The Sounds and the Money

In NYC, there's lots and lots and lots of things to see: buildings, people, cabs, trucks, cars, storefronts -- you name it, you can see it here. 

But what about the things you don't see that make an impact? And what about what you hear?

First, impact. Namely, gay marriage. Namely, the money that gay marriage has thrown into our city's economy. Last year, when New York made gay marriage legal, there was lots of speculation that the marriage industry would see a boost and that it might help our city's economy.

And guess what? It did! 

A year later, thanks to marriage equality, an extra $259 million was pumped into our city's economy and an extra $16 million into the city's coffers. That's some impact. That's great.

Second, the sounds. Again, you can hear anything you like. That's why this WNYC segment about the most annoying sounds in NYC is so interesting. It's so hard to think of just one. WNYC is doing a listener survey and you can add your own idea of what this city's most awful noises are here. 

Just another example of the city we don't see but that certainly exists.