Calling All NYC Tourists: Let Your Cell Phone Be Your Guide

by Roxana Hernandez · November 28, 2011

    No holiday is complete with out a visit to Manhattan to see Saks' lights, the Macy's window display and the Rockefeller tree. But let's face it, being a tourist in New York may mean you get stuck on an open air double-decker bus in the freezing cold. So, why not use your legs and let your cell phone be your guide?

    Well, all your prayers have been answered. Stray Boots has found the cure to the common tour with their interactive cell phone-based urban games. It uses your cell phone to guide you though New York's best holiday sights while playing a game. On December 1st, "Fifth Avenue Holiday Hunt" will be available, which let's you turn your family's annual holiday trip into a real life board game.

    It’s easy to play and works by text message or smartphone browser, so anyone with any kind of cell phone can play. It guides you through New York's sights with riddles, puzzles, photo ops and trivia questions and like every other game you earn you points to reveal a fun fact about the area.

    The holiday hunt has a flexible schedule and takes about 1 hour to 2 and a half hours to actually complete. So don't be afraid to go into Saks or Macys to shop and stock up on gifts since the game doesn't have a time limit.

    Highlights included:

    New York’s top window displays

    The Rockefeller Center Christmas trees

    Radio City Music Hall

    The holiday splendor of the Plaza Hotel

    The epicenter of the toy universe, FAO Schwarz