Foursquare Blog

Millions of people around the world check out the Foursquare City Guide photo gallery. Being able to scope out the city you’re planning to visit or check out which dishes are popular at a new restaurant is important when you’re deciding where to go. 

We asked four Superusers who consistently wow us with their photo skills to share quick tips and the inspiration behind some of their favorite Foursquare photos. Keep reading and learn how to take stunning snapshots anywhere.

Robert, Superuser Level: 7 Sydney, Australia Foursquare community member since 2011

What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share with the Foursquare community on how to take a great photo?

“Try and be different with your photo subjects. For example, if you know beforehand the venue(s) you will be going to, have a quick look at the photo gallery and see how you can add a different view of the venue. At restaurants, most photos tend to be of food of course but in most cases, it’s a photo of the same dish. Try and mix it up by taking photos of the interior or even outside so other people can get a lot more information about the venue if this type of information is missing from the gallery. I like taking night photos to show a different perspective of the venue.”

Nes, Superuser Level: 6 Istanbul, Turkey Foursquare community member since 2010

What’s one piece of advice you’d like to share with the Foursquare community on how to take a great photo?

“Don’t try to fit the entire landscape in a photo. Focus on a unique item in the crowd and feed your composition with the colors around. Be aware of the source of light you’re using and how it`s interacting with it. In my opinion natural daylight always works better. Frame your scene to draw attention to your subject and you are ready to go!”

David, Superuser Level: 2 Takamatsu, Japan Foursquare community member since 2011

What is one subject you love taking photos of and why?

“I’m lucky to live on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, which hosts the Setouchi Triennale, one of the major art festivals of Japan. I’d say my favorite subjects are landscapes and seascapes. My second favorite subject is large outdoor installations, and there’s plenty of them in my area. As a Superuser, I’m unofficially in charge of them on Foursquare, usually creating the venues and trying to keep them accurate and up-to-date, so I also try to include decent pictures of them.”

Ross, Superuser Level: 8 California, US Foursquare community member since 2011

Sometimes a photo can inspire the tips you leave.  “Seconds after taking this photo, the seagull stole my lunch. That's why I had to leave a tip.”

Say hello to Swarm 5.0

Swarm 5.0 is available now on iOS and Android.

Our newest and biggest app update stems from what we’ve heard directly from YOU, our Swarm community, and the top reason you love the app so much: lifelogging.

For many of you, Swarm is an app you use for yourself — checking in to create a lifelog, a collection of all the places you’ve ever been, neatly organized in a searchable library that can be revisited at any time.

Here’s what’s new and improved:

- Your history, front and center. It’s now easier than ever to see all of your check-ins in one place. Less taps, more leisurely scrolls down memory lane.

- Your profile has a new look. Not only can you quickly access all of your stats about where you go and what you do, but also your check-in map is now SHAREABLE. (We’re really excited about this one.) 

- Yes - you heard us right - that map on your profile is a virtual memory book. Every time you check in, we drop a pin for you. Zoom around to reminisce on that vacation to Paris, family road trip, or all of the local coffee shops you’ve visited. (P.S. - you can explore your friends’ maps too!)

- 100 Collectible Categories, each paired with a Collectible Sticker. Chances are you just got A LOT of new ones added to your Sticker book, make sure to check ‘em out.

Every year we choose 10 places that we think you should add to your travel bucket list. Come with us on a worldwide tour from downtown Honolulu, to the beaches of Tel Aviv, to the markets of Seoul and many more destinations in between.

You asked, we listened. We heard directly from our Superuser community about wanting more levels in our program, and the ability to make even more types of edits. So we’re taking action, launching a new leveling system to address each of those requests.

We created Foursquare City Guide to connect you with the best places to eat, drink and explore all over the world. That is why we’re excited to announce the newest Foursquare City Guide app for Android Wear 2.0. Quickly search for nearby spots and get helpful tips when you get there, right on your wrist. Simply download City Guide from the Google Play Store direct to your watch and start exploring.

