Dentistry on Wheels
If there's one thing you never thought you'd see in life, it's got to be the dentist's chair on the back of a bicycle. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, two men were presumably tasked with transporting one brand-spanking-new dentist's chair from location A to location B, by any means necessary. And being the stalwarts that they are, they simply secured the highly specific piece of furniture to a wooden platform, tied that to a three-wheel bicycle, and went on their merry way.
Either that, or they are offering some kind of back-alley mobile dentistry service that's able to come straight to the front door of their trusting customer's.
A Totally Normal Day in Tokyo
They say that travel broadens the mind. But we're not sure this is quite what they had in mind. On a sidewalk in Tokyo, Japan, this frightful image was captured by the Google Street View car, showing a number of people wearing pigeon masks and facing the camera-equipped vehicle. None of the people appear to have been captured in motion—they've literally stopped in their tracks and turned to face... us?
It's one of the weirdest images on Google Street View, and despite having been taken back in 2013, there's still no good explanation as to what is really going on here.
Your Typical Horse-Drawn Traffic Jam
There are all kinds of stereotypes applied to British people. But this particular Google Street View capture isn't helping dispel some of those assumptions. Here we have a horse-drawn carriage trotting along the side of a highway and causing a massive traffic jam. But what's more noteworthy than seeing horses on the street is seeing the type of carriage they're pulling - it looks like something out of a 1950s Disney movie. We're not sure what kind of event warrants this commotion, but we're quite sure that the other drivers aren't enjoying it.
If it wasn't captured on Google Street View, we'd have thought that a Royal Wedding from the '80s had been photoshopped into the frame.
Really Scary Scarecrows
Some Google Street View images only leave you with more questions than answers. This is a prime example of that, as this photo of a field in the countryside of Finland shows a creepy army of scarecrows stretching back the length of the field! Since this Street View was captured in 2011, however, the internet has provided some answers as to what exactly was going on here. Apparently, this bizarre display was actually part of an art installation by Reijo Kela called "The Silent People."
It was made to represent all the people of Finland and Soviet Russia who had fought and lost their lives during a battle between the years 1939–1940.
A Photo of a Painting of a Landscape
The old art of oil painting has been losing popularity over the years, but people like this gentleman are doing their part to keep the skill alive. This artist set up his easel in Kensington Gardens in London to paint a landscape of the gorgeous view, completely immersed in his craft. Little did he know that the Google Street View camera had snuck up behind him and captured him capturing the view! Had he known the camera was on him, he might have panicked, as people could easily compare his painting to the real thing and point out any differences.
Still, this Google Street View photo is a charming moment in England that reminds us of the joys that can be had when creating art outdoors.
Deserted in the Desert
Google Street View users were surprised to see this image of a woman walking in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. Pictured in the New Mexico desert, not far from Roswell, a woman in heels is trailing a suitcase behind her in a place where she'll find nothing for miles. We don't know if she's lost her way or whether she's had an argument with someone in a car and decided to storm off and make her way on her own.
Either way, judging by her shadow on the ground, it's not going to be light outside for long, so here's hoping she got to where she needed to be eventually.
All Dolled up
Tsukimi Ayano was living in an area called Nagoro in Japan until her family relocated when she was still a child. When she returned to the village as an adult, she decided to start making life-sized dolls of the people she used to know who lived in the remote mountainous village, and that's exactly what you're seeing here. These aren't real people sitting and waiting by the bus stop—they are dolls of former town residents that were made to replace the people she remembered.
The village is extremely underpopulated as of today, but you'd never know if you were driving through, like the Google Street View car was that day in 2012.
Dinner for One
Is it possible to enter a Google Street View image for the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition? Because if so, we think this entry would be a shoe-in. When the Google Street View camera was mounted onto a drone and directed to Kurile Lake in Russia, it managed to capture a bear feasting on its recent catch. We can see the swarm of salmon all around, as the bear stands in the middle holding its prize meal.
This is a stunning photo that just goes to show how remarkable some Google Street View images can be all around the world.
