It’s a dark grey morning and the clouds are completely blocking the sunrise. The dawn chorus is out, along with the undying LA traffic.
27. June 7, 2022, 12:14 PM
This is one of the louder episodes. There's a low flying police helicopter, a gate sliding open directly in front of the mics, and honking. It's a busy noon in the alley. The sky is clear and it's a warm 81º.
26. June 6, 2022, 4:34 PM
It’s a warm 80º in Lincoln Heights. It was overcast earlier in the day but that’s burnt off this afternoon. It’s trash day and you can hear the empty trash can lids swinging in the light wind, tapping the plastic bins that they’re attached to. With a car, a helicopter, a train in the distance, and birds, it’s a lively day in the alley.
25. June 3, 2022, 11:20 PM
The neighbor's kids are often hanging out in the alley. In order to dampen their voices, I moved the mics outside of the garage, further away from them. Surprisingly, the changed mic position makes them sound more echo-y but also less intelligible. The temp is 61º and cloudy.
24. June 2, 2022, 10:12 PM
Recorded last night but uploaded late. It was 62º, cloudy, and very still. There’s very little audible from the alley in this one, except, of course, for crickets and distant traffic.
23. June 1, 2022, 10:48 PM
It’s a cool 68º. The sky is clear and the neighbors are hanging out in the alley drinking beers and smoking. Happy June 1.
22. May 31, 2022, 3:34 PM
It’s Tuesday, the temp is 74º, and the sky is clear. There’s a soft breeze that makes it feel a little cooler than it is. The sky looks hazy with smog. The birds are out, as usual, and there is no car activity in the ally. Other than some sort of explosion in the distance, it’s a relaxing afternoon.
21. May 30, 2022, 7:15 PM
It’s 66° and the sky is clear. Happy Memorial Day. I’m back from a brief but eventful camping trip, first in the Los Padres National Forest and then, driven out by the crowds, on the Carrizo Plains. Even after just one night on the nearly silent plains, the LA landscape sounds remarkably loud and chaotic, even on this relatively quiet holiday evening.
20. May 27, 2020, 4:56 AM
It’s 60° and just before 5:00 AM. It’s still and cloudy out. I figured that at this hour it would be remarkably quiet out. But the traffic sounds loud and the neighbor is loudly playing the oldies. I’m up early for a Memorial Day Weekend camping trip but will be back in the garage again on Monday.
19. May 26, 2022, 6:09 PM
68° with a slight breeze in Lincoln Heights. It’s a calm Thursday afternoon and it sounds like the neighbors are prepping for the long Memorial Day weekend.
18. May 25, 2022, 7:24 PM
67° and just before sunset. The neighbors are hanging out, the birds are hanging out, and I think I heard the tune of an ice cream truck in the background. Cool evenings after a long hot day are the best.
17. May 24, 2022, 11:20 AM
It’s 72º but it feels a little warmer. There’s a slight breeze and the sky is cloud free. It appears to be a dull blue through a brown haze that is blanketing the city. In the spring, plant life in LA is bursting and uncontrollable: orange bugambilias, purple jacarandas, and white jasmine. But the cars are uncontrollable too, and the city feels like it is barely able to contain them. This tends to diminish the experience of the flowers. But perhaps there’s a kind of beauty to be found in the cars, also, and the half-thought-out infrastructure that supports them.
16. May 23, 2022, 10:31 PM
It's a chilly 60º and overcast in LA. It's a sleepy Monday night. You can hear the neighbor talking on the phone indistinctly and the crows cawing in the distance. I did pick up a siren, but otherwise, traffic is relatively quiet. I'm off to bed. Good night!
15. May 20, 2022, 2:29 PM
It’s a dark and gloomy spring day in LA. But in a place where it’s always sunny, a day like this feels refreshing. It’s windy and shortly after I recorded this it rained, seemingly clearing up yesterday’s haze.
14. May 19, 2022, 10:51 PM
It's a cool (65º), gusty evening after a remarkably hot and hazy day. Midday, the view of downtown—about three miles from Lincoln Heights—was partially obscured by the thick, smoggy air. Further away, the Hollywood sign and the Santa Monica mountain range, visible on a normal day, were entirely hidden.
13. May 18, 2022, 12:08 PM
The police are out and about over Lincoln Heights today. Before now, I've not caught the sound of a low flying helicopter, but they are a permanent fixture of the LA landscape. According to knock-la.com, in 2012 they each cost $1,056 per hour to operate. More recent data was not available. It's 72º out but the thick, smoggy air makes it feel warmer. The AQI is apparently 72 (moderate), but looking at the nearby mountains in the Angeles National Forest, it seems like it should be worse.
12. May 17, 2022, 7:56 PM
A chill evening in the alley with birds, a little air traffic, and the lulling din of the 110. 60º and clear.
11. May 16, 2022, 10:31 PM
It’s a calm evening in Lincoln Heights. There are no cars in the alley, only the low, constant rumble of the nearby 110 and 5 highways. The temp is 60º, the sky is clear, and when the sun was up the sky looked thick with smog.
10. May 13, 2022, 6:14 PM
It's a warm 78º while I'm recording, but this is down from a blistering 93º earlier in the day. It's suddenly summer in LA.
9. May 12, 2022, 3:52 PM
It's a calm but blustery afternoon in the alley. You can hear the wind occasionally rattle the chain on the neighbor's gate. After a three-day stint of jury duty—a brief but surprisingly harrowing experience—I am feeling especially relaxed and content working in the garage this late afternoon. The temp is 83º and skies are perfectly clear.