Today it was out to meet cousin Howard who works at Googolplex - Google‘s Corporate HQ out in Silicon Valley.

Allowed an hour to get to the Caltrain station as it was commute time. Took the N line train just after 8 am into town to the end of the line as that is where the Caltrain station to Mountain View was located. We had to catch the 8.55 am train and was shown how to buy a ticket from the machine. Confirming which platform the train left, the staff said get on the next train and we will get there before the 8.55 am express train. She was right.

So it was downstairs in the bicycle carriage of the double-decker train we travelled the hour long journey out to Mountain View.

Public tours are not possible here and the only way you can see inside part of Googleplex is to know a staff member.

No photos were allowed of some areas including of all things the gym. Yes, I can fully understand of no photos of computer screens and white board. Some work areas were simply out of bounds for non staff.

What can I say about the staff benefits at Google?

Staff gets:
- free or heavily subsidised transport
- free healthy snack food / fruit and espresso coffee
- to choose from 19 different cafeterias some serving 3 meals a day
- free laundry
- free health care
- free gym
- pool tables, table tennis tables, volleyball courts, swimming pools etc to relax
- umbrellas to walk between blocks
- brightly painted bicycles to use around campus. Yes, it is called a campus.

One of the neat things and apparently very popular with their guests is the Explore Your World where one can via Google Earth find ones own house and as you can see get a photo of oneself standing outside ones own home several continents away. My neighbour Craig was even washing his car. Yes, his face and car’s number plates were pixelated ie blurred so you couldn’t see the details. How cool is that!

Google also promotes recycling of items in the usual way but also such items as office supplies, computer accessories and components that one doesn’t need. They also have a food separation system in place.

Solar panels are used.

Even Google had an internal mail system. They look like suspension files. Yes, they will even post your own mail for you free as well!

Plus if you have your manager’s approval, you can even bring your dog to work. Look at the Yoshka’s Café and the sign next to the name.

As Howard had a 1 pm meeting to attend, our 2 hour visit was oh too short. Thanks Howard for the opportunity to have a wee peek into Google HQ / Googleplex plus lunch!

In fact this 200 second google video explains so much better than I can in words and my photos of what we saw!

https://www.google.co.nz/about/jobs/lifeatgoogle/life-at-the-googleplex.html

Get a glimpse at life at Googleplex in 200 seconds. This high-speed tour of our Mountain View campus touches on a bit of everything Googley, from whiteboards and snack food to the design principles behind our office spaces. Keep an eye out for SpaceShipOne and Stan, our resident T-Rex!

In fact google Goopleplex for much more!