11 Foursquare Badges I Am Determined To Unlock While in NYC August 31, 2010

So, this week I am heading to New York City for a variety of reasons. One of the main ones is to create my life there, but I will be doing fun things as well. Like – go to the U.S. Open, prance around Manhattan aimlessly, and people-watch in Central Park.

However, my new extreme addiction to Foursquare has really made me want to become really good at it. If you aren’t on Foursquare, and have a smart phone, you’re really missing out. It’s a lot of fun.

If you are familiar with Foursquare, here are 10 badges that I am determined to unlock during my stay in New York City, and what I need to do to unlock them. Some are easier said than done, but I think I can do it! Also, friend me on Foursquare if you haven’t already!

The “Historian” badge is the most New York-ish kind of badge there is. And I want it. To unlock this badge, you must first be following The History Channel’s Foursquare page. After you’ve started following, you have to check in to 2 historical landmarks to unlock. There’s a lot of history in New York City, so hopefully I’ll be able to find my way to some of these places. I think it would be cool to check in at the Statue of Liberty – just to say I did it!

I’m certainly not a player, but I do crush like one. The “Player Please” badge unlocks when you have checked in with 3 other males and 3 other females. I am pretty sure this happened when I was at the MTV TJ finale a few weeks ago when the Brooklyn Academy of Music was trending while we were live, but maybe not. Either way I am pretty sure I will be unlocking this badge very soon.

Considering I will be staying in Brooklyn, the “I <3 BK” badge shouldn’t be too hard right? This badge unlocks when you’ve checked in to 25+ places in Brooklyn. I’ve had Foursquare for quite some time now, and am sure I am nearing this milestone in my life. This is one of the ones I am really looking forward to unlocking. (PS this is the only image I could find of the badge, so it’s teeny weenie)

The “Jobs” badge unlocks when you have checked in to 3 or more Apple stores. I haven’t checked in to 3 or more Apple stores? I find that hard to believe. However, Apple is supposed to be updating iPods tomorrow so hopefully they’ll be available to play with and I have more of a reason to check in at that giant glass cube on 5th Avenue.

Here’s another one that blows my mind. The “Barista” badge unlocks when you’ve checked in to 5 or more different Starbucks locations. As much as I love Starbucks, how have I not unlocked this badge? Either way, there is a Starbucks every 10 feet in NYC, so I will be on the lookout.

I love Brooklyn and I love art, so the “BK Art Star” badge is obviously one I am going to work on unlocking. To get this badge you have to be following the Brooklyn Museum Foursquare page, and check in to the Museum 3 times. This might be a little harder to do because I am not the type of person who checks in when they see a venue as they drive by – I like to actually be at the place I am checking in. I am hoping I get to check out this museum when I am in NY – and it will help with my “I <3 BK” badge as well!

The “Far Far Away” badge is pretty straight-forward: check in to any venue above 59th street in Manhattan. I’ll probably check out that hot dog place on 72nd that Gaga always talks about. Plus, I’ll be looking for apartments in the ghetto, so this really should be no problem.

The “Swarm” badge is an awesome badge to add to your collection. You have to have checked in somewhere where 50+ people have checked in within the last hour. Seeing as how I am going to the U.S. Open this week, I shouldn’t have a real problem.

The “Super Swarm” badge is the same as the “Swarm” badge, except you have to have checked in somewhere that 250+ people had checked in within the last hour. This one might be a little more difficult to get, even at the U.S. Open. I’ll be at both a day and night session this week, so I’ll have a few more chances. Otherwise, it might be a while before I get another go at unlocking this badge!

The “Gossip Girl” badge seems like a fun one to have. I am not a fan of the show, but that isn’t to say I don’t like it – I have just never seen it. However, it is said that this badge unlocks when you have checked in to at least one place where Gossip Girl has been filmed in NY or San Francisco. I don’t watch the show, so if you know of any popular places from the show, please leave me a comment!

The “WSJ Urban Adventurer” badge unlocks when you check in to 3 spots in the financial district of New York City. I’m surprised that I haven’t unlocked this already seeing as one of my very good friends, Neall, lived one building from Ground Zero for the last year. I had checked in a lot down there. Either way, I will be stopping at Century 21 or maybe that damn mosque that everyone is crying about.