Alas, when I ride in NYC (every morning, and every afternoon, between Penn Station and my office) I keep my eyes on the traffic around me, and on road itself. Even on the street, though, you see some interesting stuff. As an archaeologist, I became fascinated with the occasional traces of catastrophic mechanical failures one finds embedded in the pavement.
This was just east of Columbus Circle; now been repaved.
This was on Seventh Avenue a bit south of Times Square. Also now repaved.