Skip to main content

Fifth Avenue Apple Store most-photographed location in NYC

Apple_store_fifth_avenueWhen we think of the New York City locations where tourist would take pictures, we’d put the Empire State Building, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, or possibly Central Park, in the No. 1 spot. What we would not guess would make the top of the list, however, is the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. But we’d be wrong.

According to researcher Eric Fischer, who created a heat map using the geotags of millions of photos of New York that are publicly available on Flickr, the iconic glass cube Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is the most-photographed location in the Big Apple. In other words, more people take pictures of a retail store than any of the long-standing cultural and historical locations in the entire city. Mind = blown.

Other popular spots include many of the obvious characters, like Rockefeller Center (2), Columbus Circle (3) and, of course, Times Square (4).

heat_map_photos_nyc
Fischer didn’t just plot out the most-photographed locations; according to InfoAppleStore.com, he also looked at the date and time the pictures were taken to estimate whether they were shot by a tourist or a local. Photos snapped by visitors to the city appear in red, while blue denotes pictures taken by locals. Not surprisingly, tourists tend to stick to a few main areas, whereas New Yorkers are shooting pictures all over the place.

One factor not clear in Fischer’s study is the bias of Flickr users, which may play a significant role in why the Apple Store made it to the top of the list. As we reported last month, the iPhone 4 was on track to be the most-used “camera” on the photo-sharing site. Today, the Apple smartphone has finally achieved Flickr supremacy, coming in neck-and-neck with the Nikon D90. Without a look at the hard data, we can only speculate that the iPhone-Apple Store relationship skewed the outcome. But it wouldn’t surprise us. Then again, we have been fooled before…

New York isn’t the only city for which Fischer created these sweet maps. Check out his entire collection (which he’s posted to Flickr, of course), here.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
How to hide photos on an Android phone or tablet
Google Photos

While today's best Android phones are quite secure as long as they remain locked with a passcode or biometrics like a fingerprint, by default those features only protect the front door. If someone picks up your phone while it's unlocked, there aren't typically any barriers that will keep them out of exploring everything from your contacts and emails to your photos.

This can be particularly challenging when it comes to photos, since those are the things we like to show off the most from our phones. We've likely all had those moments when we want to show a friend or co-worker a funny cat meme, so we hand over our phone and trust that they won't swipe right and see the photo of the hairy mole that we sent to our doctor that morning.

Read more
Best Sony A7 III deals: Save $300 on the full frame mirrorless camera
Sony A7 III

Sony A7 III Daven Mathies/Digital Trends / .

Even if you have one of the best camera phones at the moment, if you're a photography fanatic, you're probably feeling the burn for something new and exciting. For example, the Sony A7 III line is like none other in the world of handheld cameras and you can find several cameras in that line on sale right now at Best Buy. Here, we round up the best deals in the sale, then analyze how buying a Sony Alpha A7 III looks at the moment.
Today's best Sony A7 III deals

Read more
How to use (almost) any camera as a webcam for Zoom and more
how to use any camera as a web cam v2 00 58 01 still007

Cameras, even those in phones, brag about megapixels and lens specifications -- but laptops? Not so much. There’s a reason computer companies don’t say much about the webcams that come built into the bezels of their screens. Most of these cameras are low-quality, with tiny sensors and cheap lenses. Sure, they work for basic videoconferencing, but they aren’t very impressive and certainly leave us wanting something more.

While you could just buy a stand-alone webcam that connects over USB, to really take production value up a notch, you can opt for a DSLR or mirrorless camera. You’ll need a few workarounds to get this type of camera to be recognized as a webcam by your computer, but the trouble is worth it for the higher resolution, much better low-light performance, and cinematic background blur.

Read more