This July, The New York Times ran a series exploring the changing, and sometimes deafening, noise pollution in the city. They described restaurants where the noise levels were not just loud, but dangerously so. Waitresses were getting migraines and bartenders had to lip-read the drink orders because they couldn’t hear over the din.
About people working and eating in such places, The Times quoted Laura Kauth, president of the National Hearing Conservation Association, who said, “They’re experiencing industrial level noise.”
I thought about those deafening noise levels this Sunday night when my husband and I were at the new Nobu restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway. Even though our friends had reserved a quiet outdoor table, that was unavailable. About mid-way through the meal, I realized I was yelling at my friends, and still most of the time the four of us couldn’t hear each other. By the end of the meal, I was hoarse from yelling, and exhausted from the noise of all the other voices bouncing off the hard surfaces.
As we left, I thought maybe it’s time for The Malibu Times to do a “Dangerous Decibels” series examining the new, rising noise levels in our once quiet beachfront town.
In New York City, many people don’t like the unabated roar, but maybe they expect it; it is an urban environment. But in Malibu, at the beach?
Jo Giese