Silicon Valley is just an area nestled between San Francisco and San Jose. I always wonder what kind of place is Silicon Valley. I know many people interested in technology head to Silicon Valley from all around the world.
There are actually tech tour where you can visit some of the world famous company here. Most of the graduates who work here are from the top university such as Stanford University, which is also located in Silicon Valley.
During my tech tour in Silicon Valley, I found out Googleplex is one of my favorite and the most visitor friendly in Silicon Valley. These are the top things you should experience while in Googleplex playground.
1. Hop on to the Google colorful bike
First thing that caught my attention at Googleplex Campus is the multi-colored bicycles that staffs & visitors use to get around this 12 acre campus. Please note there is a speed limit at all time, no speeding. No locks on these bikes and possibly hundreds of them all over Googleplex.
If you have friends who work in Googleplex, then you will be lucky enough to access to their work place and experience their work life in Google. If you don’t know anyone from google, you are still allow to visit this 12 acre google playground with the google bikes.
2. Google Cafe
If you are accompanied by a google employee, you will be able to taste some of the great food from the Google Cafe menu for free. Those googlers are serve 3 meals a day for free plus free snacks and drinks.
3. Tyrannosaurs Rex skeleton
One of the icon at Googleplex courtyard is the T-rex skeleton, a real size beast.
4. Sand Volleyball Court
If there are players in the sand volleyball court, you are welcome to join them.
5. Sun bathing at the Google Organic Garden
These are actually organic vegetables, the below is swiss chard but I have also found some garlic sprout and spice.
6. Crossfit Gym
There are few gyms, one of them is the outdoor gym for crossfit, you see equipment for kettle bells, dumbells, med balls, rings, pull up bar.
7. Google Android Statues Park
Both adults and kids love this place, hugging and posing pictures with these google android statues such as – Lollipop, Donut, Cupcake, Kitkat and gingerbread man.
Google use these sweets to name their code for Google Android operating systems; v1.5 – Cupcake, v4.4 – Kitkat, v5.0 Lollipop and many more.
8. Check out three big trees near Google Android Lawn Statues.
9. Visiting Google Merchandising Store
If you are google fan or Larry Page’s fan, you may want to get your google souvenirs here. Cups & t-shirts,
You can spot everything here with google theme colors, even the resting chair in the fitting room has the iconic google theme colors.
10. Google Giant Park
Final thoughts :
This is one of the mind blowing campus and a dream place to work. If you intend to explore Silicon Valley, then Googelplex at Mountain View is one of the must visit attractions when you do your tech touring. Go check out the google electric car & google self-driving car somewhere at the campus too!
You may like other tech tour in Silicon Valley :
- Stanford University at Palo Alto California
- Computer History Museum
- Facebook HQ -check in at the big thumb up signboard
- Apple HQ one infinite loop
- HP Birthplace – HP Garage
25 comments
My dad works here! Haha! I visited the complex in 2016 and thought it was pretty cool! We had lunch there and everything. Definitely a unique work area.
Dear Pippa,
Wow wow wow, how cool is your dad working in Googleplex in Silicon Valley, don’t you think that is the coolest place to work! I guess you have seen more things than me in Google campus, the bowling center and the 5 stars cafeteria only with accompanied goggle employees! Gosh, you are so lucky!!
This is really cool! As a developer I’ve been in many companies that try to imitate the “Google style”, sometimes with hilarious results. It’s really cool to see the real thing, loved the statues of different Android versions!
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your comment. Visitors get very excited and take pictures with all the Android versions of sweets, it’s really funny to see them to get so excited even adult! Well, including me too!
Haha, I think I would definitely be one of them!
I think I would have so much fun there. Could you imagine working their, I’d be so distracted by everything I could be doing at work besides work. I probably wouldn’t have a job to long.
Wow, truly this place is such a great place to work. I love that there are a lot of recreational activities that you can do. Biking around and enjoy all what the place has to offer. I’ve never been here, and hopefully I can visit here. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Those colorful bikes of Google does look pretty! Good to know its for all and not just Google employees!
Thanks for the tip. I should find a friend who works in Google, before venturing there!
It’s so cool! Given the opportunity, I would love to work there. The Google merchandise are so cute. I would love to have that mug. 🙂
Dear Joy,
I would love to have the iconic google propeller cap for the intern. It is also known as the Noogler cap/ new google employee cap. In google they have their own language, if you work in google then you are a Googlers. If you are a new or intern, then you are a Noogler. And if you are x-google staff, you are called Xoogler. Pretty interesting right.
wow this looks so fun! I ha no idea you could actually do a tour of Google! I didn’t think it would be open to the public. I will totally do this if I’m in the area!
You can do tech tour in Silicon Valley and visit some of the famous companies but the most visitors friendly company would be Google!
Oh wow! This looks amazing! I love the Android statues. And the bikes look fun! I didn’t even know this was a thing. This is definitely going on my ‘Places to Visit’ list.
Liz
I happen to have a spouse who works in Google – not in Silicon Valley, but in their Hyderabad – India campus. She persists in making me jealous by sharing her work photos, especially when she happens to travel to their Silicon Valley campus. I guess there is a reason they consistently win those best places to work awards.
Dear Danny,
I guess your spouse is super lucky and smart to be able to work in such places. That’s the dream place to work, you should travel with her to Silicon Valley to enjoy the google vibes.
wow,
post is amazing. Pictures are beautiful . Indeed, it looks like a best place on Earth to work 🙂
Such a lovely workplace that has everything you need to be a happy employee! I wouldn’t mind working here or at least going to the area to visit and tour!
wow that place is so cool! I love seeing places like this, where the employees are treated so well and with such comfort 🙂
This looks like such a fun experience, I’d love to wonder around there. I LOVE the android sculptures, they are so adorable and I love that they supply bikes with the google colours to their staff – that is really great!
Wow!! My kids would totally love to visit this kind of playground. It looks really exciting and fun.
Sounds like a great tour. Beautiful pictures as well.
It hardly looks like a place of work at all but a coven of fun! How awesome!
This place looks very fun and cool. I love the big donut very much.
I’ve heard many stories about Googleplex, but I’ve never seen actual pictures of the campus! It looks and sound like a great place to work, but a bit “disconnected” from reality 🙂
You mean you can choose to visit the Google Playground? Did you mean we can get to visit it as a tourist or do we need to be a media or blogger?