As the founder of Audio Heirlooms, a company that produces audio portraits for families that want to preserve their life history, I am very interested in location-based stories. Every major experience in my life is connected with the plot of earth where it happened. I can walk the streets of Portland, Maine and show you where I was standing when I got my heart broken; or show you the rocky heights in San Francisco where I fell in love again; or the side streets of London, New York and Jerusalem where I inched closer to adulthood.
 
Sometimes our life experiences can overlap on a certain location (our home, our workplace) until it’s hard to tweeze out the most meaningful events that occurred there. But if you’ve ever revisited the neighborhood where you used to live, and walked down your street again like you used to always do, you’ll likely be flooded with sensations and memories from your past. 
 
When preparing for an audio portrait, I brainstorm with my clients about the places in their lives that are of great significance— and then revisit those locations with them. For example, we visited the floor of the stock exchange with our friend Robert, who worked there over fifty years ago. Even though everything had changed since then (even the closing bell is different, he says), this immersion retrieved long forgotten memories and allowed for new reflections.
 
Click here to listen to a personal audio walking tour.
 
Where would the Audio Tour of your life go?

Contact Evan at Audio Heirlooms for more info.

Too often we take what we see every day for granted. There is history under our nose at every turn – and if it’s something we walk by every day, chances are that we don’t really take the time to get to know the story behind it.

Traveling in a city is a great time to learn about its history, how it grew, its key historical industries, the leaders that put the city on the map. But how many of us could speak intelligently about this kind of stuff for the city where we work, where we live?

How can you be a local tourist?
1. If your town has a historical society, take a walk in there one day. You’ll most certainly find someone who is passionate about your town and what makes it special. And you will undoubtedly walk out later in the day with a new appreciation for your surroundings. That statue you’ve seen hundreds of times will actually mean something. This street name or that park name will finally have some context and resonance.

2. Hit the local library and grab a couple of books about local history. Once you have the right book in your hand, it will be hard to put down, guaranteed.

3. Finally venture into that local museum dedicated to city history. Today is the day, give it a shot. Just start looking through some old photos and you are sure to be enthralled.

4. Seek out a local resident who has been there ‘forever’ and explore some local history over a cup of coffee. A first-person account is an invaluable way to build a historical picture. Granted this one may take a bit of courage to get the conversation started - but once you do, both you and your interviewee will be very glad that you did.

5. Take a guided or self-guided walking tour. If you live in a major city, chances are you’ll find a number of guided walks to choose from, whether via a local guide, a guidebook or, a personal favorite, an audio tour. Be careful, you may fall in love. In smaller towns, look for scheduled walks in the local papers. As a bonus in smaller towns, local walking tours are a great way to meet some of your neighbors.

2010 is the year. Explore your immediate surroundings and expand your horizons. You’ll find yourself empowered with some wonderful knowledge that all too few of your friends and neighbors have

Give an audio tour from CityListen this holiday season. It’s easy. They probably don’t have one already. And, your recipient will absolutely love it. Plus, our holiday promotion includes a tour for you, too - at no extra cost! As holiday gifts go, it sure beats a box of chocolates!

Give your friends and loved ones a peek into the history and culture of New York or San Francisco or Chicago or Paris. Whether they are visiting one of these great cities or call any of them home, our tours will let them see the city with fresh eyes, as they have never seen it before. Unique, informative and fun!

In New York City: For the Broadway fan on your list, Walkin’ Broadway - a stroll thru Broadway history accompanied by the likes of Hal Prince, Ossie Davis, James Naughton and a dozen other Braodway greats.

For the music fan, The Rock and Roll Tour of Manhattan - a walk in the footsteps of Dylan, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Springsteen, and Lennon. And there is a tour here for everyone on your list: Central Park, Brooklyn Heights, Greenwich Village and more.

In San Francisco: Our North Beach tour will bring one of San Francisco’s most storied neighborhoods to life - and it includes a beautiful “secret” spot with one of the best views of the city.

In Chicago: Ok, sure, walking tours in the heart of a Chicago winter may not be the first thing that comes to mind - but our Urban Sculpture Garden tour includes a few indoor spots to help folks stay warm. Plus they can always stop along the way and pop inside for a warm (or cold) brew.

And in Paris: If your friend or loved one is lucky enough to live in or be visiting Paris, it’s the least you can do to make sure that they spend some time strolling through the winding, bustling streets of The Marais.

