Walk Philly: A Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes

If you were at the corner of 2nd and Poplar on First Friday, you may have encountered a group of people wondering if you would like to take a tour of Philadelphia.

Now, normally, you'd never come across this in Northern Liberties, or even consider taking a tour as a local who could probably give your own captivating walk through the highlights.

Walk Philly, a project from the Termite TV Collective, is a bit different. Instead of a tour guide and a bunch of slowpoke followers, all you have to do is download the series of video walks onto your iPod or iPhone. After you download, you go to the start location and press play. These aren't just any tours, some would be truly interesting even if you think you know Philly like the back of your hand.

There are several Chinatown tours, where you can learn about the mystery of the Szechuan Shoe, and the Fish For Dinner tour that guides you through shopping for dinner ingredients at the Asian markets.  Most videos are around 10 minutes long. Try the Northern Liberties Artist Tour that takes you from Standard Tap to Ortleib’s Jazzhaus with jazz icon Warren Oree.  There's an Old City stroll, a Temple University trot, and several Walk Phillies tours to check out.  Many are user-contributed and each video has a personal touch from those that know the city and its secrets best.  For an intimate look at Philadelphia streets, without the loud, obnoxious tour guide, Walk Philly makes for some refreshing exercise.