As Steve Rubel's been tweeting all morning, Google Maps "Street View" is awesome. It's only working for a few select cities at the moment--Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, New York and San Francisco.

Here's a view of 888 8th Ave, New York. I used to live in this white building.

How long before these street views are video? And live? Or mashed-up with open, live webcams?

Seems like a great technology for tourists, retail and real estate. Or advergaming.

So the story goes, this building went up in the early 1950s. And Frank Sinatra took the penthouse suite for the first 12 months, since he owned a bar across 52nd Street that's now the Russian Samovar. But this particular view shows the stretch down 53rd Street where Letterman tends to film outdoor stunts.

- - -UPDATE: Now I'm not so sure about this advance. Street View has made its way to Minneapolis and St. Paul, albeit in limited steps. And I'm not necessarily thrilled to be able to see my own house so easily searched, indexed and tied to a map. But I am amused that the image-capturing process allows for random acts of delivery men delivering.