This visit to the Brooklyn Bridge explains how to use the Noiseways site.

The following two photographs were taken on the Brooklyn Bridge promenade.

Imagine what this place sounds like. Really...humor us, go ahead.

Now, compare your expectations to what it really sounds like on the bridge. Click either photograph or click the "play" button to hear a sound recording taken from the Brooklyn Bridge promenade.

To best approximate what it really sounds like, turn up the volume on your computer so that the man you hear yelling—he's a tour guide explaining how Mr. Woolworth paid for the Woolworth Building—is as loud as he'd be if he were standing right beside your computer.

For each place, we also provide the average noise level (in decibels) so you can compare the levels at the sites. We also provide, for kicks, the peak noise level recorded during our visit. Here's what we found on the Brooklyn Bridge:

Average dBA: 79.7
Peak dBA: 102.1 (a cabbie's horn)

To continue your tour, use the red links to the left or use the map.