A Walk Through Humboldt Park Reveals Music Beyond the Stage

When I set out to explore Humboldt Park, I expected music to find me quickly. Instead, I found silence.

On one of the hottest afternoons this summer, the park was quieter than expected. Few people were outside. Birds chirped above the trees while police and ambulance sirens passed through the neighborhood. Cars moved along the nearby streets, but each sound disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.

For a while, that became the soundtrack of my walk.

I eventually left the park and continued down Division Street. Near Division and California, salsa began spilling from a storefront and onto the sidewalk. The sound led me to Lily's Record Shop, a woman-owned business run by the same family for over four decades.

The music grew louder as I approached the entrance. Inside, songs by Héctor Lavoe, Marc Anthony, Willie Colón and Frankie Ruiz filled the shop, blending with customers moving through the space and the activity continuing outside on Division Street.

I met Vanessa Massas, the shop's manager, and photographed her as the music continued. The songs reached the sidewalk, offering anyone nearby a brief connection to the Puerto Rican music playing inside.

Music followed me beyond the record shop, sometimes clearly through speakers, other times through smaller moments that were easy to miss.

Near the store, a child had been playing a drum outside.

Minutes earlier, the neighborhood seemed quiet. Now, the drum sat silent on the sidewalk, salsa drifting from Lily's Record Shop.