rfmcdonald | [URBAN NOTE] On the opening up of Gramercy Park, New York City, by Google

The New York Times' Matt Chaban writes about how New York City's Gramercy Park, hidden from the public by its private status and--less successfully--by high fences, was opened up to the public by a visitor to the neighbour who had a key (courtesy an Airbnb stay) and a camera ready to upload the images to Google.

In July 2012 I posted my own through-the-fence photographs on my blog. Find them below at the bottom of this post.

With its cyborg cars and omniscient backpacks festooned with cameras, Google has mapped out and photographed much of the planet. From the comfort of their browsers, people can now visit Times Square, Tiananmen Square or the Square One mall in Mississauga, Ontario.

Starting this year, one of the most forbidden places in Manhattan became virtually accessible, too. And despite being off limits to outsiders, particularly those toting cameras, all it took was a borrowed key and a smartphone to let the world inside Gramercy Park.

“When I found out where I was, I thought, ‘This has to be captured,’ ” said Shawn Christopher, a computer programmer and former Army sergeant from the Pittsburgh area who visited in May while on his honeymoon. “The Internet is all about sharing knowledge, especially these secret, hidden things.”

Mr. Christopher took three 360-degree panoramas using Photo Sphere, a Google app, and then uploaded them to the company’s ubiquitous Maps site. He had gotten into the park using another of his favorite technologies, Airbnb, where the room he rented included not only fresh linens and Wi-Fi but also one of the 383 coveted keys to the park. Mr. Christopher was unaware at the time that guests had to be accompanied by key holders on their visits and that commercial photography was prohibited.

Unwittingly, Mr. Christopher achieved something not even Robert De Niro or Woody Allen could manage: shooting inside the park.