Silicon Valley

stepper77 · #1 Posted **Jun 15, 2012, 9:01 PM**

With friends who work at Netflix, Lockheed Martin, Google, and Nvidia, I had an idea to do a photo tour of tech headquarters in the Silicon Valley.
Unfortunately, the majority of them are in sprawly office parks which are difficult to photograph and not terribly interesting.
So, instead, I decided to incorporate that idea in a broader tour of the cities of Santa Clara County, at over 1.7 million people, the Bay Area's most populous.
These are primarily the downtown regions of these cities which range from manufactured (Cupertino) to vibrant (Palo Alto) to unexpected (Campbell),
and will be interjected with some of our well known tech company headquarters or campuses. I will have a separate San Jose thread. I hope you enjoy.

How about let's start with a major tech failure: Kato Drive, Fremont, Alameda County.

Oops...

Western Digital, Osgood Rd, Fremont

Milpitas - pop 66,790

This overpass does an effective job of cutting off "downtown" Milpitas from anything else

I'm not sure if this medical campus brings people during the week

This library was all that was bringing any life to downtown during the weekend

Driving down Main Street towards the Great Mall

Great Mall VTA Light Rail Station

SanDisk

One of the Cisco Systems buildings which, technically headquartered in San Jose, sprawls through eastern San Jose and western Milpitas

Let's head across the Valley and up the Peninsula to Facebook's new headquarters in Menlo Park

Facebook recently took over the old Sun Microsystems office park and...where is the thumbs down?

Menlo Park, San Mateo County - pop 32,026

Caltrain tracks

One of my favorites...the original Rountable Pizza

Palo Alto - pop 64,403

Though the manufacturing plant is in Fremont, Tesla Motors' corporate headquarters is on Deer Creek Rd, Palo Alto

HP Headquarters

Palo Alto's most famous entity and largest employer - Stanford University

Let's head up for a view

Looking south towards Mountain View and San Jose

Looking north towards the church

Downtown Palo Alto in the distance

Los Altos - pop 28,976 - where the Steve Jobs movie with Ashton Kutcher is now filming

Mountain View - pop 74,066

Castro Street downtown

A friend of mine works as a Planner for the City of Mountain View and this, along with several other old homes, are being knocked down for new development

Downtown Mountain View's train station is multi-modal with both VTA Light Rail and Caltrain

One of my good friends works for Google and you can't even imagine the amount of free perks they get including free gourmet cafes and restaurant across its sprawling campus,
volleyball courts, gyms, rock climbing wall, massage, yoga, hair salon, nap room, an interactive Google Earth room, free shuttles as far as San Francisco and Danville...

...and free bicyles to ride round campus

Evernote, West Evelyn Ave, Mountain View

Intuit, Marine/Coast, Mountain View

LinkedIn, Stierlin Ct, Mountain View

Symantec, Mountain View

Moffett Airfield, Mountain View

Juniper Networks, Enterprise Way, Sunnyvale

New construction on Innovation Way

Lockheed Martin, Enterprise Way Entrance, Sunnyvale

Lockheed Martin VTA Station, N Mathilda Avenue, Sunnyvale

Yahoo, N Mathilda Ave, Sunnyvale

AMD, AMD Place, Sunnyvale

NetApp, E Java Place, Sunnyvale

Entering Santa Clara

McAfee, Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara

My apartment complex management is headquartered here...perhaps I can speak to someone up my annual rent increase!

Intel, Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara

NVidia, Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara

Arista Networks/Dell, Great America Parkway, Santa Clara

San Tomas Creek

New Polycom offices

Marvell Technology, Marvell Lane, Santa Clara

Santa Clara, CA - pop 116,468

City Hall complex

Near the old downtown

If only any of this was still here...now it is a courthouse, parking lot and a suburban apartment complex

Santa Clara does have a nice stock of old homes

Residence Hall at Santa Clara University

Mission Santa Clara on the SCU campus

Sunnyvale - pop 140,095

Downtown Sunnyvale is under remodel with new mixed use development, shopping center, and the historic old town near the Sunnyvale Caltrain station

More on the historic Murphy Avenue later...

Saratoga - pop 29,926

Cupertino - pop 58,302

The cousin of an ex of mine used to rent a two bedroom apartment in this community and paid $4500 a month. This was in 2001.

