An informal sound survey of public places in NYC found that one of the noisiest spots in town is underneath Bryant Park, at the F, V, B, D subway platform. Hearing loss awareness group Hear the World conducted the tests and ranked the eight loudest places they checked. The Bryant Park subway registered 93 decibels—as loud as standing next to a lawnmower. "Once you reach anything over 85 decibels, you are really at risk," says Dr. Craig Kasper, the founder of the Columbia University Center for Hearing Conservation who serves as Hear the World's New York expert.
Hear the World, which works to prevent hearing loss around the world, is holding an event at Macy's Herald Square from January 6th to the 19th, offering free hearing screenings and information about protecting your hearing. Dr. Kasper tells the Post that the easiest way to save your eardrums is also free: "We have wonderful earplugs built in, they are called our fingers." Unfortunately, the incessant voices in our heads persist, no matter how deeply we burrow our fingers in. Below, Hear the World's list of some of the loudest spots in NYC.
1. 93 decibels: F, V, B, D platform, Bryant Park
2. 87 decibels: Corner of 42nd St. and Fifth Ave.
3. 83 decibels: West Side Highway
4. 78 decibels: Herald Square
5. 76 decibels: Times Square, near the military recruiting station
6. 74 decibels: Union Square, across from Whole Foods
7. 73 decibels: Grand Central Terminal on the main concourse at rush hour
8. 72 decibels: Bryant Park, in the middle of the park
