Sounds of silence

Despite being just over a mile from Redwood City’s Caltrain station, I often hear trains blasting their horns as they transit the Broadway and Brewster Avenue crossings. These days, though, the drastic reductions in Caltrain’s operating schedule is clearly noticeable; I hear very few train horns now.

Yet another sound to which I’d become accustomed is the distant roar of commercial jets and the buzzing of light aircraft overhead. Given my house’s proximity to both SFO and the San Carlos Airport, depending upon how the winds are blowing (and thus which traffic pattern the aircraft are using) I often see and hear planes and helicopters flying overhead. Because of the virus, I’m hearing far fewer commercial jets these days. For a while the sounds of light planes appeared to slack off, but over the last couple of days it seems as if there’s been an increase in light aircraft activity. Maybe it is my imagination, or perhaps there has been a change in the wind patterns, but it might be that pilots taking to the skies to amuse themselves while maintaining a rather extreme form of physical distancing.

Believe it or not, I occasionally hear large ships, which is new. Just the other evening my wife and I were sitting in our backyard and heard the unmistakable bellow of a ship’s horn. That sound apparently signaled the arrival of a bulk carrier which at the time was pulling into the Sims Metal facility dock in the Port of Redwood City.

In Redwood City’s mostly residential areas it is a rare day indeed when you don’t hear the banging of hammers and the whine of power saws somewhere nearby. Those sounds have mostly gone quiet, at least in our neighborhood. Similarly, I’m no longer hearing leaf blowers since gardeners are among those who are temporarily banned from plying their trade. I still hear the occasional lawn mower, however, when one of my neighbors decides to keep his lawn in check.

Downtown some construction continues, though less than before thanks to the embargo on most such activity. When walking through downtown Redwood City now things are noticeably quieter. On a walk this week I visited those projects specifically exempted from the construction ban — primarily housing projects that are partly or entirely affordable and projects to enhance our medical facilities — and was pleased to see them making progress. Although those projects generate their share of construction noise, clearly there is less than before.

Because of the virus, many sounds have been reduced or eliminated, but not all. It is with gratitude that I continue to hear the banging and clanking of trash and recycling trucks making their weekly rounds, along with the faint clunk of our mailbox being closed as our postal carrier makes their delivery. And some sounds have increased. For one, I’m hearing far more snatches of conversation as people pass by in front of the house. Many more people are using our sidewalks and bike lanes these days, many of them on their phones or chatting with a companion.

One new sound, at least for me, is from a source I rarely hear from during the day: the TV. My wife and I aren’t big TV watchers by nature, and we almost never turn it on in the daytime. Lately, though, Gov. Newsom’s noon press conferences have become appointment viewing in our house.

I find it fascinating just how many of the sounds that I used to take for granted have changed as a result of our shelter-in-place. While I enjoy the relative silence, I eagerly look forward to the day when that silence is broken and the soundtrack that once accompanied my life resumes.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.