Start with adding rugs, wall tapestries, and heavy curtains. And then there is this http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/-538

Other than some heavy duty curtains (which would ruin the view) I'm not sure what you could do to dampen the sound. I did want to let you know that in my experience after a while of living somewhere with a good amount of noise (next to rail line with surface crossings and on the main path to the local ER) after several months I heard less of the noises and after a year or two they just disappeared in the background. Good Luck!

First, what a gorgeous expanse of windows. Now you get to hate me because I'm going to suggest covering them up. Heavy draperies will significantly reduce the amount of noise coming through your windows. Generally, the softer your environment, the more noise it will absorb - so draperies, area rugs, throw pillows, etc.

Fabric covered screens could work as well - like drapes, that will provide both a barrier and a "muffle" effect.

Other options - a white noise generator that can sort of blend out the highway. You could also try keeping music going.

It sounds hard to believe but, you will get used to it. It takes time, but I've moved from country to city and the sounds do eventually become part of every day life and less bothersome.

Soundproof curtains will help, a little. The most effective thing you can do for soundproofing windows is buy better windows, which I sippose is off the table. But you can attempt to make them airtight, which will help. Go around with a candle (carefully!) to find where the drafts are, then apply caulk or weathersealing as appropriate.

I had a similar problem in my old house. Heavy curtains are no match for traffic. I was never able to find a solution- altho I tried all suggestions for the year that I lived there. You may just have to use earplugs. I hate earplugs and I never got used to the noise, so finally just relocated the bedroom to a room on the other side of the house where the traffic noise was slightly less intense. BTW, other people slept in the noisy bedroom fine without being bothered, so I guess some people are just more sensitive to it. You sound like one of those people, as am I.

1) rugs, wall hangings, curtains, etc
2) earplugs
3) fan or white noise machine in your bedroom
4) time (it's true that you will get used to it after a while)

Great space! Shame about the noise. We've always sleep with a fan. We live in the country now and it's too quiet! When we lived over neighbors that blared music all night I would use a sound machine with a pillow speaker. My husband was never bothered by it.

Good luck!

I lived facing 1st Ave in NYC for 9 years - so I feel your pain! The thing we found helped most is a white noise machine. This one to be exact: http://www.amazon.com/Conditioner-Marpac-formerly-Sleepmate-980A/dp/B000KUHFGM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350049965&sr=8-1&keywords=sleepmate

It is just a fan inside, so its a nice constant "whooshing" noise and not electronic sounding. As others have said, I got used to the traffic noise after about a month. Now that I've moved to a quiet area, I have a hard time sleeping without it! Good luck!

The apartment is really nice. However, in my opinion noise is too big of a sacrifice to make. How about moving to a similar unit in the building away from the noisy side (if thet exists)? May be worth the trouble...

White noise (either fan, noise machine etc) is probably your best bet here. We use them in office buildings to help cover the sound of the person in the cubicle 5 feet away talking on the phone etc. They work very well.

I live in what I would consider the world's worst apartment for noise (right on the intersection of two major Chicago streets, one of which is used for semis getting to the nearby expressway...oh, and halfway between a police station and a fire station too. And on top of a bar.)
I actually started using an iphone app for sleeping--there are tons out there. White noise doesn't do it for me...it does nothing to mask the rumbles of a passing semi. Not enough low frequency. Pink works much better in my opinion.
Falling asleep with the TV on actually helps me--it's like *my* noise is better to have on than other noise? I don't know, but it works for me.

As others have said, HEAVY curtains. Mass stops sound.

And with time you do notice it less. Not to say it gets to the point where it's acceptable, though. I'm moving as soon as this lease is up.

I would recommend blinds with some insulation (good for saving money on heating and cooling as well as blocking noise) that allow for you to open them from the top down. That would offer some noise dampening and block the view of the actual highway - which may make you forget it's there and somehow subconsciously ignore the sound. I'd also add in something for white noise like a fan or an air purifier. Then I'd wait. I used to live next to a firehouse and after nearly jumping out of my skin the first month, I stopped even noticing the sirens after a bit.

You will get used to it. I've lived near highways and parkways almost my entire life, and then when I moved, I lived next to fire stations and hospitals, and ambulances and fire trucks certainly don't care how late it is or how much sleep you need :)

I used to live in an apartment in Brooklyn with a view of the Ocean Pkwy on-ramp. Heavy curtains and large area rugs did help somewhat, as did one of those white noise machines that typically go in babies' rooms.

However, we soon did without the white noise machine because we got used to the highway noise. It got to where it sounded quite like the ocean. The only annoying thing was the squealing of bus brakes. There's no curtain or white noise machine that will drown that out.

