Thanks to cell phones, pay­phones are pretty much a thing of the past. But that could change, as pay­phones stand to have a resur­gence in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is head­ing an ini­tia­tive to revamp the city’s 11,000 exist­ing pay­phones, which come in handy in emer­gen­cies– some­thing res­i­dents learned dur­ing Hur­ri­cane Sandy. While stormy weather can knock out cell phone sig­nals, pay­phone net­works are pro­tected beneath pave­ment, mak­ing them more reli­able in cer­tain sit­u­a­tions. Another pro­gram seeks to turn old phone kiosks into wire­less inter­net hotspots. Start sav­ing your quarters.

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