Noisy Neighbors
Okay, so in this case, we’re the “noisy neighbors.” We recently moved from Manhattan into a brownstone in Park Slope. Our new place has outdoor space (that we pay a premium for) and we’re definitely planning to utilize the space during the summer months. My husband and I both work until 7pm so the only…
Okay, so in this case, we’re the “noisy neighbors.”
We recently moved from Manhattan into a brownstone in Park Slope. Our new place has outdoor space (that we pay a premium for) and we’re definitely planning to utilize the space during the summer months. My husband and I both work until 7pm so the only time to take advantage of the backyard is in the evenings as we tend to travel on the weekends. Over the past week we have been out back gardening (trying to beautify our new outdoor space) until about 10pm and one weeknight we had friends over until just before 10pm. I would say that 99% of the time it will just be me and my husband out back and when we’re out there we often play music, but at what I would consider a reasonable level (for example, I can’t hear it when I enter the apartment and close the door). Coming from Manhattan, we’re used to playing music and in most cases being some of the quieter people in our old building. We understand that we live near a lot of families with young children now and we’re trying to find a balance between enjoying our outdoor space and being respectful of our neighbors.
We received a complaint from one of our neighbors that we are being too noisy and that music is meant to be kept indoors in our new neighborhood. As I said, we want to be respectful of our neighbors and certainly don’t want to start off on the wrong foot, but we also want to enjoy our space. When we signed the lease on our apartment nodoby mentioned a “music indoors” rule.
So, here’s my question, is playing music at reasonable levels until 9 or 10pm disrespectful? If so, what would be a reasonable time to play music until?
We would like to come to some sort of arrangement with our neighbors where we stop playing music at some designated hour, but that we still have a right to play music until that point in time without complaints or dirty looks on the street. We think that requesting that music stay indoors at all times is somewhat unreasonable. Would love to hear your thoughts…
Whats with this facination with playing music all the damn time anyway? I cant stand this ME generation that has to have music on all the time and be constantly entertained especially outside – listen to yourself for a change, turn it off! Who the heck would even think of playing music outside at night? You must have your heads up your arses.
*if they have to close their windows sometimes, what’s the big deal?*
Why are you being so noisy that I have to close my windows? I like my windows open, and I don’t want to hear your crappy music. Or any music. Why does your right to listen to music supercede my right to have quiet in my own home? I don’t think it does. Listen to your music inside, not outside.
i’m shocked that so many people have a problem with any music any time. i live in fort greene and while i’m not so pleased when there are rooftop’s full of drunk people singing at 2 am on a sunday night/monday morning…no music ever?? i think playing music at a low level in the evening is perfectly acceptable. if you play your music fairly quietly and turn it off and keep conversation low after 9 pm on weekdays, your neighbors really have nothing to complain about. we all live in close proximity and need to respect our neighbors and be mindful of their schedules, but they too have to keep in mind that – though it’s park slope and they may have kids – they live in an urban environment in which there are many different people living different lifestyles within earshot. if they have to close their windows sometimes, what’s the big deal?
Have the music at dinner time but turn it off for God’s sake as it gets close to bedtime. This shit makes people seethe even if they are trying to talk themselves into being understanding, reasonable, etc. It is annoying beyond belief to try to unwind after a long day without being annoyed with music you don’t want to hear when you are going to bed. It has got to be worse for people with kids. Why sit around trying to convince yourself that you have a right to this when in the end civil cooperative relationships with your neighbors is one of the biggest assets you have. How would you feel if everyone with adjoining yards had their own music on at the same sound level at 9 or 10 pm? Being a good neighbor means respecting the quiet zone around people’s bedtimes. Also beware of the 311 phenomonon. People may not want to confront you directly and you may be dealing with the cops at night and cool neighbors during the day.
Have the music at dinner time but turn it off for God’s sake as it gets close to bedtime. This shit makes people seethe even if they are trying to talk themselves into being understanding, reasonable, etc. It is annoying beyond belief to try to unwind after a long day without being annoyed with music you don’t want to hear when you are going to bed. It has got to be worse for people with kids. Why sit around trying to convince yourself that you have a right to this when in the end civil cooperative relationships with your neighbors is one of the biggest assets you have. How would you feel if everyone with adjoining yards had their own music on at the same sound level at 9 or 10 pm? Being a good neighbor means respecting the quiet zone around people’s bedtimes. Also beware of the 311 phenomonon. People may not want to confront you directly and you may be dealing with the cops at night and cool neighbors during the day.
Thank you for being honest and presenting this clearly hot button issue. My suggestion, in addition to other reasonable suggestions, invite your neighbors over one weekend when you are home. People tend to be more tolerant when they know each other.
I agree that you should not play music outside except for the occasional party. Turn the music off, listen to the birds, and let your neighbors do the same.
hard to answer without knowing what your definition of “reasonable” is.
move to bed stuy. you’ll be complaining the other way!
If you want quiet, you should move to Jackson Heights. We have shared, peaceful gardens. None of this is a problem at all. Park Slope Sucks.