Just Horsing Around
Google Street View was minding its own business, cruising down the residential roads of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, when it stumbled upon this bizarre occurrence. It's not uncommon to find horses on the estate of a stately manor, but not quite in the way that's pictured here. A man in a horse mask is sitting half on the road at a bistro table, just moments before eating a banana.
We don't know what compelled this person to do this, but either way, it makes it into a personal top Google Street View find.
A House in Flames
The Google Street View car has even managed to capture some accidents over the years, such as this house fire in Sherwood, Arkansas. On this sunny day, it appears as though a family home has gone up in flames, but luckily the local fire department had already arrived and were there to save the day. We can see residents of the house standing off to the side, away from the action, while the brave firemen work tirelessly to stop the fire from spreading.
Either way, it's still a rare find on Google Street View and an amazing glimpse into the everyday work life of a fireman.
Trick or Treat Deterrent
Photographed on Winnemac Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, this family house went all out for their Halloween decorations. The only thing is that Google Street View saves the image for many years, making this creepy Halloween display seem out of context for the rest of the year. If you had randomly come across this house on Google Street View, you'd be hard-pressed not to be more than a little creeped out by it.
Just think, when this family has guests coming over, they're probably praying that they don't click into Street View to find this haunting snapshot.
Not a Leg to Stand on
It's not just Google Street View that suffers from some awkward camera glitches. For any of you who are familiar with the panorama photo setting on your phone, you'll know that glitches are pretty common if you don't keep a steady hand and pace as you pan across a vista. For Google Street View, the same glitches sometimes happen, resulting in some pretty weird-looking images. Take this capture from Anchorage, Alaska, for example, where it appears that two sets of legs are walking in unison, completely separated from their bodies.
We love how perfectly the Google Street View car managed to capture everything else in the scene, except for the people to whom the legs actually belonged!
Like a Fish Out of Water
You've got to love the random coincidences that the Google Street View car manages to capture from time to time. This particular still shows two perfectly innocent scuba enthusiasts, all dressed up and ready for adventure, covered head to toe in their brand-new scuba diving gear. They appear to have been sitting on some sun loungers while waiting for their turn, although, judging by how covered up they are, we doubt many sun rays actually managed to touch their skin.
This Street View image was taken in Bergen, Norway, and shows the diving enthusiasts apparently getting out of their chairs and presumably ready to get in the water.
An Unlikely Pair
This man in Portland, Oregon, was innocently strolling by the road when the Google Street View car captured him taking his cockatoo for a walk. Either that, or he saw the Google vehicle outside his window and decided to take advantage of the situation by showing off his impressive bird. It’s just not something you see every day. Google Street View really does pick up some unexpected moments, whether they’re on busy or quiet streets.
What we love most of all is that despite Google’s attempt to blur the man’s face to preserve his anonymity, we can still tell that he’s smiling. The cockatoo, on the other hand, looks perfectly content.
Bagel Pincher
For one reason or another, a bunch of bagels were left discarded at the side of a road. Maybe the people who worked in the bakery decided to lay them on the wayside for birds to come and peck at them. But what the Google Street View car captured was a cheeky pooch running up to the discarded bagels and taking one for himself. It's an adorable Google Street View moment that we're so glad was caught on camera.
One of the best aspects of Google Street View is that sometimes it can capture those candid, cute, everyday moments like this one.
Caught in the Midst of a Crime
In the small Spanish village of Tahuaque, home to barely 60 residents, a Google Maps car made its way there in 2009 to photograph a few streets and never returned—until now. About a year ago, one of the village’s residents went missing. After an extensive search, the police eventually discovered his body in the cemetery of a neighboring village. The investigation continued, and through intercepted phone calls in the area, the police stumbled upon a piece of evidence that can only be described as a cosmic coincidence. Yes, you see where this is going.
In an extraordinary twist of fate, the Google Maps car decided to return to the village after over a decade. While photographing the streets, it captured an individual loading what appeared to be a body into the trunk of a car. Combining this photographic evidence with intercepted calls, the local police were able to arrest the man and his wife, who are now suspected of committing the murder.
