Dear PoP – Noise reduction suggestions

Photo by PoPville flickr user fromcaliw/love

“Dear PoP,

I recently moved into a new rental, and it turns out that there is a bar across the alley that tends to keep its back door open, allowing noise to flow out and its customers to congregate in the alley to drink/smoke/talk loudly. The noise is annoying during the day, but it makes sleep nearly impossible when it is going on at 2 or 3 in the morning almost right outside the window. I looked online and found some curtain liners that supposedly will reduce the amount of sound that comes in from the outside. I wondered if your readers had any experience with these, or had other suggestions beyond the obvious (using earplugs or a loud white noise machine)?”

Anyone ever find some unique ways to block out noise. No lie, in college I had a roomate who snored so loudly that I wore the earmuffs that you wear at a gun range. Not very comfortable though.