Residents who live near the busy heliport on East 34th Street fought hard to get a curfew imposed in 1998, prohibiting landing and taking off on nights and weekends. Of course, such trivial things as noise and air pollution shouldn't stop important plutocrats from going about their business. In the last six months, nearby resident Ron Sticco and his wife have caught the mayor's helicopter breaking curfew sixteen times. more ›

The ongoing rehabilitation work being performed on the Brooklyn Bridge may be necessary to preserve the iconic landmark for generations of drivers to come, but at what cost? Sounds of cacophonous jackhammering throughout the night have been tormenting one Brooklyn Heights man, who's been sending us regular video updates documenting his ordeal. Frankly, we're starting to get a little worried about this guy. Here's his most recent video update—be sure to watch to the end to see how he's "coping": more ›

Stop and frisks and cycling citations are at record highs, but the NYPD isn't doing a whole lot about the noise that raises the collective blood pressure of city residents. Incessant honking, which totally makes traffic jams disappear instantly, is a $350 fine in most of the city. And though we've never seen a cabbie not impatiently honk at a car going the speed limit, the TLC is trying to change that behavior by sending them text messages reminding them of the fine. Not surprisingly, the cabbies are not letting go of their horns quietly. more ›

When somebody emails saying they have a great video of a car alarm going off, there's a tendency not to believe this person. How entertaining could something so maddening possibly be? Well, this one's actually pretty good. An area man who insists on being referred to by his stage name davidjr.com tells us this "SUPER loud" car alarm in his neighborhood was blaring all night long. He and his neighbors tried to cope with it in various ways, and here is their story: more ›

Every night this month the Gospel Tabernacle Church is holding an old-timey tent revival in a vacant lot in Flatbush, where people are getting RIGHT WITH GOD at very high volumes. But some of the wicked heathens who reside in the neighborhood say all this righteousness is disturbing their sinful, slothful peace. Others, with a little prompting from a local TV news reporter, agree the noisy revival sure beats the sound of gunshots. Here's NBC New York's amusing segment on the Tent Crusade 2011: more ›

There's trouble in Palm Beach. More specifically, the Palm Beach Home, a nursing home located next to an Asian-fusion restaurant/nightclub in Sheepshead Bay named OPM. Ha ha GET IT?! "Opium!" Like that substance that was responsible for the death and misery of millions of Chinese and the foisting of British colonial might upon an innocent people! The Palm Beach Home's director tells the Post that they can't stand the "oom-sts" emanating out of the bar, and that "you know it's loud when you have 100-year-old people without their hearing aids complaining that the noise keeps them up at night." No problem, just jack up the surround sound and pass the OPM pipe during Matlock. more ›

You hear that? Terrifying isn't it—the soul-smothering SILENCE of Midtown Manhattan now that the Muse Hotel has caved to neighbors' caviling that their bellman's whistling was destroying their inner peace. You'll recall that the cacophonous sound of the cab-calling whistles became so obstreperous that one person described it as "Chinese water torture." And then the police had to intervene after a hotel employee left a threatening message for someone who was making a stink about the whistling (the Times has it; it's hilarious). Anyway, peace has now returned to the valley of West 46th Street. It's quiet... almost too quiet. more ›

Many of us share in the blood-boiling, white-knuckle rage that is summoned when the cacophony of the city rouses us from our precious six hours of sleep, but few of us are able to do anything about it beyond screaming obscenities out the window or drowning it out with uncontrollable sobbing. EV Grieve shares the account of one dad on East 5th street who awoke to a raucous party bus at 4 a.m. whose first reflex wasn't to dial 311, but to "[get] a bat...but didn't want to wake the kids by opening their baseball gear. It was their sleep that I was trying to preserve after all." No bat? That's why the Good Lord invented shoes. more ›

Oh good—because police sirens just aren't loud enough, now more cops will be able to blast the "whooping vibration-siren system" called The Rumbler when they're racing to the scene of a Dunkin' Donuts or Magnolia Bakery. You'll recall that in 2009, the NYPD expanded a pilot program testing The Rumbler on 150 squad cars. The Rumbler is the siren that has "the distinct advantage of penetrating and shaking solid materials, allowing vehicle operators and nearby pedestrians to FEEL the sound waves and perhaps even see their effects through a shaking rearview mirror." And now another 4,500 cops will be able to push a button and make your trousers vibrate. more ›

Victory! After subjecting American consumers—famous for their sensitive hearing—to the annoying crinkling of their 100% compostable Sun Chips bags, the Frito-Lay company has decided to discontinue the bags and go back to their non-recyclable, landfill-clogging packaging. Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people with a Facebook page can change the world—take a bow "Sorry But I Can’t Hear You Over This SunChips Bag!" Maybe now you can do something about those awful wind farm eyesores! more ›

It's a nightmare over in Long Island City for residents who live near the cacophonous MTA exhaust fans that clear air from the 7 train tunnel when work's being done. And there is a lot of work to be done, now and forever—there's not even any 7 train service between Queens and Manhattan for the next billion weekends because of the repairs. People complain they can't sleep because of the fans, which sound like a jet engine before takeoff or, as the Times puts it, "a giant rattle shaken at great speeds." more ›

After a successful pilot program, the NYPD is adding a new siren called The Rumbler to over 150 patrol cars; this bad boy blasts a palpable sound wave that can be felt up to 200 feet away. According to The Rumbler's manufacturer [pdf], the siren has "the distinct advantage of penetrating and shaking solid materials, allowing vehicle operators and nearby pedestrians to FEEL the sound waves and perhaps even see their effects through a shaking rearview mirror." The company also warns that the siren and speakers "may cause hearing damage," and those who use it are encouraged to wear ear protection. more ›

And the great 2009 hotel war rages on: Over the weekend, we showed you hellish video depicting a cacophonous multi-media roof party at the Thompson LES Hotel, documented by an understandably disgruntled neighbor. Today we're back over to the Cooper Square Hotel, where angry neighbors have been using bullhorns and dirty laundry to fight back at loud-talkers on that hotel's patio. more ›

Downtown Manhattan residents have heard enough from honking cabs, and one Community Board is asking the Taxi & Limousine Commission to do something about the racket. Community Board 3, which represents the area of Manhattan containing the East Village, Lower East Side, and Chinatown, voted this week to formally request that the T&LC require devices to be installed in cabs that will visually identify them as horn abusers. more ›