It was past midnight on a Friday night in Elmhurst Park. Dozens of New Yorkers milled around the park entrances, walked in circles on lawns with their smartphones in front of them, or gathered in groups around a single device.
They weren't there for a surprise Kanyé video viewing or a Wiccan nature ritual. They were all there playing Pokémon GO.
An app based on a late '90s handheld game in which players catch and train fictional creatures called pocket monsters, or Pokémon, Pokémon GO is populating the city with virtual monsters that users or "Pokémon trainers" can "catch" and deploy in battles with each other. The game uses your phone’s GPS and clock to detect where and when you are in the game, to make Pokémon "appear" on your phone screen as you move around the real world.
► MAP: Where Are You Finding Pokémon in New York City?
Since the app launched in the U.S. on July 6, New Yorkers have spotted beasts that resemble all kinds of animals, from fish to rats to birds, in all kinds of locations.
Their quests to "be the very best" have converged on real-life locations — such as homes, stores and places of worship — that serve in the game as "gyms," where players can store and battle their Pokémon, and "PokeStops," where they can pick up supplies.
We've rounded up below some of the locations and landmarks in the city where Pokémon have been spotted: