Updates from Storydex

One thing that's been slowing down my own walks lately has been the time it takes for Storydex audio to load. I use the app while exploring neighborhoods, listening to the audio version of stories as I walk, but sometimes it took 40–50 seconds to start, long enough that I'd already be halfway to the next site.

So with this update, I added real-time audio streaming. Now playback starts within about five seconds of pressing play, even while you're moving between stops. It makes the app feel way more responsive and better suited for exploring on foot. I've been testing it around town this week, and it's been surprisingly nice to have each story begin right when you want it to.

I rebuilt the map over the last month, so instead of loading locations every time you move around, Storydex now runs off its own location database. That means locations load instantly, and you can zoom out to a new world heatmap to see every story location at once. I also found that a lot of nature-related spots had very thin info, which made the map noisy. My original plan was to use Storydex on hikes, learning about geology and rivers as easily as city blocks, but those low-info natural spots were crowding out the richer places. For now, I pulled most of those from the database until I can bring natural areas back in a more curated way. These updates are now live on the app store!

When my friend from Austin visited me in Portland, I found myself plotting a walking route downtown that passed as many "fun fact" spots as possible: Pioneer Square (former Portland Hotel), a skyscraper I helped design that never got built, a hidden creek now running beneath a park in the Pearl. Halfway through the walk, I realized something: giving this tour wasn't just about entertaining my friend, it made me feel connected, rooted, like a local who belongs.

I hope Storydex helps you feel the same way, wherever you are.

When I visited Barcelona, I planned my itinerary around the big spots: Park Güell, Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter. But looking back, my favorite moments weren't at those landmarks, they were the small discoveries made along the way. Tiny squares with ancient Roman walls, homes of revolutionary Catalan leaders, local bakeries tucked in alleys. The real Barcelona emerged between destinations, not at them.

The Storydex website has pre-made tours highlighting the must-see places, but actually, I think the most interesting stories are the ones in the obscure places you come across as you walk from one destination to the next. That's what the app focuses on.

How do you tell the story of a place that doesn't exist anymore? Near where I live, a busy highway used to be a Great Depression-era Hooverville, temporary shelters built by people with nowhere else to go. Right next to it was a golf course for the city's wealthier citizens. Today, people are again camping in nearby areas, and homelessness remains a major issue here.

I want Storydex to help us see modern challenges in historical context. But it's hard when these places have literally been paved over. I'm still figuring out how to put vanished places back on the map. If you have ideas, send them my way!

I got off at Union Station in LA with Storydex open on my phone, thinking I'd spend the day bouncing from downtown museums to lunch spots. But I never even left the neighborhood around the station. Turns out there's one small hill by the train station where LA's first settlers arrived called El Pueblo, and it's packed with hidden stories: a garden that was once a burial ground for the city's founders, a centuries-old house that hid liquor during Prohibition, and a massive mural that nearly crumbled away before being saved by a last-minute rescue mission.

I spent hours wandering, glued to my screen reading these stories, which is great for testing, but terrible for sightseeing. That day made me realize Storydex needed audio. Now it's in the app! Next walk, my phone stays in my pocket.

Storydex is finally live on the Apple Store! (Android soon, should be easy, right?)

My goal was to get Storydex ready for summer vacations, so please try it out on your travels. I'm especially interested in your thoughts on story quality and topics that resonate most. Huge thanks to everyone who tested the early versions, I wish I had everyone's emails so I could thank you directly. If you want to stay in touch, sign up for updates on the site.

Enjoy exploring!