Best Apps for Exploring a New City
Last week, I listed my favorite apps to use when I’m stuck in an airport. The other place I find my iPhone has significantly changed my travel life is in (and occasionally out of) my hotel room. Here’s a list of my favorite tools for taking advantage of the times I find myself in a new city.
In the Room
Getting Connected
Before I click “Agree” to the $14.95-a-day Wi-Fi charge, I always fire upWiFi Finder, which is the best app I’ve found for pointing me to open and paid Wi-Fi hotspots within a walking radius. If I can find a bar or café with open Wi-Fi, why not sit there and do my work instead of inside my drab room?
Before I click “Agree” to the $14.95-a-day Wi-Fi charge, I always fire upWiFi Finder, which is the best app I’ve found for pointing me to open and paid Wi-Fi hotspots within a walking radius. If I can find a bar or café with open Wi-Fi, why not sit there and do my work instead of inside my drab room?
Watching the Tube
If I can get a decent Internet connection in the room, I rarely even flick on the TV anymore. Hulu, with a $10/month Hulu Plus subscription, is my favorite app for catching all the shows I want, including 30 Rock and The Office. I’m also a big fan of Time Warner Cable’s new iPad app, which lets me schedule recordings on my DVR anywhere I’m online. Finally, if I forgot to copy a new movie I’ve downloaded to my iPhone, I useStreamToMe ($2.99), to stream it to my iPhone or iPad from my home computer. It works regardless of format and also beams music and photos over the air.
Talking to Home
Many of my coworkers are in Sweden, so Skype is a big part of my life already, but for making video and voice calls to my wife or parents, especially when I’m overseas, I turn to Fring, which has its own cheap “FringOut” VoIP calling, and consolidates Google Talk, AIM, and other services in one app for calling, video chat (including group chats) and live chat.
Getting Out of the Room
Getting a Bite
I’ve literally had the folks at the front desk point me to the Chili’s up the road. So now, I make dinner my own discovery adventure. Zagat has long been my go-to, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the $10, particularly when you just want some pub grub. So I also use UrbanSpoon, which has a fun slot machine-like interface for dialing in the cuisine, distance, and price from local options. Finally, I’m very excited for the new Chef’s Feed, which taps local chefs to find out where they eat. No better way to find the best late-night taco shack in town. Only for New York, San Fran and Chicago for now, but more cities coming.
I’ve literally had the folks at the front desk point me to the Chili’s up the road. So now, I make dinner my own discovery adventure. Zagat has long been my go-to, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the $10, particularly when you just want some pub grub. So I also use UrbanSpoon, which has a fun slot machine-like interface for dialing in the cuisine, distance, and price from local options. Finally, I’m very excited for the new Chef’s Feed, which taps local chefs to find out where they eat. No better way to find the best late-night taco shack in town. Only for New York, San Fran and Chicago for now, but more cities coming.
What to See
Dopplr and Foursquare are the social-recommendation veterans, but Dopplr’s iPhone app seems to have disappeared from the store. So I’m just digging into Trippy, a new service that ties directly into your Facebook friends to fetch ideas for what to do in a new city.
Catching a Flick
Because my clubbing days are long behind me, my preferred entertainment on the road is going to the movies. For figuring out what to see and where, I like Flixster, which incorporates Rotten Tomatoesratings into its listings and lets you buy tickets directly to all the theaters (typically the small or arty ones I prefer) that Fandango doesn’t.
Gettting Back to the Room
I’ve long said the genius of GPS for drivers is that it frees you to wander without ever worrying about getting lost. On foot, in addition to the obvious built-in Google Maps, I like a new app called Waypoint, which lets you set a location and then points you back to it using a simple compass-like graphic. It’s a bit more serendipitous than Google’s specific route. And if I end up too far to foot it, TaxiMagic is just that, magic: finds you cab numbers just about anywhere, and in dozens of cities, even lets you book it and track its arrival straight through the app.
Editor's note and shameless plug
Condé Nast Traveler has its own great apps for travelers. Our Best of Italy app features tips on lodging, dining and etiquette; and our Gold List app spotlights the world's best hotels and resorts. And, of course, you can also download the digital edition of our magazine every month, packed with info and beautiful images from around the globe.
