dull beat of the bar music.
Wooooo, woooooo. Chugga, chugga.
So I guess this point you may be wondering how we get any sleep down here.
Well, here’s how.
And what’s great about these is they come in a handy dispenser that can be mounted by your bedside. They also come in fun fashion colors that can be coordinated with your nightwear, or with the décor of your bedroom.
Who knew that eleven cents of foam could be so beneficial to one’s health and well being?
And you might as well get used to it because polluting things is something we do very well here in Waukesha.
We’ve polluted our water.
We’ve polluted our air.
We’ve polluted our silence.
And just when you thought we had done it all, we’re about to pollute our night sky as well…
