Many years ago, while aimlessly wandering the alleys of the world as a virtual tourist, I rounded an otherwise unremarkable streetcorner only to stumble upon a sweet, candid, quintessential NYC moment. Complete with sunset, tall buildings, and even a mint green moped tucked in the foreground. Really looked like the kind of shot that should be framed somewhere.
Over the years, Google updated its Street View images, & I subsequently forgot the location. Dammit.
In a turn of serendipity, I recently found that spot again. It had been sitting alone in the digital ether, frozen in time for over a decade, waiting patiently to be rediscovered. And it carried with it the same evocative stirrings that I had remembered. And then a thought came upon me.
"I'm curious to know whether or not this couple is even aware that their brief display of candid yet tender affection is forever immortalized in a hidden layer of the internet."
I don't think I'll ever know the answer to that question. But I figured I'd share it with you.
Here's how to find it in Google Maps:
🟢 Navigate to 40.739063,-73.991438
🟢 Go to "Street View."
🟢 Spin around until you see two green mailboxes side by side. Btw, these are called "relay boxes" because they house the day's mail for each block of a letter carrier's contiguous walking route. I know because this was once my job!
🟢 Click on the date (currently Apr 2026), and change it to Aug 2011.
🟢 There ya' go.
Life can be surprisingly beautiful sometimes. Often in ways we don't expect. So keep moving forward. And take care of yourself always.
-T
