Background Sound

"New York has a constant background sound, like the galaxy has constant background radiation, and New Yorkers use it to situate themselves, much as astronomers use radiation to fix our place in the universe."
Kevin Baker, The Atlantic 

Unremarkable New York

"As New York City enters the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is in imminent danger of becoming something it has never been before: unremarkable. It is approaching a state where it will no longer be a significant cultural entity but the world's largest gated community, with a few cupcake shops here and there. For the first time in its history, New York is--well, boring."
Kevin Baker, The Fall of a Great American City