Street Noise

Street Noise offers a series of historical and cultural reflections and observations about New York City. It presents innovative insights into many day-to-day aspects of New York City that have been ignored or forgotten. Street Noise is a unique mixture of urban studies and cultural theory.

Through a blend of provocative and evocative musings about New York City, the book provides both the sophisticated reader and the casual “tourist” with themes, issues, and topics often overlooked or not adequately considered. It explores interesting destinations not typically on a tourist’s “to-do list,” and offers a serious and rigorous analysis of important sites and characteristics that make New York New York. A wide range of topics is discussed in a series of short notes in this book, from the origins of Ray’s Pizza to the social dynamics of cell phone users. This hybrid text is both a cultural critique and an ode to the city, offering readers a unique perspective on one of the world’s most dynamic urban landscapes.

Street Noise will appeal to graduate and undergraduate students interested in cultural and social theory, urban studies, architecture, urban design, and history. Yet it is a book that is readily accessible to both the tourist and the general reader interested in New York City. It would also be a perfect memento and gift.