I lived next to train tracks for years in college. It got so I could not even hear them anymore. Now I live 2 miles from an interstate highway, but the sound can travel up the river to me. I used to hear it. Rarely now.

I would hate to see those windows covered, but you could always cover any in the bedroom when you sleep. Also whit/pink noise or music when you go to bed. I have no noise coming in my bedroom, but I like going to sleep with music. It distracts my mind and I fall asleep quickly. My iPod timer turns it off after 30 minutes.

Here's what I did in my city condo: I installed neutral curtains with (here's the key) a heavy white thermal lining to face the outside. During the day, keep them open to fall between the windows so you don't block your amazing view. Close them at night to block as much noise as possible. And if you mount the rods/cable near the ceiling, the long vertical columns of curtains when they're open will make your room look even taller.

Is this Plaza Square Apts?

I agree with the heavy curtain idea. Unfortunately it won't block 100% of the sound (more like 10%) but it might be enough to make it easier to live with. Also, it's unfortunate that you'd have to cover up those amazing windows.

Living in a city with all kinds of noises is difficult at first, but you'll get used to it eventually. I used to live on a street with 4 hospitals. After about a month living there I simply didn't hear sirens anymore, even though they were blaring 24 hours a day.

How new are your windows? We added all sorts of noise-blocking features after our first child was born (we live by a major airport, an expressway, and 2 railroads, plus our alley constantly has noisy garbage trucks backing up). But new windows made a surprisingly huge difference (we didn't buy windows to block noise---for energy efficiency). If you're leaking air, you're leaking sound, so you might check the caulk and use silicone sealant as needed (if your landlord is ok with that).

The super-heavy-duty light blocking curtains help with noise. And I'd suggest getting a noisy old fan or air purifier. New ones are too quiet!

And speaking of too quiet, now whenever I leave home, I have trouble sleeping in complete silence. Walking around outside without the sound of planes, trains and automobiles is weird, too. :)

I use SleepPhones when I travel with a rain noise for noise blocking. They work great. Because they are right up against your ears, I think they work better than a white noise machine.

I lived in an apartment on a busy road and had a similar experience. The noise drove me crazy. For privacy I hung plain white curtain panels (using pressure rods inside the frame) on the bottom halves of the windows, so the light could still come in from the tops. Obviously the curtains did nothing for the noise, but I discovered that if I could not see the cars whizzing by, the noise bothered me less. I know it sounds odd, but I guess I just focused on them less. After two years I moved because after trying earplugs, white noise machines, etc., I just couldn't adjust to the noise. I hope you can!

Do they have indoor fountains to mask the noise during the day, such as are used in gardens to mask street noise?

This is a rental so you probably won't be able to do this, but getting double paned windows in which the two panes are slightly different thicknesses (like one is 3mm and one is 4mm thick) will really help. The two thicknesses work together to cancel out or weak a broader spectrum of sound frequencies.

And also, the person up there who said check seals and repair/reseal where needed is absolutely correct. That will make a noticeable difference.

Triple pane windows, but doesn't look like that's a viable option.

If it's just about getting some sleep then add some DIY shutters to your bedroom windows. Cut foam insulation the depth and measurement of you window. Wrap in fabric. Add a plank, repurposed door, artwork or something to the back and mount them on hinges. Open during the day, seal off the world at night. Voila.

Check out these sound-dampening translucent fabrics:
http://remodelista.com/posts/silence-is-golden-problem-solving-acoustic-curtains

We aren't along a highway, but we are near a busy road where we could hear traffic. We recently replaced our sliding door (an original from probably the 70s was still in place), and also bought some very heavy, velvet curtains from Pottery Barn. This has significantly reduced the noise, and also helps with moderating the temperature inside our home (which has wood floors).

Reggie---you have my sympathy. But I think I can help you. Make "Pop-Ins" out of sheets of foam insulation board. The foil-back insulation is the most dense and best (and most expensive usually), then the pink foam, then the styrene bead kind. You will need a roll of quality duct tape, and an X-Acto knife or one of those retractable cutting knifes with the snap off blades (but use the whole blade).

Carefully measure the inside of the window frame (the same part of the window where you'd hang a roller shade, for example. Windows are rarely on the square, so take lots of measurements. Mark the foam board as precisely as you can, cut carefully, and check the fit. When you are satisfied with the fit, wrap the edges in duct tape, and make one or two duct tape tabs at the bottom of the sheet so you can easily pull it out of the window when you don't need it.

