We said, “Enough” to conventional city guides and set out to build an app chock-full of local recommendations, offering city residents and travelers alike unique ways to experience a city more intimately – more like a local than a tourist – and do it all on a shoestring.
So how do you go about that? Well, if you’re True North, you pack your car and spend six months on the road. You drive to 50 U.S. cities, stay with locals, talk to locals, and you ask, ask, ask. You accept sticky notes with suggestions, you scratch out a list during neighborhood soccer practice or take down notes from baristas, or students, or…(you get the idea). You ask them what they love about their city. You find out where they hang out and then you go there. You learn where they eat, what they go to see and do, where they take their visitors and their “must see” lists. Sure, they share some of their, ” I know it’s touristy, but you’ve gotta do it” sites. But they also shared their favorite unusual, undiscovered, under-rated and just plain cool places. And then, because you’re…well, True, you walk the streets and ask the city to show itself to you. You watch, you listen, and somewhere along the way you feel its pulse. This isn’t mere traveling or urban living. This is discovering and experiencing the heart and soul of a city.
Since True’s return in Dec. 2011, she and an undaunted team (yes, they are super heroes, whether or not you can actually see their capes) have been busy researching and organizing the 15,000 (or so) tips from the road and curated lists. This is North Technologies’ first mobile application. Though True occasionally laments that perhaps its first app should have been something less daunting; say, a metronome, at the end of the day, Scoutabout USA is far more fulfilling…and fun! We hope you enjoy it.
Word from the developer is we should have a working app to beta test in a couple weeks, so if all goes well, the app should be ready for release in the Apple store sometime in March. We’ll let you know as we know. Thanks for all your encouragement, interest and support. It’s our oxygen.
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