A Japanese Wedding Procession
People do weddings differently all around the world, and that’s what makes this wedding procession in Japan so special. It was captured by the Google Street View car at the Shimogamo-Jinja Shrine in Kyoto, Japan, while the bride and groom performed a traditional wedding march, followed closely by their parents and guests. It's a beautiful moment that showcases a wedding tradition that many people around the world may not be familiar with, making it a fascinating glimpse into a cultural celebration.
We love how no one in the wedding party is looking at the Google Street View car - everyone is focused on the procession and following the bride and groom.
Bear-Ly Believable in Alaska
Life in Alaska can seem like a bit of a mystery to those of us who don't live there and have never visited. But this Google Street View image suggests that maybe there's a good reason why we don't hear about life on the Last Frontier. Photographed just outside a cabin on Fish Lakes Creek is someone chilling outside their home in a brown bear suit. If you look a little closer, you'll notice that whoever this is, they're petting a cat on their lap.
Looking at the expression on the bear's face, it’s just as surprised to see the Google Street View car as we are to see them.
Bringing Star Wars to Life
This one is for the Star Wars fans among us. If you look into the distance of this estate, you'll notice a life-size AT-AT walker, AKA All Terrain Armored Transport, a combat vehicle used for a ground assault by the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, and the First Order. It's actually a little smaller than what would be life-size, as the AT-AT walkers are meant to stand 20 meters tall.
Still, this impressive backyard science project is essentially putting a call out to all the people driving by that a mega Star Wars enthusiast lives here.
Plastic Wrap Prank
Another perfectly timed Google Street View moment is this one that took place in Santa Cruz, California, where some people pranked others by wrapping their car in cling wrap. They didn’t cause any permanent damage (we don’t think), but they definitely ensured that whoever owns the car will be late to work that day as they struggle to tear off all that plastic wrap. Something tells us it's a more time-consuming task than one might initially think.
From the looks of it, one of the people responsible might even be in the photo beside the car, as there appears to be someone posing for the Google Street View car.
Lab Assistant Love
Interdisciplinary artist Ben Kinsley wanted to create some playful performance art moments for Google Street View to capture, and one of them is this hilarious scene. In this photo, a mad scientist character on the far left sees his experiment work in making two lab assistants fall in love with one another. If you look a bit closer at the two new lovebirds, you'll see that he has red hearts over his eyes, just in case it wasn't clear what was going on.
You have to appreciate the effort Kinsley went to in creating some fun scenes for Google Street View.
Toilet Paper Trashing
The Google Street View car often finds itself at the right place at the right time. Take this instance in Wisconsin, for example, where someone’s house has been pranked with toilet paper, and the residents had yet to notice. Now, whenever they give out their address to visitors and those visitors decide to check out the street view, they’ll see a little surprise — that these residents might not be the most popular in their neighborhood.
Fortunately for them, it’s not the worst toilet-paper prank we’ve ever seen. They should definitely be thankful that eggs weren’t involved, or it could have been much worse!
A Spot of Midday Archery
Just imagine the surprise on people's faces who naturally stumbled upon this Google Street View gem. In a quaint Connecticut town, on a residential road with sprawling homes and manicured lawns, two gentlemen were engaging in an arrow-shooting game in which one man, with a bow and arrow, attempted to hit a can on top of another man's head. We wonder if they were doing this for fun or because one of them had lost a bet.
Whatever their real reasons were for engaging in such unusual medieval behavior, it goes down in history as a Street View treasure.
Wedding in a Bygone Era
Back in 2008, Google Street View managed to capture an actual wedding taking place in Cardiff, Wales. It appears as though the wedding procession had been moved outdoors, just in time for the Google Street View car to snap a photo, while the bride and groom were busy getting their professional wedding photos taken. You’d think that this photo would provide the adorable event space with some free marketing, but unfortunately, it’s no longer there.
