Self-guided audio walking tours in San Francisco

How it works

1. 1Go to where the walk begins. It is a real route through a real neighbourhood.
2. 2It follows you. Each part plays when you reach the place it is about. There is no timer.
3. 3The phone stays in your pocket. Directions come through the audio.

The standard

We go looking for the story a place is actually about and walk you to where it happened. Every claim is checked against the record, then checked again by someone trying to prove it wrong. The narrators are synthetic voices, cast and directed for each walk. The judgment behind every word is ours.

Walks to start with

• Mission District The Only Hydrant That Worked One hydrant on a hill still had water, so the neighbourhood dragged the engines up to it. 47 min · 1.9 mi
• Financial District You Are Walking on Ships Five hundred ships were abandoned for the gold. The city filled the water in around them. 37 min · 1.4 mi

2 more San Francisco walks are in the app.

Questions

How many audio walks are there in San Francisco?

4, running from 37 to 48 minutes. Each is a real route through one neighbourhood, and the story plays as you reach the place it is about.

Do I need a connection during a walk?

No. The walk is on the phone before you start. It uses your location for one thing, to know which corner you have reached.

Is the narrator a real person?

The narrators are synthetic voices, cast and directed for each walk. The research, the writing and the judgment about what belongs in a walk are done by people.

Is the history checked?

Yes. Every claim is checked against the record before a walk ships, then attacked by a second pass whose job is to prove it wrong. Where the record runs out, the narration says so.

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