Our Holiday Gift program
Any of our tours will make a great gift. Purchase a tour as normal - and use the promo code: Holiday2009 when prompted. Upon receipt of your order, CityListen will create a customized promo code and send that to you in a pdf card that you can either print out or forward electronically (for the perfect green gift). You’ll also receive a link to download the tour for yourself.

Send an email to info@citylisten.com with any questions.

Have a Happy Holiday season. Don’t let a little chill in the air dissuade you from a walking tour. There’s nothing like a city walk in the winter. Share one with a friend today and may you both enjoy a very Happy New Year. Cheers!

There are a set of carved pillars by the staircase leading down from Bethesda Terrace to Bethesda Fountain. On one, you’ll see a witch on a broomstick and a jack-o’-lantern.
This carving, like the others, dates to the 1860’s, when Halloween in this country was associated with Irish immigrants.

James Nevius, CityListen tour guide, notes some debate about the roots of this image on Bethesda Terrace. Is this a nod of appreciation to Irish workers, who were instrumental in building Central Park? Or, was it carved as a warning to the Protestant leisure class about the rising tide of Catholic immigration, in response to the abundant anti-Catholic sentiment at the time.

Whether born from innocence or not, there is something quite fascinating about this image tucked into the carvings by this staircase on Bethesda Terrace. There is a long tradition throughout Ireland and Britain of carving vegetables, particularly gourds, into lanterns. Yet historians seem to differ on how this has become an icon of Halloween. Some date this imagery back to historical depictions of Halloween. A documentary on the History Channel claims that “people have been making jack o’lanterns at Halloween for centuries.” Many others note scant historical evidence to support this theory. The phrase jack-o’lantern doesn’t appear as a term until the 1830’s.

It is likely that the seasonal presence of these carved lanterns in North America simply began to blend together with the celebration and imagery of Halloween. And perhaps this little carving on Bethesda Terrace is a missing link in our true understanding of the roots of Halloween.

Spend part of your Halloween this year exploring a bit of hidden history in Central Park. Enjoy the colors of Fall, hear the leaves crunch beneath your feet and go looking for this little seemingly innocent carving with a story to tell.

Happy Halloween!

There was a meme floating around the Internet awhile ago where people compared their “bucket list” of places to see before they die. Which made us wonder: what should be on everyone’s New York City bucket list? What are the quintessential New York experiences that both natives and tourists should have?

Below, in no particular order, are ten “must do” NYC places/events/etc. Feel free to chime in, criticize, add, etc., in the comments.

1. Visit the Statue of Liberty
This is one that will surely rile many New Yorkers. Isn’t the Statue of Liberty only for tourists? Isn’t it just a big hunk of not-so-great art? Isn’t it, like so many transplants, in New York but not of New York.

Well, sure, all those things are true. But it’s still the Statue of Liberty and it’s an awesome sight up close. Not “ride on the Staten Island ferry ‘cause it’s free” up close, but actually in person, standing on Liberty Island, gazing up at her giant face.

Climbing to the crown? Probably not worth it, though we admit we haven’t done it yet under the new rules where only 10 people can go up at a time.

Best time to go without crowds? Put on your long underwear and go on a weekday in the last week in January; you’ll virtually have the place to yourself.

2. And Ellis Island
Since you are already taking the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, don’t miss its next-door neighbor, Ellis Island. Too often, people set out for the Statue of Liberty late in the day and by the time they’ve waited in all the interminable lines, Ellis Island gets skipped. That’s too bad – in just 35 years, 12 million people immigrated to America through Ellis Island, and the museum that is run by the National Park Service takes you step-by-step through that experience in the very place it happened.

3. Visit the Clove in Inwood Hill Park
New York has been built up and torn down so many times over the past 400 years that it is surprising to discover that there are any traces of pre-contact Manhattan. But if you go to Inwood Hill Park in Northern Manhattan and head in to the forested center of the park you’ll be in the Clove, an old-growth forest of hickory, dogwood, and oak. Some claim that Peter Minuit bought the island from the Native Americans near here in 1626; while that may not be true, it is certainly the case that this forest has changed little in the intervening centuries.

4. Walk Up Broadway
Since you need to get from Ellis Island to Inwood Hill Park somehow, why not walk? Starting at Battery Park and walking north, you’ll see an amazing array of neighborhoods from the “canyon of heroes” where tickertape parades are held to the edge of the Harlem River 13.25 miles later. It’s an all-day outing, but you’ll likely see parts of the city you’ve never visited before.