Since 2014, the wedding venue has been replaced with a Subway sandwich and wrap restaurant stop, which is certainly a change in atmosphere.
Mailbox Misuse
When you think of the Big Apple, you probably think of all the glitz and glamour associated with New York City. You probably don't think about this Google Street View capture from 2017 of a man straddling a mailbox, smoking a cigarette. We can't decide what we love more - the fact that he was sitting so unashamedly on public property and facing the onslaught of drivers stuck in New York traffic, or the possibility that the mailman might have come at any moment and had to navigate this situation.
Who's to say what kind of day this man was having? All we can do is assume that he had just about enough, and nothing was going to stop him from enjoying his cigarette the way he wanted.
A Lack of Facilities
It happens to the best of us. Sometimes the need to relieve ourselves can strike at the most inconvenient moments, leaving us desperately searching for a public toilet. But sometimes even a public toilet is too much to ask for, as was the case for this gentleman n La Paz, Mexico. It seems there wasn’t a toilet nearby, and time wasn’t on his side, so he ended up relieving himself right in the middle of the road.
All we can say is, at least he had the foresight to turn and face the wall slightly rather than the onlooking cars.
Reindeer Gone Rogue
On a picturesque road in Norway, it's possible to see one of Santa's reindeer has broken loose and appears to be making a quick getaway. While it may be a regular sight for locals, for those of us on the other side of the world, it’s one of the strangest images out there. Not only is the panoramic view spectacular, but a mystical reindeer is trotting down the road with an impressive set of antlers attached to its head.
It’s as if the reindeer is on its own adventure out of the city. Once again, Google Street View proves that it knows how to be at the right place at the right time.
Here, There and Everywhere
One young man in India didn’t notice the Google Street View car sneaking up on him while he was on his phone. Once he realized it was taking photos, he attempted to calmly walk out of the camera’s view to avoid being photographed - after all, he didn't want to be immortalised on the internet. However, the exact opposite happened. Instead of escaping the lens, he was repeatedly captured as he walked around the vehicle, resulting in six separate appearances from him in the same location.
The 360-degree Google Street View photo of the street shows the young man circling the car as Google Street View snapped its pictures - hilarious.
Thieving City Seagulls
Photographed in New York's Rockaway Park in Queens, Google Street View captured a seagull mid-flight, having just pinched some food, with its wings high and akimbo. Who would have thought that the Google Street View car also dabbled in wildlife photography, capturing moments that any aspiring nature documentarian would dream of? We especially love the seagull’s menacing facial expression, which makes us think it may have brazenly snatched this snack right out of the hands of someone who was still eating it.
Even in New York, it seems that the seagulls are susceptible to the hustle and grind culture that pervades the lives of the people living in the city.
Organised Performance for Google Street View
Interdisciplinary artist Ben Kinsley decided to take advantage of the Google Street View car visiting his area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He staged a series of performances for the Google vehicle to capture, one of which includes this marching band on Sampsonia Way. We can see him, a few people from his team, and some local onlookers at the side watching the event unfold, all for the sole purpose of being captured by the Google Street View car.
We love how this artist chose to interact with the Google vehicle in a playful and imaginative way, drawing attention to the historic Pittsburgh district.
Is The Stig Scottish?
If you're a fan of the BBC's "Top Gear" automotive show, you'll be familiar with the ever-elusive character of The Stig. But what you probably won't believe is that The Stig was actually captured by Google Street View back in 2009, where he is seen standing between a road and Loch Ness in Scotland. We're not sure if the team at BBC timed this perfectly for some free Google marketing, or whether this was just a happy coincidence that has been forever immortalized on the internet. Either way, it adds an unexpected touch of intrigue to the usual Google Street View images.
We don't know about you, but we can't help but love how The Stig appears to be totally in character, standing there with his iconic crossed-arm pose.
Listless Confetti
Google Street View captured a moment when artist Ben Kinsley decided to stand on a balcony and throw confetti at the car. Photographed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Sampsonia Way, we imagine that the artist envisioned this moment to be more impactful than it ended up in the actual photo. As it stands, it looks as though a man on the first floor is being attacked by bees, rather than playfully flinging colorful confetti out onto the road.
