I thought it was a pyramid ...

Google Maps features three-dimensional rendering of buildings for some city areas. An Inman News staffer noticed the feature in a San Francisco map search. The renderings indicate building shape and height, though the dimensions aren't exacting. San Francisco's Coit Tower looks like a little nub in these renderings, for example, and the infamous TransAmerica Pyramid building appears to have a flat-top (see picture). Nevertheless, a cool tool for tooling around city centers.

• Here's a view of 3-D buildings in Manhattan.
• And in Los Angeles.

If the simulated skyline isn't working for you, Google also has street-level imagery, launched in May, and satellite imagery.

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