Sunday, June 03, 2007

Google Street View — Loves It!

I've been hearing a lot about this whole debate over the new Street View feature that Google launched last week. If you haven't heard, the new Street View functionality in Google Maps allows you to navigate street-level imagery, even the front of people's houses.

Our old place in San Francisco.
Our old place in San Francisco.

Some have claimed that it's an invasion of privacy. Well I don't know about that. Apparently all the images were taken from public streets. As far as I know, there is no inalienable right to prevent someone from taking a picture of your house from a public street. Besides, it's really a cool feature!

One of the first thigs I looked up was the old San Francisco apartment I used to live in back when I was going to college in the early 90s. I lived there with a pile of other people, including frequent Blog guest stars, Tom & Christine, as well as blog readers Ginger and Melissa.

The big bay window on the right was my old bedroom.
The big bay window on the right was my old bedroom.

It was a great location, just across the street from the Golden Gate Park panhandle. It was close enough to the Haight/Ashbury district ("The Haight" we simply called it) to take advantage of what the neighborhood had to offer, yet was far enough away that you didn’t have panhandlers outside your door 24/7.

This is what I saw when I looked out the window.
This is what I saw when I looked out the window.

Despite a great location, the building itself had many issues. Built in 1910, the plumbing and electrical were far from ideal. I think we had, at most, two electrical outlets in each room (many extension cords had to be used). And don’t’ even get me started on the ventilation! One look at the moldy ceiling above the shower said it all.

Just outside the house, facing West.
Just outside the house, facing West.

At first I lived in a tiny little room just under the stairs, but when one of the other roommates moved out, I took his spot in the front bedroom. That big bay window looked right into my bedroom (it was the ideal place to watch the annual Bay to Breakers marathon, which went directly in front of the house).

Ah the memories. Thanks Google for making the Street View available!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, we did have some great memories in that place!

I like the google street view. I think it's cool to see an address that you are going to, so you know what to look for. Can't wait until it comes to LA!

Melissa said...

You forgot to mention how many times I blew the fuse by drying my hair in the mornings!