Take a Walk on Chicago’s Wild Side
Hip-Hop Poet Leads Travelers on New iPod Tour of Chicago
Audissey Guides, the company that offers downloadable MP3 tours of America’s top destinations, announced today the release of The Chicago Audissey. The hour-long, 1-mile tour is narrated by internationally renowned hip-hop poet, poetry slam champion, and Chi-town native Kevin Coval.
Coval leads listeners on the MP3 audio walking tour to some of the Windy City’s most famous, and infamous, attractions: stand where Capone henchman Tony Lombardo was gunned down in cold blood; meet the Reverend Willy D., who’s been preaching on the same Chicago street corner for 19 years; visit a notorious haven for drinkers and journalists (often one and the same); and get to know the perfume ladies at Marshall Field’s, all while jamming to an original soundtrack inspired by the city of Chicago.
“There’s something running through the streets of Chicago that feeds me,” says Coval, “and whether you’re a politician or poet, you feel it when you’re here—especially when you get off the beaten path and see the real Chicago.”
Host Kevin Coval, a Jewish, hip-hop poet is best known for his appearances on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and his critically acclaimed book Slingshots: A Hip-Hop Poetica. Coval interweaves his own rhymes with personal insights and Chicago lore. One of the highlights of the tour is a ride on the famous El subway, while the listener is serenaded by Coval’s poignant ode to the subway, called “Metal Respires”.
“Some people go to Chicago and they’re cool with seeing the buildings from the outside,” says Rob Pyles, founder of Audissey Guides, “but we want to bring people inside – into the skyscrapers, the jazz club, and the neighborhood bar.”
Audissey Guide tours are available for $10 at www.AudisseyGuides.com.
How It Works
The tour is as simple to use as an audio guide in a museum—except you’re walking the streets of the city using your iPod (or any MP3 player). The price of each tour is $10.00, 1 mile long and takes about an hour. You can download the tour as well as a printable map and get more information at www.AudisseyGuides.com.
About Audissey Guides
Audissey Guides is pioneering a new form of travel – iPod audio tours that feature local narrators, original music, and creative sound design. Put in your earbuds and follow the voice of the narrators, hip-hop poets to bikini models, who guide you off the tourist trail through their hometown. Audissey Guides offers audio tours through New Orleans, Miami Beach, Boston, Seattle, and Chicago – with more scheduled for late 2007. Check out www.audisseyguides.com/.
Press Contact
Juliet DeVries
(617) 418-7214