It being Sunday, it being Spring, a break from business. Judging by the mob in Central Park yesterday, many seem to feel the same. And so in keeping with the spirit of being out, in keeping with recreation, inspired by large crowds, I think about Foursquare, which is not yet a business. This follows on a post from some time back, in which I had expressed admiration for this mobile application.

For those of you who are not familiar, Foursquare and similar services, (most notably Gowalla), allow mobile users to “check into” locations – restaurants, stores, museums, street corners, what have you – and in the process notify friends of the users’ whereabouts. If a friend happens to be in the vicinity, this serves as an invitation to join (or warning to avoid!); and to make things even more interesting, the system is set up as a game of sorts, so that the player with most frequent Foursquare check-ins, for example, becomes the “mayor” of an establishment. The idea is for mayors to eventually be rewarded with commercial discounts by the place in question, and as Foursquare and other such services gain popularity, retailers and other businesses will no doubt participate. There are other “badges” handed out besides mayorships, and there are other features to the game. One of my favorites is the “tips” section, in which users leave suggestions to others, such as the best menu items to order, best times of day to attend, the waiter to ask for, etc. And as you walk around a certain neighborhood, vicinity hot-spots are automatically picked up by the mobile device so that you can browse around and look for ideas. In addition to legitimate destinations, you might also stumble upon so-and-so’s apartment, for example, where it is advisable to avoid the left side of the couch. I find the Foursquare community to exercise a characteristic brand of humor.

With this backdrop, I’ve been wishing that there had been a service like Foursquare back in the day. We each have our own personal “back in the day” specifics, but it all more or less means the same thing. Many places from back in the day are no longer around, and it would be thrilling I’m sure, for most of us, to look over the history of our travels. There ought to be a retroactive check-in service for such places. These may have been shut down years ago, decades perhaps, and are prone to be forgotten. A service like the one described could bring these back to life, and could link us with others who also remember.

The Thalia movie theater along upper Broadway. The Bowery’s CBGB. Books & Co. on Madison and 74th, next to the Whitney Museum, where contemporary greats would show up to cocktail receptions and signings upstairs on the second floor. You would have to climb a narrow staircase. Tip: “Be careful not to trip over the stacks of paperbacks propped up along the side.” If memory serves, the place was owned by Thomas Watson’s daughter. Tip: “Of IBM Watson fame.” Then there was The Mad Hatter, on Second and 77th, which was the summer-break destination for college students in New York: a downscale variation of J.G. Melon, upscale in relation to Blarney Stone. Tip: “The jukebox eats up your quarters.” And there was a small record store on Lexington in the low 60s, say 62nd or 63rd, thereabouts, on the east side of the avenue, I can see it. The name escapes me, but my Doors collection was rooted there at $4.99 a piece. I still have some of those, with the price-tag still on. If I could only remember the name.

I mention such examples to illustrate the point, and I am sure that many can think of similar locales dating to “back in the day,” or not even so long. As location based check-ins continue to record our wanderings, an effect that few of us are now considering is that such current records will at some future time serve as memorabilia. This will surely be valued, and makes such check-ins a worthwhile cause. With that I leave you, and a tune from Jim, to save places from obscurity.