Now that we’re accustomed to unique tours, we can’t imagine seeing a city from the top of a packed double-decker.
Our current unconventional guide of choice? Our MP3 player, in association with Soundwalk.
Offering a variety of unique walking tours (US $12), each comes with a printable PDF map and MP3 download. Our headphones become our guide, allowing us to pause the walk if nature, hunger or shopping calls.
We’re trying to keep the rhythm in our step as DJ Jazzy Jay teaches us about the birthplace of Hip Hop: The Bronx. The current global crisis has piqued our interest in the Wall Street tour (although it’s probably less depressing to stick to the Bronx and check out the Graffiti).
We can’t wait to tour the streets of Belleville, Paris’s most eclectic neighbourhood, with our narrator Florence Loiret-Caille. In search of her lover Spleen (we love a romantic sub-plot), she takes us on her journey while exposing us to artists, storekeepers, pastry shops and, of course, l’amour. We’re also intrigued by Palais Royal and its lusty Pigalle neighbourhood.
And if we need to work off a few extra éclairs, there’s always the Paris running tour (US $10). We can also work off our vacation calories on the streets of Berlin, London and New York, thanks to Soundwalk’s partnership with Puma. They’ve also collaborated with Louis Vuitton to create unique tours (US $17) through Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Narrated by Chinese cinema icons: Gong Li, Shu Qi and Joan Chen, they invite us along to explore each city by sharing their life story.
With tours being added and updated over the next month, we’re ready to plan our 2009 vacation schedule with a new travel companion in the picture…