I built a proximity-first search tool because I kept finding places that were “too far” — feedback wanted

Hey everyone 👋

This started from something small but frustrating.

I’d be craving tacos and think of a great spot I know —
then check the map and see it’s 25+ minutes away.

And most of the time… I won’t go.

Not because it’s bad.
Because I value my time.

I’d rather find something solid within 10 minutes and keep my evening simple.

I realized this applies to more than food: Tailors, Cafés, Grocery stores, and Everyday services

We often skip places not because they aren’t good —
but because they’re slightly too far, or we don’t even know a closer option exists.

Most search tools optimize for ratings.

But in real life, we optimize for time + preference.

So I built a prototype that lets you search the way you actually think:

“Good tacos within 10 min walk”
“Tailor near me open late”
“Affordable grocery store within 15 min drive”

Instead of manually stacking filters, you describe what you want, and it combines: Travel time + Reviews+Pricing signals+Sentiment+ Map context

The hypothesis I’m testing:

If search is proximity-first and context-aware, does it actually change where people go?

Does it surface places you didn’t know existed — but would realistically use?

I’d love blunt feedback from builders here:

Try it in a city you know well

Run a practical query (not just “best restaurants”)

Use your actual location (Not "Downtown" but Street Address)

Does it feel meaningfully different from Google Maps?

Prototype:
https://sity.up.railway.app

• Especially interested in:

• Where ranking logic breaks

• Whether this needs a sharper wedge

• What would make this indispensable

• Appreciate any honest critique

Thank you in advance!