5. Go to the Beach
When people think about going to New York, it’s usually not for a beach vacation. But we have almost 600 miles of coastline in the city and some of that is beautiful beachfront. According to the organization New Yorkers for Parks, the best beach is Midland Beach on Staten Island, which brings us to…

6. Get out of Manhattan (or fill in your own borough if you live somewhere else)
New York is a big place and there’s much to love in each of the Five Boroughs. Too many visitors (and New Yorkers) end up being Manhattan-centric and that’s a shame, because the city is full of wonderful places in the outer boroughs, many of them easily accessible by public transportation. MetroCards are cheap: go out and explore.

7. Eat something you’ve never had before
There is probably no city in the world that has the array of cuisine that New York does—so stop going back to the same two or three places that always get your business and stretch your culinary horizons. (It might help you with #6, above, as well.) If you need some help finding places, check out The Confined Nomad, where they are trying to eat their way through the United Nations, alphabetically.

8. Take a chance on an Off- Off-Broadway show
New York has so many theaters doing so many plays at any given time that it can be overwhelming. Almost everyone in New York has been to a tiny theater to see a play starring a friend-of-a-friend, but how many choose to go support these little theaters just for the heck of it? There’s some terrific stagecraft out there for those willing to do a little hunting and always at a ticket price that won’t break the bank. A good resource is theateronline.com.

9. Take a walking tour.
Ok, this one’s self-serving, but one of the great joys of New York is that there is something historical around every corner. Don’t just walk the streets—explore them.

10. Venture into the northern reaches of Central Park.
For many, the park ends somewhere near the reservoir, and so they never get to enjoy the serene northern end, which includes the Pool, the North Woods, a blockhouse from the war of 1812 (the park’s oldest structure), and the fantastic Harlem Meer.

We could probably come up with dozens of more must-see/must-do experiences; for example, how can a list like this not have the Met (museum), the Met (opera), or the Mets (baseball team)? But we thought 10 would be a good start.

What’s on your New York City bucket list?

In celebration of our Walkin’ Broadway tour, we present the Top Ten List of Broadway Flops. There are plenty more out there. These are our faves. (Please add your own!) Many link to their original New York Times review, because scathing reviews are pretty darn funny.

10. Late Night Comic, 1987
How’s this for a bad sign: the director removed his name from the credits after the previews before the show opened on Broadway. He probably shouldn’t have bothered; the show only lasted four performances. The New York Times review probably didn’t help: ”Late Nite Comic has no sense of direction. It also has no sense of book or score.”

9. Via Galactica, 1972
This one was a rock musical that starred Raul Julia as a space sanitation man living on an asteroid 1,000 years in the future. It was a originally entitled Up! – but appearing at the newly opened Uris theater, the producers thoughtfully avoided a billboard that read Up! Uris. True.
NY Times Review

8. The Capeman, 1998
“It would take a hard-core sadist to derive pleasure from the sad, benumbed spectacle that finally opened last night at the Marquis Theater, three weeks behind schedule.” Paul Simon’s much anticipated pop-opera hit the stage with a thud. While it survived a couple of months after opening, this one was pretty much dead on arrival. Paul Simon did release an album of the songs to some generally positive reviews. And in 2008, Simon performed a series of concerts “Songs from The Capeman” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
NY Times review.

7. Lennon, 2005
Continuing the trend of the ‘jukebox musical,’ Lennon aspired to be an interpretation of the life of John Lennon through the lens of his music. But the seemingly manufactured nature of the show was a “drippy version of his life” that featured a “Muzak-alized assortment of Lennon’s non-Beatles songs.” In a style not unlike that employed (more successfully) in the Bob Dylan-inspired film I’m Not There (2007), 5 actors portrayed different aspects of Lennon’s life. Weak reviews drove the show to close in about 6 weeks.
New York Times review

6. Frankenstein, 1981
The most expensive dramatic production to come to Broadway at the time, Frankenstein lasted just one night at the Palace Theater. Elaborate special effects and a ballooning budget behind extensive scenery (and the huge crew of stagehands to move it all around) made it impossible for the production to withstand a critical panning.

5. Dude, 1972
A musical from the creators of Hair, (one of whom was also the composer of Via Galactica, also on this list) this was a high-concept production that scattered the orchestra around the audience and turned the theater into an arena. Rewrites and last minute personnel changes pushed the budget of this “monstrosity” ever upwards, leading Newsweek to posit, “Only in America can a million dollars be thrown directly into the garbage disposal that is the cultural machine operated by the Holzers (the show’s backers) and their ilk.” A bunch of Dude articles are indexed here.