Apple

Wildlife rescue was on the way according to a women in the parking lot who told me she had broken her foot and security had spent several days trying to ensure she was not disturbed.

Netflix, Winchester Circle, Los Gatos

Image Shack, N Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos

Los Gatos - pop 29,413

Gilroy - pop 48,821

An agricultural town in the southernmost part of Santa Clara County, I wouldn't say Gilroy is technically in the Silicon Valley, but, its proximity has certainly transformed the community.
I took these pictures on the way back from LA about a year and a half ago and I thought I would include them.

Campbell - pop 39,349

VTA Light Rail tracks

Back to Sunnyvale...

The End
_________________________________________________
Tour of California 1: Los Angeles, 2: Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, 3: Riverside, Santa Ana, Long Beach, 4: San Jose, 5: San Diego, 6: Fresno, 7: Stockton, Modesto, 8: Gold Country, 9: Eureka, Arcata, 10: Monterey, Carmel, 11: Santa Cruz, 12: Sacramento Pt One, 13: Sacramento Pt Two, 14: Roseville & Folsom, 15: Concord & Walnut Creek, 16: Tri-Valley, 17: Berkeley, Emeryville, 18: Fremont, 19: Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, 20: Redwood City, Foster City, San Mateo, 21: Oakland, 22: Benicia, Vallejo, 23: Napa, St. Helena, 24: Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, 25: San Rafael, 26: Larkspur, Mill Valley, 27: Sausalito, Tiburon, 28: Hollister, San Juan Bautista, 29: Long Beach 2008, 30: Venice, 31: Santa Monica, 32: Sacramento Pt 3, 33: Solvang, 34: Alameda, 35: Knights Ferry, 36: California Zephyr, 37: Colfax, 38: Davis, 39: Oakdale, 40: San Francisco Pt 1, San Francisco Pt 2, 41: Chico, Redding, 42: Kings Beach, 43: Merced, 44: Gold Country pt 2, 45: Gold Country pt 3, 46: Sonora, 47: Vacaville, Fairfield, Suisun City, 48: Orange, Fullerton, 49: Anaheim, Irvine, 50: Newport Beach, Laguna Beach,51: San Francisco, Pt 3, 52: Lodi, 53: Martinez, 54: Ft Bragg, Mendocino, 55: San Luis Obispo, 56: Sacramento River Pt 1, 57: Sacramento River Pt 2, 58: Lake Merritt/Oakland, 59: Marysville/Yuba City, 60: Woodland, 61: Beverly Hills"62: Los Angeles, 63: Sacramento, 64: Lakeport, 65: South Lake Tahoe, 66: Salinas, Watsonville, 67: Pacific Grove. 68: Winters/Willows, 69: Red Bluff, 70: Redding, 71: Weaverville, 72: Yreka/Weed/Mt Shasta, 73: Mt. Lassen/Susanville, 74: Quincy, 75: Oroville, 76: Avalon, 77: Mariposa/Yosemite, 78:Markleeville, 79: East Bay (Contra Costa Co), 80: East Bay (Alameda Co), 81: Oakland Revisited

Nineties Flava · #2 Posted **Jun 15, 2012, 9:39 PM**

Wow. This used to be my world... the South Bay/Peninsula is a whole other trip than SF or the East Bay. Thank you for these beautiful shots, you really showed the area's small-towns-in-a-big-place patchwork.

The only nitpick I have is that you left out Redwood City/Shores. You can't spell Silicon Valley without "EA" lol.

peanut gallery · #3 Posted **Jun 15, 2012, 11:57 PM**

Very nicely done, as always! I especially appreciate the shots of Campbell, where I was raised, and Los Gatos and Saratoga, where I also spent considerable time growing up.

You've shown that the South Bay is more than just generic post-war suburbia. It's also loaded with human-scaled historic commercial areas that are surrounded by equally historic and beautiful housing stock. And this thread doesn't even include some of the best examples of this, like Willow Glen and the Rose Garden, which I assume will be in your SJ thread.

destroycreate · #4 Posted **Jun 16, 2012, 2:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

You've shown that the South Bay is more than just generic post-war suburbia. It's also loaded with human-scaled historic commercial areas that are surrounded by equally historic and beautiful housing stock. And this thread doesn't even include some of the best examples of this, like Willow Glen and the Rose Garden, which I assume will be in your SJ thread.