Time and again we hear tales about meeting one's perfect match in unexpected places. So this Valentine's Day we thought: how can we help those on the hunt find someone on their level? Looking for a gal who loves sports as much as you do? A guy who can't get outdoors enough? Lucky for you, we’ve pinpointed where your type hangs out when they’re not at the game or the trailhead.

The only thing that gets us more excited than connecting you to the best places around you is connecting you to the best people around you, too! Warning: these stories may leave you feeling bold enough to finally comment on that special someone’s check-in at the coffee shop near your apartment and slide into their messages with an invite for breakfast nearby. 

Our data shows that on Thursday, February 2nd, 2017 most people give up on their fitness resolutions in favor of a fast food fix. Scroll down to find out what else we’ve uncovered. 

Looking for a hit list of where to enjoy your favorite food? A curated neighborhood guide? A trip itinerary? Just search for a keyword or brand at the top of the list tab on your phone.

New to Foursquare City Guide lists? Here are a few of our favorites from our community and partners to get you started.

A State-by-State Guide to America's Best Pizza

America's Best New Restaurants 2016 - Bon Appetit 

Travel Guide to Tokyo 

The Best Dumplings in NYC, Ranked - PureWow 

50 Top Cocktail Bars in the U.S. 

Foursquare City Guide and Foursquare Swarm are making it easier and more exciting to cast your ballot on November 8th.

Eat, Drink, Vote

Still not sure where you should go to vote? We worked with Mapbox to combine data from the Voting Information Project with recommendations from Foursquare to help you find your polling location and the best places to eat, drink, and have coffee nearby on Election Day.

Find your polling place now.

Go on, celebrate doing your civic duty! After all, it wouldn’t be Election Day without a few parties to choose from.

Swarm the Polls

Every check-in counts! Check in* on Swarm and collect a limited edition “I Voted” sticker.

The Best Pizza in 39 Cities

We here at Foursquare know that every pie is unique, just like a snowflake. So whether you like deep dish, Detroit style, or the classic Neapolitan, we know your perfect slice is out there somewhere, and we’re here to help you find it.

That’s why our team of analysts went to work to find the most distinctive pizzas across the country. We looked into the most distinctive pizzas that appeared most frequently in Foursquare and Swarm tips and comments across the U.S., to determine the style of pizza that is most distinctive in 39 major American cities.  

If pizza bagels are your thing, then you’ll find an abundance of them in Phoenix. Prefer dessert pizza? Then head up to Indianapolis. Check out our infographic above to see what the most distinctive taste is in your city.

Foursquare 10 is here, and our newest release showcases a sleeker, streamlined design. Update your app to get the same smart, personalized recommendations you’ve come to rely on, even faster. 

Donwload for iPhone  |  Download for Android

Richer Foursquare notifications for iOS 10

Have you ever had the magical experience of getting the perfect recommendation, before you even start looking for a place to go? We’ve taken advantage of the new features in iOS 10, with notifications that give you even more details and information on recommended venues without having to unlock your phones. If you don’t have your Foursquare notifications turned on, now’s a good time to do so.

10 billion birthdays, road trips, football games, bar crawls, first days at the new job, shopping sprees, and airport delays. 10 billion coffee runs, Taco Tuesdays, gas station pit stops, GoT (or the Bachelorette) viewing parties, and gym streaks. 10 billion adventures and memories have been shared with us from all over the world.

You are part of a truly special global community of explorers that checks in and seizes every day. Check in today for an extra 100 bonus coins to celebrate 10 billion with us. 👊

This has us all reminiscing about some noteworthy check-ins over the past 7+ years here at HQ...

First Foursquare check-in: SXSW, 2009

First check-in that led to a marriage: Georgia, 2010

First 4SQ Day: Tampa Bay, FL, 2010 (made an official holiday in NYC by Mike Bloomberg in 2011!)