This 360 degree photo just goes to show how challenging it can be to choreograph a moment for Google Street View to capture perfectly.
Where the Google Street View Cars Live
One Google Street View photo revealed some intriguing Google secrets. In Monterey, California, Google Street View captured an image of a Google Street View car park, filled with vehicles parked and ready to capture more panoramas! On one hand, it feels a bit like an episode of Black Mirror, as it offers a peek into the behind-the-scenes world of Google. On the other hand, it's pretty cool to see behind the curtain and get a glimpse of the action.
After all, the Street View cars spend their whole life behind the cameras, so it's nice to finally see them in front of the camera for a change!
Steve Irwin Would Be Proud
The Google Street View car gets around, and it does a fairly thorough job. Particularly in the case of this lake in Florida, as it managed to capture the back end of an alligator scurrying away! Perhaps it was scared off by the Google Street View vehicle and was trying to make an escape. Either way, this alligator wasn’t quick enough to avoid being captured by the lens.
Now, the people who regularly canoe in these waters will forever be haunted by the memory of this reptile and the knowledge that there’s more lurking around.
Meeting the Competition
Well, this is awkward. In northern Argentina, a Google Street View car stumbled upon another Google Street View car, both taking nearly identical photos of the same locations. We don’t know if there was some kind of mix-up at HQ, if one of the drivers went rogue, or if Google was somehow pinning two cars against one another to compete for a spot on Google Street View. Either way, it's a hilarious and somewhat bizarre find.
We can't help but wonder if the drivers felt a sense of kinship when they bumped into each other on the road, or if they felt a bit of hostile competition between them.
Google Office Flash Mob
The employees at Google's London offices decided to make use of the fact that they knew when the Google Street View car was set to pass by, so they arranged a flash mob of all the employees outside their building to come and wave at the camera. Some of them even went to the effort of putting on party hats to celebrate the occasion, while others at the back cheered as though they were at a football game!
It's clear for us to see that they were determined to make this an unforgettable Google Street View snapshot, and we're thankful that it was caught on camera.
Dabbing on 'em
In 2016, one brave cyclist decided to risk it all and dab while on the road for the Google Street View vehicle. Pictured in Prahran, Victoria, Australia, it was still popular to dab at this time, whereas it's less common to see kids doing it today. That being said, it's still an impressive feat that was also timed perfectly, so much so that it has us wondering if this cyclist held this position as he rode all the way down the street.
Either way, this cyclist's funny move was captured in an unforgettable Street View moment that stands out from the usual street scenes.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
In Park Cytadela, Poland, a cycling group had gathered to regroup before taking off on their bicycles. But, as fate would have it, Google Street View was just around the corner, capturing this busy gathering of people just before they set off once more. However, in the chaos of all the movement, some moments were captured better than others, leading to the rather mysterious sight of feet seemingly detached from their bodies!
This feet filled image is a strange and amusing Google Street View camera glitch that's definitely one for the books.
Leave a Trail of Breadcrumbs
Google Street View can be used to discover some weird and wonderful locations for a family visit. Although, for this particular location, we recommend taking precautions, as it's a real-life corn maze, but the corn is really tall. It's not hard to imagine actually struggling to make your way out of the Edmonton Corn Maze in Alberta, Canada, and if you're not careful, losing your way entirely!
While Google Street View is able to show you the entrance to the maze, unfortunately, it isn't able to help you find your way out.
Like Catnip to White Vans
For four years running, there's one particular place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that has become famous for always being photographed by Google Street View with a white van parked alongside it. Every time the Google Street View car has paid a visit to this street, a white utility van is either parked, driving out, or driving in to the same place. We don't know exactly what it is about this place that makes it a magnet for white vans, but it's certainly consistent.
Regardless, we're happy that people are keeping track of these things and documenting them on the internet, adding another layer to the mysteries of Google Street View.