Tuesday, March 29, 2016

A Letter to the Construction Workers Outside My Window

Dear Construction Workers Working Outside My Window,

I get that you are doing your job. You have a retaining wall to build, a facade to redo, a park to put back together when you are through. I have no doubt that your work will help make our neighborhood safer and the public grounds you are working on more accessible and beautiful.

However. Wow. You are loud. I'm not sure what machine you are using. But it makes even jackhammers sound like butterfly wings.

You have been starting every day at 7am with that machine, the exact time you are allowed by law to begin making this sort of noise. So, thanks, I guess, for following the law. But may I make a teeny request that you also follow the laws of polite human interaction when you consider the work you will do at 7am? Surely there must be some quieter jobs that also need to get done.

I get it, this is New York City. If we considered other people's comfort all the time, we'd never get anywhere. If we held the door for each other, we'd be standing in the doorway all day. Usually I accept our close quarters, I accept the noise, the need for progress.

This time though, it's over the top. You just might put me over the edge. So while I wish you all the very best and I commend you for doing your jobs so enthusiastically, I also wish you would MAKE. IT. STOP.

Love,

Your Current Neighbor

15 comments:

  1. It seems reasonable to assume they could do quieter jobs earlier in the morning.

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  2. Ohhhh how awful! Jackhammers make a noise you can't escape. Hang in there!!

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  3. This made me laugh. It IS hard to believe that the loudest part of the job couldn't be saved for noonish. A few days--hours--minutes of listening to that surely makes you go crazy. Hang in there!

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  4. Nice letter.
    And the true test of argumentative writing: does it get results? So, have you handed the foreman a nice copy with a cup of java? :-)

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  5. I guess I could write this letter to the summer birds who start talking to each other at 5:30 AM, but living in the country, we don't have that issue very often! :) Thank you for sharing this noisy slice with us!

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  6. Ugh, that's awful! I would go crazy!! We used to have a lawn service for our townhome complex that would mow the lawns super early in the morning every Monday and I thought that was bad. But this sounds way way worse!

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  7. I always feel better after writing to someone that I am frustrated with, even if I don't give it to them. Hopefully writing this helped!

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  8. I hope it stops and soon!
    When I moved up to 87th St., there was a church under construction right next door to me -- for what was over a year. I thought I'd lose my mind every day that I was home from work (eg, summer vacation) since I could never sleep in. That said, once it was finished, I had a much nicer view.

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  9. Hang in there...you live in NYC (i.e. You are a lucky duck)! Fortunately, construction is short- (well, maybe longish-)term. But, agreed, quiet work at 7 am would be preferred. I think some people just want to be heard, no matter the time. ;)

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  10. This is the kind of writing to a prompt that has a sense of authenticity Anna. It is somewhat cathartic. As an ex resident of NYC, I feel your pain. These days It's just the mower service guys on Friday that drive me nuts. You got it off your chest and retain a strong sense of decorum. Well done!

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  11. This is the kind of writing to a prompt that has a sense of authenticity Anna. It is somewhat cathartic. As an ex resident of NYC, I feel your pain. These days It's just the mower service guys on Friday that drive me nuts. You got it off your chest and retain a strong sense of decorum. Well done!

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