4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1966
A beloved film makes its way to the Broadway stage as a musical. And starring Mary Tyler Moore as Holly Golightly. Sounds perfect. What could go wrong? Well, everything. Constant rewrites and massive changes – all the way up to and including the Broadway previews. Breakfast at Tiffany’s The Musical never made it out of previews. Producer Bob Merrick announced the abrupt close of the show with an ad the New York Times explaining that he chose to shut down the production “rather than subject the drama critics and the public to an excruciatingly boring evening.” (As the show never opened, there were no reviews to link to. Too bad!)

3. Kelly, 1965
Once considered the flop of all flops, this was a musical about a con man who reneges on a promise to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge in the 1880s. After pretty bad reviews in warm-up runs in Philadelphia and Boston, the producers brought in Mel Brooks, among others, to rework the script. More bad reviews, a big budget and some negative publicity all teamed to close this show after opening night to make it the most expensive flop in its day.

2. Carrie, 1988
A musical of the version of the Stephen King novel / horror movie classic about a taunted teenager with telekinetic powers that she unleashes at the prom. Expectations were actually pretty high for this one. The show was produced in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company and had some strong talent pulling it all together. A production budget of blockbuster proportions and scathing reviews across town did it in. Thanks to its combo of pedigree (from King to a classic movie to the RSC), high expectations, huge budget and a run of just 5 performances, Carrie is often considered the quintessential Broadway flop.

1. Moose Murders, 1983
One night. One great (read: hysterically awful) review in the New York Times. Moose Murders could be the worst Broadway play of all time. Opening to dreadful reviews and closing on the same night, this is the flop that Bialystock & Bloom dreamed about. Perhaps a recent reference in Times described it best, as a “monumental fiasco…which closed almost before the final curtain.”

Guest blogger: Greg Pabst

Favorite pub/bar
Hard to say. There are so many in North Beach. Let’s break it down this way.
While it’s still light out: San Francisco Brewing Company, one of the first brew pubs in California. It’s also got this amazing ceiling fan that makes you think you’re in Burma and Kipling is on the stool next to you. Try the Emperor Norton Lager or the Alcatraz Stout Ale. Food’s good, of the satisfying high-end saloon genre.
When it’s dark out: Specs. Dusty old display cases show all sorts of ephemera, like a stuffed mongoose and cobra locked in an eternal life and death struggle - Disney can’t match this stuff. A sharks jaws – and lots more - hang from the ceiling and a handwriting analyst may stop by to expose your inner self for a few dollars. If the box of postcards is available, you’ll read remarks by Specs regulars from their adventures across the world. My favorite is the wag(s) who send cards from the most exotic - and mundane - places with the same message, “Didn’t find it here, either.” No food, just a fair pour (Specs is the only unionized bar in SF).
If you don’t care about illumination: Vesuvio was founded by Henri Lenoir (naturally, not his original given name) who invented “poetry that’s recited to jazz” in order to make a buck off the Beat Movement. A gas lamp flickers above the bar and sometimes they’ll run an ancient Magic Lantern show of racy pictures from the 1890s. If your great-granny lived in San Francisco in that era, you might not want to look too closely. Take your drink up to the balcony and you’ll see my name on a metal plate installed in the James Joyce booth. It’s a long - and pretty boring - story. But when my USF students discover it, it makes me seem much more rakish than I am. I like that.

Best place to people-watch:
take a table among the dozen or so caffes (the Italian form of the word uses the double-f) along Columbus Avenue. Camp out and watch the promenade.

Alternate people watching: try Washington Square on the weekend for a pick-up volleyball game, an art exhibit or an oysters and Guinness festival.

Most unusual semi-scheduled experience:
hang around Green Street Mortuary just west of Columbus, on a Saturday and wait for the uniformed brass band to lead Chinese funerals down Columbus on their way to the cemetery. The band is all Caucasian and the honored (and family) is Asian. I haven’t yet found anyone, Asian or Caucasian, who could explain
if this has any significance.

Best view:
top of the city garage on the north side of Vallejo between Powell and Stockton. Take the elevator at the top of the pedestrian ramp and push the button to the top floor. Watch your step when you get off the elevator. I mean it. The view is so amazing that you’ll forget and stumble on the parking curbs.

Best view alternate:
walk (or take the #39 Coit bus) up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower and go inside to check out the 1930s fresco murals painted by a group of semi-starving artists. It’s a sort of socialist-lite version of life in the Golden State as crops are harvested, bread is baked, protests are registered, libraries are browsed and at least one citizen is robbed in plain sight. Afterwards (fog permitting), take the time to view the hilltop panorama of city, bay and sky.