Pop-ins will dampen the sound, black out the room, and provide great insulation against the heat/cold. I have been making them since 1994, and they have saved me a lot of money and stress.

To make them more attractive, you can wrap them in fabric, and glue the edges down with hot glue--just like wrapping a present, or use clear packing tape. I have also used bed sheets, table cloths, shower curtains, brown kraft paper, and wrapping paper to cover pop-ins.

They weight almost nothing, and you can tape scraps together to make pop-ins for smaller windows. I have recycled, re-taped, re-shaped my pop-ins for a long time. It's a small investment for something so effective.

There is also something called QuietBrace (1/2 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft). Sound-Deadening Structural Insulating Sheathing, but I have never used it. Must be fairly new.

Disposable ear plugs sold in CVS or Walgreen's, 30 pair for about $7. I had a noisy upstairs neighbor who walked around upstairs from me all night, also people next door who would start lawnmower and edger very early. I started using ear plugs and that eliminated the need to confront them. I slept like a baby, the best uninterrupted sleep I have ever had. I could still hear the alarm clock in the morning, but didn't hear the other noise. Go figure?

Do you sleep in your living room?

If not, you could easily line your bedroom walls with sound dampening tiles.

Like almost everyone else said - the windows are letting in all the sound. You can replace them with heavy duty soundproof ones or install acoustical window seals. They are a custom sized track that allows you to add another layer of glass (the heavier the better) which adds more mass and a 'dead space'. Both of these will help with soundproofing. http://www.acousticalsolutions.com/66~acoustic-window-seals

If you want to soundproof your bedroom, you can install a door seal kit (http://www.acousticalsolutions.com/598~door-seal-kits) to keep the noise from your windowed living room out, as well as damping compound (http://www.acousticalsolutions.com/31~quietglue-pro) and additional drywall on the walls (if your landlord allows).

Use soundproofing curtains!! And I recommend vocalboothtogo soundproofing curtains -- a source for voice actors (who can not work around noise!).

FYI -- new windows are expensive -- plus your windows are so gorgeous! Don't change them! These soundproofing curtains (which are affordable) are made with Limp Mass Membrane -- very easy to put up. Here is a link a You Tube video which shows you the actual test and what the curtains look like. Hope this helps! http://youtu.be/ouKmmNJ39EA

I lived right next to the 401 (busiest 8 lane highway in Toronto, Canada) . At first I couldn't sleep but within 3 weeks it became background noise and I no longer heard it. When there was no traffic at 3:30 to 4:00 AM I would wake up from the lack of noise. LOL! Start with earplugs and 12 minutes of meditation. Give yourself time to adapt to what looks like a beautiful place.

My Mother swears by a small indoor fountain that she has in her bedroom.

I use earplugs. Small, cheap, neat and tidy. We have neighbour and siren noise, these have really helped.

Try Red Devil Zip-a-Way Removable Weather Stripping caulking on your windows. Copiously. I sealed all mine in my huge bay window (I live above the West Side Hwy in NYC). Significantly reduces noise (and pollution). And I've moved, and it does indeed peel right off without damaging the windows.

Buy a white noise machine. That should do fine in the winter. In the summertime, if your place doesn't have central A/C, you could always add a window or portable unit - the steady drone from the air conditioner should help you sleep.

Suggest.insert spring loaded curtain rod then hang moving van pads( very thick) to block out the sound. Sew tabs at the top of the pad ,then slide into the rods.most economical Then the idea of large grommets ( kits avaliable for DIY) spaced along the pad will give it a more tailored appreance. Place hooks inside the top of the window inserts ,just hook them up. When there is company you want to show the sky line ....Hook a few of the panels over each other.
Keep us posted

Ok, so the laws of physics should be helpful here. What you essentially need to do is add an extra layer of glazing. I'm down in Australia, and work at hardware shop. We have this stuff that is layered transparent patio roofing for blocking heat transfer. What blocks heat should also slow down noise. If I were you, I'd get something like this, cut it to fit each piece of glass and stick it up there with a bit of double sided tape.
Or if I'd bought the place I'd look into triple glazing. Most of the noise will be coming through the glass.
If you do something like that, and then get heavy duty curtains, it should help.

A view of a highway but with dead silence.. wouldn't that be a strange sight? Don't block the noise. That's part of this view and this life. I live by a above ground subway line. Yes it's noisy at night. But I enjoy hearing it stops at my front door, reminding me my city life.

Window inserts like Indow Windows (www.indowwindows.com) may be a good option. They will reduce noise considerably and won't detract from the look of your windows. They also cost much less than replacement windows. We've been very happy with our Indows and they also cut our heating and cooling costs way down.