mixed digital and physical infrastructures

27th St at South St., PHL.  AT&T fiber optic cables, USPS mailbox, a fire hydrant.  Across the street is a fortress-style AT&T building. 

Digital communications moving through AT&T's fiber optic cables that emerge from beneath the street at this point, physical communication in the form of mail can be deposited in the mailbox directly adjacent, and if there is a fire, the hydrant accesses Philadelphia's water supply as well.  This is a pretty useful example of the mixing of physical and digital elements in the urban landscape, in this case on the sidewalk in center city Philadelphia.