Why do people have this perception that all of South Bay is just sprawl? There are clearly lots of semi-urban, walkable areas...much more so than most American metropolotain areas.

I really loved Palo Alto, but I think I need to visit Los Gatos - it looks amazing!

The one really bad aspect about the Bay Area is that places like Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, etc., have these commercial centers but there is virtually no nightlife or appeal for young professionals. Everything in that regard revolves around San Francisco. Therefore, if you have to take a job in South Bay, you're really missing out on the action which is occuring in SF. This sucks because let's face it, it's not a quick drive from these places to SF...taking traffic and all that hassle into consideration. That's why I'd be very reluctant to move down there - everywhere outside of SF feels very fragmented and isolated, yet everything still revolves around SF at the same time...

fflint · #5 Posted **Jun 16, 2012, 6:26 AM**

I grew up in this house. It looks horrible.

My parents painted the house those colors in 1980--literally those colors--and it hasn't been painted since. Nor has there been any other maintenance, as evident with the sagging porches and front bay. The family who bought this from us has clearly failed to maintain the place, with the exception of the garage. The original 1920s garage collapsed in the 1989 earthquake and this is the new structure. I assume somebody lives up top there. On the right side of the main house, barely visible on the second floor from this vantage, is a huge round window, which was my bedroom. The house was built in 1886 by one Daniel Moody, who gave his name to a street further up the Penninsula.

The current owners invited me in a few years back, and it's a little better inside--but they still have some of the custom furniture my family put in. To be fair, a seven-sided family room is a bit of a challenge in terms of furniture--but seriously, the place needs a full makeover. The other day I was thinking of offering to buy the place just so I can refurbish it, just for sentimental value.

Austinlee · #6 Posted **Jun 16, 2012, 11:06 AM**

^Wow. interesting. That house has tons of character.

Great thread. Most of the corporate HQ's are underwhelming; The Googleplex of course must be awesome though.

Good tour.

BrianSac · #7 Posted **Jun 16, 2012, 12:48 PM**

Excellent Job Stepper77!

When people complain about the South Bay, I shake my head thinking what the hell are they talking about. I love San Jose and the South Bay. My best friend grew-up in Santa Clara and lives in San Jose now and I have relatives in the Los Altos Hills. I always enjoy my visits.

SLO · #8 Posted **Jun 16, 2012, 3:23 PM**

Great job. All these towns are very under rated. Of course its a world unto itself, the entry price is very high.
Excellent tour....

stepper77 · #9 Posted **Jun 18, 2012, 12:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nineties Flava

Wow. This used to be my world... the South Bay/Peninsula is a whole other trip than SF or the East Bay. Thank you for these beautiful shots, you really showed the area's small-towns-in-a-big-place patchwork.

The only nitpick I have is that you left out Redwood City/Shores. You can't spell Silicon Valley without "EA" lol.

I agree with you. But, I tried to keep myself confined to Santa Clara County even if I spilled over a little bit. I did a thread several years ago on some Peninsula towns taking Caltrain, although I did not get the EA headquarters then either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

Very nicely done, as always! I especially appreciate the shots of Campbell, where I was raised, and Los Gatos and Saratoga, where I also spent considerable time growing up.

You've shown that the South Bay is more than just generic post-war suburbia. It's also loaded with human-scaled historic commercial areas that are surrounded by equally historic and beautiful housing stock. And this thread doesn't even include some of the best examples of this, like Willow Glen and the Rose Garden, which I assume will be in your SJ thread.

With the exception of San Jose, Mountain View and Palo Alto, I myself never really knew how much was hidden in the sprawl until I met my current group of friends who all live in the area. They definitely gave me a greater exposure and opportunity to explore the area. Granted, you do still have to hunt for these neighborhoods amongst the suburban blandness, but, you are rewarded when you find them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by destroycreate

Why do people have this perception that all of South Bay is just sprawl? There are clearly lots of semi-urban, walkable areas...much more so than most American metropolotain areas.

I really loved Palo Alto, but I think I need to visit Los Gatos - it looks amazing!

