From the coffee shop on the corner to the park down the street, all urbanites have a place they think of as the heart of their city. It’s where you go when you want to feel like a citizen of Memphis, New York City or San Francisco. It’s the place you think of as synonymous with Atlanta, Washington, D.C., or Portland, Ore. It’s what you talk about when someone asks, “What’s Chicago like?”

And even if your local office of tourism has never heard of it, we want to know what and where it is. We want you to show us the heart of your city. Is it the subway platform? The view from your favorite bridge? Snap a photo or make a quick recording, then send it our way via email (nprcities at npr dot org), Flickr (tag your photo #nprcities), Tumblr (tag your submission #nprcities) or SoundCloud (make sure your clip is downloadable). We will use some of your submissions in an interactive graphic.

Include your name, the name of the person who took the picture or recorded the sound, the location of the photo or audio (full address or street intersection, including city and state), and describe your submission in 300 characters (!!!) telling us what makes it the “heart of your city.”

As long as you can photograph it or record it, nothing’s too small! But we do have some guidelines:

1. No Liberty Bells, Please. Tourist attractions are fun to visit, but we’re looking for the part of your city that gets left out of the guidebooks.

2. Limit Your Sound Recordings To One Minute Or Less. We’re looking for sound that gives a sense of place.

3. Remember, We’re A Family-Friendly Website. This probably goes without saying, but please keep your submissions G-rated.

4. Sorry, No Videos Or Animated GIFs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative.

5. Think Public Spaces. The basement your band practices in may be SO Detroit, but we’re looking for places everyone can experience.

There is no deadline!

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