Most out-of-this-world check-in: Mars, 2013

First check-in with the elves: North Pole, 2013

Highest check-in: Mount Everest

Lowest check-in: Dead Sea

Most checked into country: Turkey (2.5B check-ins and counting!)

Do you have a favorite check-in memory? Tweet us @Swarmapp!

Sure, we’ve built an app or two, but what really gets us up in the morning at Swarm is creating ways to empower our community to have more delightful experiences in the real world.

From serendipitous run-ins to chance introductions and reminders of happy memories, we love hearing about how Swarm has helped make a day better, a reunion brighter, or even the prospect of a missing car a little more tolerable.

Here are a few stories from our community that showed some unexpected benefits of living a life more checked in.

From Mayorship strife to check-ins for life.

Alyssa and Tim worked in the same department on a college campus, but had never met in person. After Alyssa de-throned Tim as the Mayor, he was determined to find out who she was and - more importantly - steal back the crown. Their check-in battle quickly turned into check-ins together at the coffee shop next door, the bar downtown, the fancy steakhouse down the street, and ultimately, the church where they were married two years later.

How a road trip helped cross-country chums find each other.

In March 2014, Jo was on a road trip from Texas to Las Vegas. Whilst in New Mexico, another friend spotted his check-ins and deduced his likely path. His friend was also road tripping, from California to Colorado; he'd be in the same area the next morning, and would Jo like to meet up for lunch at Goulding's Lodge, Monument Valley? They had a lovely meal together. It wouldn't have happened, if Jo had not been checking in to places along the way.

Long distance is the wrong distance.  But one Swarm user was able to give a happy surprise to his best friend by keeping up with check-ins.

A few years ago Natalie S.’s best friend wanted to surprise her. He flew to Portland, which is where she lives, and checked her location on Swarm. He then showed up at the bar where she was watching the Chicago Bears football game. No one knew he was coming - it was a completely surprise!

Being in the right place at the right time led this Swarmer to eventually find her husband.

A guy Adra G. followed on Twitter began checking into dive bars near where she lived and shared his check-ins to Twitter. They were Internet pals until one night he tweeted about being bored and wanting to go out, Adra saw the tweet and used Foursquare to find and suggest a nearby bar. They met up at Liquid Kitty and had a drink, or as Adra said, “A few drinks, actually, because we really hit it off.” This serendipitous meet-up was followed by countless more and the couple got married this past June!

Or how about that one time a check-in helped this couple solve “The Mystery of the Missing Car”?

Claire L. headed to what she thought was the nearest BART station (the metro in the Bay Area) and headed into San Francisco for a day of adventure. She BARTed back from the city but could not find her car when she arrived at the station. She checked in on Swarm and it said, “Your first time here!” She thought, “How could that be? I checked in here earlier today.” She looked back at her check-in history, and it turns out she had departed from a different BART station. As Claire said, “Swarm saved our day! We would have been making loops around the parking lot looking for our car forever.”

Now we want to hear from you

With the Summer Games on the horizon, we wanted to put the spotlight on our incredible global community. We asked a few of our Superusers what they were looking forward to most during the games, and their favorite spot for authentic cuisine in their city. Here’s what they had to say:

Brazil

Who: Ricardo Fraga, SU3

Lives in: Juiz de Fora, Brazil

Joined Foursquare: 2011

Favorite spot for Brazilian cuisine: Trem da Terra

What he’s looking forward to: “I hope that the Olympic Games occur with tranquility and all possible security. I want Brazil to show the world that even with all of the political and social problems that affect our country, we can still receive visitors from all over the world with joy and hospitality- the characteristics Brazilians are best known for.”

Search for Brazilian food near you

U.S.A.

Who: Jeremy Wilcox, SU3

Lives in: New York City, USA

Joined Foursquare: 2012

Favorite spot for American cuisine: Fred’s Restaurant

What he’s looking forward to: “Tennis!”

