I've stayed in Downtown Manhattan several times and I haven't heard helicopter noise, but I have heard sirens and honking horns throughout the night. It didn't bother me much; I have a reasonably high noise tolerance and I pretty much expect that out of being inside a dense city. This is why the shrill tone of "the tourists are ruining our city" in the article falls flat to me.

It sounds like you live in NYC. Do the helicopters tend to bother you?