If You Google Google

The young man silhouetted here was googling something (he's my nephew). We were visiting the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University with our out of town relatives on Thursday. Of course, before coming, we had to google the hours, the parking situation and the cafe. We googled  the traffic to get the best route. We googled the Apple Store to see how many were nearby. (Five) We googled Steve Jobs' house, we googled the artists, we googled the best place for Thai, we eventually even googled Google itself! (using, of course, the free Google wi-fi that the entire city of Mountain View enjoys!.. thanks, Google!)

Then we headed over to the fabled Mountain View headquarters. Oh my. Late afternoon on a perfectly sunny and 70 degree day, the Google kids were outside... sweating aerobics on the lawn, playing soccer and hockey, riding multi-hued bikes, swimming (yes, swimming), playing sand volleyball, gardening (yes, organic gardening) and lounging around under the beach umbrellas that shade their outdoor dining area. Oh and did I mention the full-scale dinosaur hidden among the trees in the courtyard... festooned with balloons?

My nephew stated the obvious, this was no ordinary workplace. As we followed the yellow brick road through the campus we felt we had dropped into another dimension.  Come with us! First stop, the modern installation at the Cantor Arts Center in Palo Alto for a little culture and visual inspiration for us designers! 

Basel looks like another elegant sculpture here checking his handheld! 

I have always loved this Wayne Thiebaud, but even moreso now that I have 
sworn off desserts hoping to fit into my dress for my 
other nephew's (and godson) wedding next month!

A tongue in cheek rendition of the blue willow pattern with the center
left as unfinished paint by number!

Marbling and torn tickets are part of the artist's message here. 

This is a completely functional chest of drawers with two drawers styled as Japanese
in the last part of 19th century... incredible that a piece of furniture can look so
two-dimensional! 

In 1996, the artist did a woodblock-like rendering of globalization with the
Japanese businessman wearing a western suit and using a cell phone and fax and the
Western businessman wearing a traditional kimono and carrying
a samurai sword... this is a wonderful piece!

I love this depiction of sailors on a wet day with the sun just coming out!

a fascinating escher-like cube highly decorated 

this is not a real workman but part of the art installation; it is so much fun to watch
people's faces when they first realize he is not just taking a break!

the beautiful courtyard of the Cantor Art Center with its Rodin sculpture garden 

***

next stop, the Google headquarters approaching the interior complex where all the fun is happening!

very inviting courtyard adjacent one of the food courts for Google employees.. you cannot
miss the primary colors of the Google logo here in the red, yellow and blue, and of course that
brilliant green grass carpeting the public spaces

the architecture soars, inspiring the mind to soar also!

need to make a meeting half a mile away? just hop
on one of the thousands of Google bikes and head out! 

need a little interactive break? head over to the Googlebahn, an
interactive sculpture installed by Barker Blue

want to relax in a tactile, low-tech manner? head over to the
organic gardens and turn over a little soil with... your own hands!!

...or sit and watch the tomatoes ripen

...and dream of making pesto when you get home...

don't forget to pat the dinosaur!

lobby where Googlebahn is installed! 

the sculpture of a sail inspires mind traveling to all who see it...

and here is the beginning of the yellow brick road that
wanders through the complex... 

the family heads home, full of wonder

even the handlebars have the
Google logo emblazoned

goo·gle/ˈgo͞ogəl/

Verb:

Use an Internet search engine, particularly Google.com: "she spent the afternoon googling aimlessly". Search for the name of (someone) on the Internet to find out information about them.

all photos taken by Kit Golson's iPhone

Thanks for stopping by! It has been a very distracting summer for me spending lots of time helping my family....  I promise more about Provence in the very near future as I post more about our incredible journey there last spring! Thanks for your patience and for all your inquiries!

...Kit