Over the past two decades, Google has grown from a being a single stripped-down search engine into one of the most powerful and ubiquitous brands on earth, offering products and services that touch almost every aspect of the modern world, at least those that deal with any sort of technology. Most of us use a product or platform designed by Google (or by its parent company Alphabet, to be precise) multiple times a day, often without even thinking about our actions. We don’t “search” for things anymore, we “Google” them, hardly realizing that a brand name has become a verb.

One of the most useful and trusted products Google offers is its superlative mapping program. Google Maps can fund multiple paths between almost any locations around the globe, searching out the best route via road, rail, or foot and factoring in traffic, tolls, and more. Along with their mapping service, Google also offers Street View, a collection of millions upon millions of images of the world that can be used to view a given street corner, storefront, or residential neighbourhood from the vantage point of a car in the street (thus the name).

Usually, this tool helps us to locate a restaurant or a friend’s apartment building so we can find the spot in person later. Sometimes, however, the industrious Google Street View cameras capture decidedly more unusual and often embarrassing images. Which, of course, is what you want to see. So I’ll get on with it: here are some of the most odd and embarrassing New York City Google Street view images ever captured and duly uploaded to the good ol’ web.

14. So… Many…Prostitutes

If you spend enough time on Google Street View, you will begin to think that basically every major metro area of the United States is essentially one large outdoor brothel. There are prostitutes to be found on countless corners of cities and towns around the USA, with New York City of course no exception. It’s hard to tell whether the hooker in this picture is thrilled to be spotted by the Street View car and is about to offer a flash, or is shocked and upset and is trying to cover up. On the other hand, who cares?

13. Man Down!

We’re going to pretend that the guy lying on the ground in this image just tripped and fell over comically, leading everyone around him to chuckle before helping him up as he enjoyed a laugh at his own expense along with them. But he probably had a heart attack or stroke based on his position and from the fact that people are already standing in a circle around him. Also that one woman is likely calling the paramedics. So…not that funny, but I’d say it is embarrassing to have your medical emergency shared with the world.

12. What’s Going On Aboard This Bus?

A first glance at this image seems to show a barefoot woman in a red dress striking an odd pose and flashing a strange look as she stands in a bus with very large windows. A closer look makes us wonder if we’re actually seeing the reflection of this woman from across the street, either in a strange advertisement or in person. The longer you look at it, the less clear exactly what is going on will become, and the more you will start to question your own mental stability.

11. Helpful Pedestrian or drug Deal?

There are a few things going on in this artfully framed snap from the Google Street View car. First, notice the lovely shot of the skyline that commands the middle of the image. Second, note the composition with parallel curbs sporting sparse greenery that lead the eye to the vanishing point of the image. Third, notice that the guys at the left are either giving this driver directions, or are giving him narcotics in exchange for money. We’re not sure which, so let’s just guess it’s directions….

10. Drug Deal. No Doubt.

Now here we have a drug deal in progress, or at least very recently completed. As if it wasn’t hard enough to sell illegal material in broad daylight on a busy street corner, now you have cars with 360-degree cameras rolling around recording stuff, too! For the record, I’m not jumping to conclusions here; that’s something I studiously avoid. In fact this very image supposedly helped police confirm that an illicit deal had gone down, and was cross-referenced with and supported by other evidence.

9. Parked In Tight

Mini Coopers are very small cars and have a great, tight turning radius. But there’s no way in hell that Cooper is getting out of that parking spot until one of the cars nearly touching its bumpers moves, or unless a team of guys working together physically lifts the thing and moves it out into the street. One has to wonder whether the Cooper driver did something do draw the ire of his automotive captors, or if the other motorists were simply thoughtless and/or jerks. Either way, the person or people who own the red car will have plenty of time to think about it.

8. Getting Things Wet

Ah, there’s nothing like the classic downtown summertime tradition of illegally opening up a fire hydrant to blast water all over the street. Or, in this case, all over the passing Google Street View car. It looks like all the people in this picture are kids, so their transgression can be overlooked, but if a fire broke out near this hydrant, their “cool” little prank might have led to a big issue. As it is, we just have to hope Street View cameras are highly water resistant, or else this might have been the last image this particular rig captured.

7. Adding Insult To Injury

After the initial shock and fright of an automobile accident comes the embarrassment as other drivers and pedestrians pass by, craning their necks to see what happened. In this case, the rubbernecking will last forever, because a Google Street View car was passing by the scene and captured the aftermath of this accident for all the world to see. And the camera only adds insult to injury because, well, based on the ambulance and EMT personnel in the frame, this was an injury accident.

6. A Handy Glitch

If you try to find New York’s famous Times Square using Google Street View from just the right angle, you’re going to find your view of the city scene blocked by what looks like the left hand of about six different men. In fact it’s just one man’s hand (compare the lines on the palm and the position of the fingers) that was rendered multiple times through a software glitch, but it still looks funny. Also, sir, get your hand(s) out of the street and back up on the sidewalk, please.

5. The Naked Cowboy

Alright, fine, the notorious (or celebrated, depending on who you ask) Naked Cowboy of downtown New York City is surely far from embarrassed to have been caught on the Google Street View camera. In fact, he and his friend, the Naked Indian (or Naked Native American, we should say) behind him are likely thrilled to be in yet another photo. But for the folks strolling along beside these naked gentlemen, they probably would have chosen to skip this type of shared immortalization. Sigh…only in New York, right?

4. Mr. Hugs A Lot!

What the hell is going on here? Is this guy in the middle of some bizarre street corner sky praising ritual? Is he rejoicing after finally waving over a cab? Or did he just spot someone that he is thrilled to see and is offering a hug? Or, finally, did he spot the Google Street View Car and realize this was his big chance for internet fame? We’ll never know for sure, so let’s go with…the sky praising thing, why not. Hail sky! Also rain sky. And cloud sky.

3. Finger for the Camera

Poor Google Street View drivers: they get flipped off so often. Why? Why do so many people see a camera and immediately throw up a middle finger? Why not smile and wave or at least offer some nudity instead of immediately insulting the guys that are just trying to help you find your way around. This guy evidently grabbed his kale and couscous at Whole Foods and brought his attitude from home, both of which he shares with us in this candid Street View snap.

2. Car Sees Trike

See that awkward trike with funny-looking rig sticking up behind it? That’s not an ice cream vendor with a periscope on his freezer, it’s a camera rig on a Google Trike. Yep, in this image we have a Google Street View car snapping a picture of a Google Trike designed to capture images of paths not designed for motor vehicle traffic. Granted, this is not exactly embarrassing, but is more bemusing and a bit meta, really.

1. Quick Bathroom Break. No Bathroom Required.

The best thing about this image isn’t that a guy is taking a piss in broad daylight on a storefront that sits on a populated public street, nor is it the fact that he has almost his entire ass hanging out to do so, odd and amusing as those aspects are. The best part is the look of pure joy on the face of the man who is casually strolling along past the urinator, clearly without a care in the world caused by this public micturating. It’s a safe bet booze was involved here; at least the shop on which the man is peeing is closed.