I recently bought a matinee ticket to see “Hell’s Kitchen” on Broadway, a Tony award-winning musical inspired by Alicia Keys’ experiences growing up in NYC in the 1990’s. It didn’t take long before I got my first advisory on my Apple watch that the sound level had exceeded the set decibel level to negatively affect my hearing if I’m exposed to it for a certain period of time. By the time intermission came, I’d gotten a few of these advisories and, as much as I was enjoying the performance, I decided it was time to leave.

I can’t remember when I last left a play during intermission. It’s pretty rare and I was disappointed that the noise level was so loud during the performance that I felt the necessity to do it to protect my hearing. This isn’t the first musical that I’ve experienced the issue but it’s the first one I walked out of. I’m just not sure why the productions feel the need to crank up the sound levels that high.

On the subject of extremely loud noises in NYC, you may have noticed that it’s also painfully noisy standing on a subway platform waiting for a local train while an express roars by on a middle track. I also put my hands over my ears if I’m walking down the street when either an FDNY or a Mt. Sinai ambulance comes tearing down. They seem to me to be the loudest of any emergency vehicle with a siren. Then there’s the construction equipment. In NYC, there are countless times when one can experience the delights of walking past crews drilling the street.

These are some painfully loud experiences that immediately come to mind and I’m not even including the countless noisy restaurants here which have opted for hard surfaces on walls, ceilings and floors to amplify the conversation noise of their patrons. And to that high decibel level conversation noise, many pump in loud music.

It’s a miracle any of us living here can still hear. Maybe that’s why people say New Yorkers are all so loud when they talk. It’s because we may have lost some of our hearing.

If you’re interested, the NIH has these recommendations for protecting your hearing: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/listen-infographic

There are many reasons for protecting your hearing for better enjoyment of life, but reducing the risk of dementia is one we should also consider: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/hearing-loss

Bottom line, I’m sorry to have missed the 2nd half of “Hell’s Kitchen,” but know that my ears are grateful for the sacrifice. Then, of course, after leaving the theater, I emerge onto Broadway, which is it’s own decibel hell.