Good morning on this cheery Thursday.

Street phone booths have long been disappearing from our city — only a few are left.

But last Thursday, our city got a new one, with a catch.

When you enter the bright red phone booth on West 13th Street in the Meatpacking District and pick up the receiver, you are connected to the switchboard of the Capitol in Washington. You are then asked to enter your ZIP code and choose the Senate or House of Representatives member you wish to speak to. Then you are connected to his or her office.

Want to talk about health care? Go ahead. Have ideas to improve education? Share them.

The idea for the phone booth sprang from a group of employees — from marketing, public relations and corporate culture — at the Standard Hotel. It was designed as a tool for staff members and customers who were searching for ways to be more politically engaged after last year’s election.

The employees found a 1970s Sprint booth available from an auction house on eBay for less than $300, picked it up in Port Royal, Pa., and had it refurbished. Then, they placed it on the sidewalk, watched and waited.