Sidewalk Clock

I was talking about my tour to a friend of mine this weekend and he asked me "So, what was today's adventure."

"No adventure, I told him, but I did go see the clock in the sidewalk."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, there is a clock in the sidewalk at Broadway and Maiden Lane."

"Really, I live on John Street...i cross there everyday, I've never seen a clock in the sidewalk."

And there is the point of my Farewell Tour. I have seen some of the big things (Ellis Island, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens), and I have seen some of the hidden things (yellow submarine, Atlantic Ave. Tunnel) but there are some things out there that pass us by everyday that we miss. New York is filled with amazing little crevices and quirky architecture or long forgotten monuments to out past.

The Clock (seen above) is embedded in the sidewalk on the northeast corner of Maiden Lane and Broadway. Its the size of a large Frisbee and is protected by a thick piece of glass. It was put there in 1899 by William Barthman Jewelers. It has withstood many attempts by nogoodnicks to break it or dig it up. Its electric motor has kept it running and in good time for well over a century without fail.

I wonder how many people pass it everyday without noticing it. I also wonder how many people use it everyday to see how late they are for work.