I find that, playing Ingress, I'm not actually taking in my surroundings at all. It doesn't feel like exploration. The game just absorbs everything.
It appears the game works only in a high pedestrian areas like downtown SFO with defined landmarks. Does the game work if you are in a suburban office with walking trails around ponds?
It depends on how much player activity in the area. In my experience I've found there is a lot of activity in suburbs around major cities.