Cleaning glass vault lights on Mott and Broome Streets

If you've walked enough in NYC, eventually you probably have come across sidewalks that are littered with tiny glass circles. Often dirty and faded, these glass circles known as vault lights once served a purpose of giving sunlight into basement factories before electricity. They are remnants of NYC's industrial past and while many have been paved over and removed, some still remain, like this one at the corner of Mott Street and Broome Street in Chinatown/Nolita.

I passed a guy sitting on the sidewalk cleaning these babies. So cool. I snapped this pic above.

A sidewalk used by earthquake scientists in the Bay Area has been destroyed

Photos: LA Times

Here's an interesting article from The LA Times highlighting the battle between man-made objects and natural forces. This sidewalk in the Bay Area sits right on the Hayward Fault and its gradual misalignment over the years has given earthquake scientists a real-world gauge of just how much the plates underneath the city are moving. Scientists have long predicted that this area will be ground zero for a massive earthquake and one look at just how much the sidewalk, houses, and roadways are moving above it means they are probably right. It's just a matter of time...

You can see just how much the sidewalk has moved over the years in these photos.

The LA Times article was written however because the city recently fixed the jutting sidewalk. I guess nobody told them?