The one really bad aspect about the Bay Area is that places like Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, etc., have these commercial centers but there is virtually no nightlife or appeal for young professionals. Everything in that regard revolves around San Francisco. Therefore, if you have to take a job in South Bay, you're really missing out on the action which is occuring in SF. This sucks because let's face it, it's not a quick drive from these places to SF...taking traffic and all that hassle into consideration. That's why I'd be very reluctant to move down there - everywhere outside of SF feels very fragmented and isolated, yet everything still revolves around SF at the same time...

I agree about the nightlife. Admittedly, there are a lot of great walkable downtowns and restaurants, but, more often than not I catch my friends either going to dinner (again) at Santana Row or driving up to the city.

Even more me passing through the Silicon Valley was mostly on the freeway or near to, so, some of these nice, historic, walkable district can remain hidden until a local shows or takes you there. Or a chance discovery when you're lost like when I came across downtown Campbell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fflint

I grew up in this house. It looks horrible.

My parents painted the house those colors in 1980--literally those colors--and it hasn't been painted since. Nor has there been any other maintenance, as evident with the sagging porches and front bay. The family who bought this from us has clearly failed to maintain the place, with the exception of the garage. The original 1920s garage collapsed in the 1989 earthquake and this is the new structure. I assume somebody lives up top there. On the right side of the main house, barely visible on the second floor from this vantage, is a huge round window, which was my bedroom. The house was built in 1886 by one Daniel Moody, who gave his name to a street further up the Penninsula.

The current owners invited me in a few years back, and it's a little better inside--but they still have some of the custom furniture my family put in. To be fair, a seven-sided family room is a bit of a challenge in terms of furniture--but seriously, the place needs a full makeover. The other day I was thinking of offering to buy the place just so I can refurbish it, just for sentimental value.

I took this photo in particular because of the sad disrepair. How crazy you have such an intimate history with this place. I always wonder how people can own something this beautiful and not keep it up. You should buy it and bring it back!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinlee

^Wow. interesting. That house has tons of character.

Great thread. Most of the corporate HQ's are underwhelming; The Googleplex of course must be awesome though.

Good tour.

Yes, my friend who works there couldn't stop talking about all the amazingness of the Googleplex for like six months. Unfortunately, he is a "independent contractor" there, so, he can't invite guests. Only permanent employees can bring outsiders for a visit. I keep harassing him to get on permanent so I can see the Google Earth room!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianSac

Excellent Job Stepper77!

When people complain about the South Bay, I shake my head thinking what the hell are they talking about. I love San Jose and the South Bay. My best friend grew-up in Santa Clara and lives in San Jose now and I have relatives in the Los Altos Hills. I always enjoy my visits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLO

Great job. All these towns are very under rated. Of course its a world unto itself, the entry price is very high.
Excellent tour....

Thanks for the comments. A whole other world compared to the likes of San Francisco, Oakland, or Berkeley, but, nonetheless, these towns are definitely in need of their time in the spotlight.

tdawg · #10 Posted **Jun 18, 2012, 1:32 AM**

Fantastic and eye opening tour. There are some really charming neighborhoods and great architecture in SV.

xzmattzx · #11 Posted **Jun 18, 2012, 3:21 AM**

Nice pictures. It's interesting to see the headquarters for so many tech companies. Maybe the campus-like settings or architecture is boring to some, but it's different in a way and therefore interesting to me.

We have a Mary Queen of Peace statue just like the one in Santa Clara here in New Castle. It's the first thing that you see when you enter Delaware from New Jersey. Here it is from Bing Maps: http://binged.it/M5U3bW

I'll show you a picture of our statue later on when I have time. I want to see if they are exact matches.

ColDayMan · #12 Posted **Jun 18, 2012, 3:49 AM**

Awesome tour!

mhays · #13 Posted **Jun 18, 2012, 4:37 AM**

That's a great look at a lot of nice main streets. That's money.

Of course I wonder whether any of the big tech firms have offices next door to the main streets, which don't seem to have density. Nimbyism run amok?

mello · #14 Posted **Jun 18, 2012, 5:04 AM**

Crazy that you got fflint's childhood pad. Great tour of techville, the economic engine of the nation.

stepper77 · #15 Posted **Jun 22, 2012, 4:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Nice pictures. It's interesting to see the headquarters for so many tech companies. Maybe the campus-like settings or architecture is boring to some, but it's different in a way and therefore interesting to me.

