Davis street piano hours?

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

The Davis street piano has a laminated paper sign saying you can play it from 9 am to 9 pm.

Is that an official rule, or did some random person make the sign? There are no hours listed here, even though other listings do have time restrictions.

Having some limit does make sense, since people live above Tedeschi's, etc. But 9 pm is ridiculous. I think a more reasonable end time for such a busy location would be 11 pm or midnight. What does the city noise ordinance say about street musicians and other noise at night?

Comments

[greenlily.livejournal.com]

Huh. Apparently the one down by the Irish Famine Memorial/mega-Walgreens is supposed to close down at 6 pm. I was playing it on Sunday afternoon, though, and spoke with one of the guys from Walgreens who said that sometimes he's working a very late shift (I think it's a 24-hour store) and hears people playing it late at night.

I wouldn't try that in Davis Square, but if I were playing it (quietly!) at 10 pm and someone asked me to stop, I'd be kind of startled.

[ron_newman]

That's strange, since the nearest residences to that Walgreen's are at least a half mile away, in Beacon Hill and the North End.

[avjudge]

No help on the street piano's sign, I found this for the city ordinances:

Sec. 9-116. Noise disturbances
Noise disturbances prohibited. The following acts are declared to be loud, disturbing and unnecessary noises in violation of this section, but said enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive.
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(13) Radios, television sets, musical instruments, and similar devices. Operating, playing or permitting the operation or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, drum, musical instrument, sound amplifier, or similar device which produces, reproduces, or amplifies sound between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in such a manner as to create a noise disturbance.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

heh, the folks responsible for enforcing that should should come hang out on my street some summer night. i wish they would ticket the guys with the mega bass in their trunk, sitting parked while it thumps through two or three songs -- at 11:30 pm, on a weeknight, when most of the street is already in bed because they have to get up at 5:30 am...

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

you could call 311 or 911 and ask that enforcement be sent.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Each piano has a volunteer or set of volunteers signed up secure and latch the protective tarp on at night and unlock it in the morning.

So I imagine that the hours for a given piano are partially related to the commitments that volunteers were willing to make.

[cravereality.livejournal.com]

That was what I was going to say. They have really specific instructions about covering and having people around and such, and I'd guess the rules are more about that then any noise ordinances.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

yes, this. Tags takes care of the one at Porter Square shopping plaza, and presumably it is open when their employees can lock/unlock/cover/uncover it, for instance.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

You never know, but the kids are being put to bed by that hour, so there might be a reason.

[smammy]

If you disagree with the posted hours, you could always remove the sign. This is a do-ocracy!

[ron_newman]

Or just edit it with a marker?

[totient]

I trust that you are making a snarky comment about Noisebridge and not actually being serious.

[smammy]

Your trust is misplaced. I don't know anything about Noisebridge, and it seems to me that modifying public spaces is usually pretty OK.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Some/all of the pianos get locked up, correct (I haven't seen the Davis one yet, but I saw one with a padlock the other day)? I would guess that the hours posted are the schedule of the person/s volunteering to open and close the thing.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

There's opening and closing it, and also covering it and uncovering it if it's going to rain, yes.

[somerfriend.livejournal.com]

I'd like to express how great this program of having these pianos is and how much I appreciate the people whose efforts have made it possible. Really enjoyed date night with my wife wandering about Davis Square and running into people doing impromptu performances and watching the strangers gather around them to cheer.

[obie119.livejournal.com]

I agree! I wish they could be around forever. They definitely have created a lot of happiness, not to sound too cheesy.