We (obviously) love to walk around a city, any city. We’ve made audio tours of some of our favorites – but these amount to a mere drop in the bucket of all the great walks in all the great cities in the world. So let’s hear about some more!

Enter our “Favorite Walks” contest and you can win a pair of Kuru shoes. (If you don’t know Kuru, you should. They make super comfortable shoes that are great for walking and traveling.) All you need to do is send us an email listing your top 3 Favorite Walks – along with a little explanation. We’ll publish the highlights in an upcoming blog. And one lucky entrant will be chosen at random to win any pair of Kuru shoes. Let us know which Kuru shoe you’d pick, too.

There’s no catch. Just send us some ideas about your favorite walks. And, as a thanks, we’ll pick one lucky winner to pick any pair of Kuru shoes they like. So, what are you waiting for?

We’ll get the ball rolling here:

Exploring Central Park – OK, sure, we had to choose something in New York – but, honestly, I never grow tired of a walk in Central Park. An oasis of manmade nature nested in the heart of the urban jungle always brings with it a few surprises.
Hiking up to the Acropolis, Athens – Walking from the city streets up to the Acropolis is like a walk through time. A truly inspiring journey. Despite the volume of tourists, this walk and the Parthenon itself are very conducive to a deep, personal connection with the past.
As for the third, plop me down in the South of France – Arles or Aix en Provence or a little town like Carpentras – and I’ll be thrilled to explore the winding streets, happen upon a farmers market or age-old structure before stumbling upon a surprisingly delicious little café.
(Though, ask me tomorrow and I may have 3 different answers for you.)

HOW TO ENTER:
Send an email to Contest@CityListen.com –with your answer to the following question: What are your top 3 favorite walks in any city in the world? In addition to your answer, please include your name and city of residence. One contestant, selected at random, will win a pair of Kuru Footwear shoes of their choice. Give it a shot. And have fun with it.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. To be eligible, entries must be completed and received by September 6th, 2009 11:59pm EDT. Contestants must reside (and accept shipping of prize) in US or Canada.
1. The winner of the contest will be determined by random drawing. To be eligible, contestants must submit an answer to the contest question. Each entry must also include the contestant’s full name, email address and city of residence. Multiple entries are permitted. 2.The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded. Decisions of the contest judges are final - no substitutions will be available. 3. Employees of CityListen Audio Tours and Kuru Footwear and their respective affiliates, agencies and associates are excluded from this contest. 4. By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation, of his or her first name and city of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium which CityListen Audio Tours may deem appropriate. 5. Fulfillment of the prize will be handled by Kuru Footwear. Winner will be able to choose one pair of Kuru shoes from any in the Kuru catalog. Approximate value of prizes range from $80-$100.6. In accepting the prize, the winner acknowledges that CityListen Audio Tours may not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with using this prize. 7. All entries shall become the property of CityListen Audio Tours. CityListen Audio Tours is not responsible for lost, misdirected or delayed entries.

If you are a fan of Broadway theater, this is an experience not to be missed. And, like all of our tours, this is absolutely a not-just-for-tourists kind of activity. Plus, you can enjoy the tour on your own time, at your own pace.

Hosted by Peabody Award winning broadcaster and producer Elliott Forrest, here is an audio tour that takes full advantage of the medium to bring you the fascinating and rich stories of Broadway lore directly from the people who made them happen.

Walkin’ Broadway will be available within the next two weeks. We’ll keep you posted.

The rhythms of the sidewalk change ever so slightly, as a sea of umbrellas alters everyone’s personal space. There is a shared experience with other New Yorkers as you step into a building or a restaurant and shake off the rain. There is the occasional adventure of the street corner with a puddle so massive you need to walk halfway down the block to cross the street.

For many, the rain is hardly the time to see the sights. How can you enjoy a stroll thru Greenwich Village while huddled under an umbrella in the pelting rain? Well, you can look for some silver lining in an audio walking tour. All spring the rain has been on-again, off-again. Driving rain for 20 minutes, followed by a good spell with barely a drizzle. Perfect for an audio tour that let’s you stop when you want, for as long as you want. Rain getting a bit heavier? Duck in for a coffee until it passes. You’re back out there and the rains pick up again? Find the closest gallery, museum, bookstore - and while away some time.

New York City doesn’t stop in the rain. Don’t let your plans get washed out - whether in New York or any city you are planning to see by foot. Plan ahead and make sure you’ve got a walking tour (or two) loaded into your iPod, ready to work for you at a moment’s notice. Anyone can enjoy a walk in the city on a beautiful sunny day. Let an audio tour help you enjoy it when the weather is less than cooperative.