We have a Mary Queen of Peace statue just like the one in Santa Clara here in New Castle. It's the first thing that you see when you enter Delaware from New Jersey. Here it is from Bing Maps: http://binged.it/M5U3bW

I'll show you a picture of our statue later on when I have time. I want to see if they are exact matches.

Funny you have a similar statue in your area. I'd be curious to see her. From what I saw on Google, the New Castle one is the exact same pose but the face and hair are different. I always thought our statue has a Maggie Smith look to her face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

That's a great look at a lot of nice main streets. That's money.

Of course I wonder whether any of the big tech firms have offices next door to the main streets, which don't seem to have density. Nimbyism run amok?

True enough about the locations. Sprawling campuses don't really fit well in the downtown I guess. Some of the smaller companies like Image Shack and Evernote are on or near the main downtown road. The biggest company I can think of that "braves" the downtown streets would be Adobe in San Jose. I wish more of them did. I could only image with the money Google makes what their "signature tower" would look like.

mhays · #16 Posted **Jun 22, 2012, 6:25 AM**

I'm not talking sprawling campuses. Why aren't office developers putting in offices in urban formats in some of these places? This is common in some regions. Adobe and Google (to use yoru examples) have urban office buildings (short but urban) in the Seattle area (Google also has sprawly ones) and they certainly could in the SF area too.

rocketman_95046 · #17 Posted **Jun 22, 2012, 3:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhays

I'm not talking sprawling campuses. Why aren't office developers putting in offices in urban formats in some of these places? This is common in some regions. Adobe and Google (to use yoru examples) have urban office buildings (short but urban) in the Seattle area (Google also has sprawly ones) and they certainly could in the SF area too.

Most software / ee engineering firms in silicon valley like the large floor-plates of sprawling buildings for collaboration. To have an entire engineering team on one floor is highly desirable. A lot of thought has been put in place on how the cubicle farm functions. Like it or not, Silicon Valley companies believe that huge floor-plates work better for engineering. Just look at Apple's new HQ proposal. only 4 floors tall, but larger than the pentagon!

rocketman_95046 · #18 Posted **Jun 22, 2012, 3:13 PM**

^ just for reference...

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple...o-2011-12?op=1

http://news.discovery.com/tech/apple...ig-110609.html

http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/13/app...-headquarters/

blade_bltz · #19 Posted **Jun 22, 2012, 4:02 PM**

Best years of my life were spent in this wonderful little bubble (except not so little!).

Never did enjoy going south of Mountain View...but Campbell looks like a place I could be happy in.

mhays · #20 Posted **Jun 22, 2012, 4:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocketman_95046

Most software / ee engineering firms in silicon valley like the large floor-plates of sprawling buildings for collaboration. To have an entire engineering team on one floor is highly desirable. A lot of thought has been put in place on how the cubicle farm functions. Like it or not, Silicon Valley companies believe that huge floor-plates work better for engineering. Just look at Apple's new HQ proposal. only 4 floors tall, but larger than the pentagon!

I find it odd that they all think that way. I get that many or even most would, but all? Further:
--You can have big floorplates in an urban environment.
--Many functions aren't engineering.
--Recruitment is often much easier in an urban environment due to both urban energy / restaurants / transit.

In the Seattle area, Microsoft has over 10,000,000 sf in Redmond and outer Bellevue generally in a "Silicon Valley" denser-suburbia format. They also have 3.5 towers in Downtown Bellevue zero-lot-line highrises. Amazon has nearly 3,000,000 sf on the edge of Downtown Seattle and in highrises in Downtown proper, plus three 500' towers planned to roughly double their space. Expedia is all highrise in Bellevue. Adobe is in the urban/lowrise Fremont district. Google has buildings in suburban Bothell and Kirkland, plus Fremont. Corbis is in an old Seattle highrise. Getty Images is moving to Pioneer Square alongside numerous others. In the litany of tech company leases I've seen (as a contractor who builds such things), most are in Downtown Seattle or Downtown Bellevue. Just this week a couple Redmond tech companies announced moves to 190,000 sf in Downtown Bellevue.