Search for American food near you

Turkey

Who: Emrah Yılmaz, SU3

Lives in: Ankara, Turkey

Joined Foursquare: 2011

Favorite spot for Turkish cuisine: Yıldız Aspava

What he’s looking forward to:“Being a veteran swimmer, one of the best parts of Summer Olympics is the swimming races. In my opinion, the Olympics is the best place to build a peaceful and better world. When I’m out and watching the Olympics, I’ll be at Pool Pub.”

Search for Turkish food near you

Spain

Who: Daniel Lora, SU3

Lives in: Marbella/Málaga - Spain

Joined Foursquare: 2012

Favorite spot for Spanish cuisine: Los Tres Pepes

What he’s looking forward to: “I’m most looking forward to watching the athletics at home.”

Search for Spanish food near you

Russia

Who: Alexander Mochalov, SU3

Lives in: Moscow, Russia

Joined Foursquare: 2011

Favorite spot for Russian cuisine: Grably

What he’s looking forward to: “I'm not sure about this year but we usually have huge screens in popular and crowded parks (for example, Gorky Park) with big sport events broadcastings."

Search for Russian food near you

Ever wonder whether people actually win Swarm Challenges? Well, they do, and we wanted to share their stories with you!

Eduardo and Michael won $8,000 for an awesome Italian getaway in our Viva Italia Challenge. Both avid Swarm users, they told us about their initial plans:

The Winner: Michael Harrison

Joined Foursquare in: 2010

Number of check-ins: 3,515

Italy plans: “My wife and I are looking forward to returning to Milan.  We spent a magical 36 hours there a couple years ago and have wanted to go back ever since.  In addition, really looking forward to relaxing on the Italian Riviera.  This comes at a perfect time after an extremely busy year.”

The Winner: Eduardo Cobos

Joined Foursquare in: 2011

Number of check-ins: 2,916

Italy plans: “I've always been fascinated by cliffside cities so I would love to stop by Vernazza, Amalfi and Riomaggiore. Photography is my favorite hobby so I'd go crazy taking pictures there! Also, I've never been to Europe so I believe anyone making a stop in Italy has to make a pilgrimage to Rome and visit the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Sistine Chapel, to name a few. If there's one word I'd use to describe Italians, it'd be passion. I can see that they've put so much love and detail into so many aspects of their lives, like food, clothing, family and of course, wine! It's a culture that I'd love to be a part of, even for a brief amount of time.”

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These two lucky winners of our Swarm Summer Kickoff Challenge scored $10,000 towards a dream vacation, and so we asked them for their bucket list plans. Big takeaway: anniversary trips are on everyone’s minds.  

The Winner: Guillermo Recinos-Melendez 

Joined Foursquare in: 2010

Number of check-ins: 3,509

Where he’ll be traveling: “For quite some time my wife Rachel and I have talked about going somewhere where there are "huts over the water." With these prize winnings, our dream trip will be one step closer and help us celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. We are thinking the French Polynesia or Fiji.”

The Winner: Keena-Lynne Smith

Joined Foursquare in: 2010

Number of check-ins: 2,309

Where she’ll be traveling: “My husband and I intend to take a long weekend away for our anniversary in September. Then I will be taking our children on a Caribbean cruise in February.”

As all eyes turn to this year’s conventions, we asked: What’s happening just outside the arena doors?

A data deep-dive of Cleveland and Philadelphia can be found here. Below, some highlights:

Philly, with almost 12,000 restaurants, has about 3.5x the amount of restaurants as Cleveland.

Cleveland has about half the number of hotels as Philly. Both cities tend to see more tourists in the earlier parts of the summer (May and June) with a slight decrease in July and August, followed by an uptick again in early fall.

Our data shows that Cleveland’s most distinctive dishes include those of Eastern European origin, like pierogies and chicken paprikash. In Philly—you guessed it—it’s all about the cheesesteaks. Dig deeper, and it’s clear that Philly locals love any type of sandwich, with particular affinity for steak sandwiches as well as hoagies and subs.