Right, I'm the same way. I don't like a lot of noise, but I like to keep a fan running at the very least. It's all the little random annoying sounds that I can't handle, like the ticking, dripping, people talking in the street, fire trucks, cop cars, someone typing on a keyboard, the neighbor's **** running around stomping on the floor, dogs barking, etc. When I was a *** I used to ***** with my radio on.
Yeah, a fan is good too. I tend to use that when it's warmer. Not the best idea in the colder months though.
On the bright side this is usually a quiet town, with the exception of...
A few weeks ago there was a group of people basically partying in the street outside my apartment at 2 in the morning. They were screaming, shouting, laughing, hootin and hollerin, riding bicycles up and down the street, and had 3 cars pulled up to the curb that they left on and were blasting their radios. They were out there doing that for over an hour. God damn it pissed me off. I called the cops on them, which I've never done to someone before because I understand what it's like to be out at night having fun, but seriously, 2 in the morning in the middle of the street? Seriously?! Ridiculous.
Ugh, that was my last set of neighbors pretty much every weekend. Luckily they're gone now.
Not sure how well I'd deal with NYC. It always seems so noisy regardless of the time of day or night when you see news footage and the like.