A holiday to Silicon Valley may be a dream come true for Geeks of every age. While an adventure to the birthplace of technology may not be on pretty the identical degree as a spiritual pilgrimage to Jerusalem or Mecca, it’s far a widespread occasion that a Geek will in no way forget.
A sea captain may want to tour and see all the historic lighthouses along the Eastern Seaboard. Kids might don’t forget an experience to Disneyland to be a dream excursion, and other people would be thrilled to spend per week on a tropical island in the Caribbean. While Geeks can also visit leisure parks and layout on the beach like their less tech-savvy friends, what they absolutely would love the high-quality is an experience to Silicon Valley.
Not all of the brand new modern generation takes location in California’s Silicon Valley, but it’s for the home of era giants like Apple, Google, and Hewlett-Packard. Silicon Valley is packed with challenge capitalists trying to fund the following Google or Facebook. Silicon Valley will continually be the heart of the enterprise.
If you need to get a primary-hand to look at the earliest stages of the digital age through the cutting-edge traits in our virtual global, there’s no higher area to take a holiday than Silicon Valley. So % your bags and pop out to see wherein technology commenced, in which it’s far today, and in which era may match inside the destiny.
Computer History Museum
Upholding the honorary identity of Geek makes it nearly mandatory that a part of your excursion of Silicon Valley includes a visit to the Computer History Museum. Home to the largest series of pc-associated artifacts in the international, it’s far pretty tremendous to journey via time and see how some distance era has come from the early days. Even though you may now not have been born lower back in 1956, you will admire the contribution that IBM made to the facts storage era by changing the punched cards with the primary disk drives.
Your time within the museum might be like taking a walk through time. As you make your way from exhibit to showcase, you will see the step-with the aid of-step advances in technology in what is a distinctly brief period of time. From the first microchip to the advent of Atari’s Pong game, you may circulate forward in time to peer the Apple computer’s introduction and the IBM non-public pc.
Moving forward, your tour will feature the present-day Internet and permit you to see how computer systems have constantly modified to keep up with the instances. Explore the entirety and when you are accomplished, forestall via the present save and pick out up a souvenir for yourself and maybe a gift for one in every one of your geeky friends.
HP Garage
Close to the Palo Alto campus of Stanford University, a small, quiet community, stands a structure of first-rate ancient importance. In 1938, Stanford classmates Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard rented out the 12×18-foot modest area and started a commercial enterprise. The detached garage served as a studies lab, workshop, and manufacturing facility for many primary Hewlett-Packard products.
In 1989, the storage became officially committed because of the Birthplace of Silicon Valley. In 2007 it became listed inside the National Register of Historic Places. HP purchased and restored the Garage and adjacent home to its original 1938 appearance. Geeks and plain vintage interest seekers are welcome to view this historical website online from the sidewalk but are not authorized at the non-public property. You are welcome to return by and snap some pics, but please recognize the neighbors’ privacy.
Original Apple Store
Take out your phone and use your GPS to discover the shortest direction to Apple’s company headquarters in Cupertino. The organization keep is open to the general public. However, it isn’t just like the local Apple shop you might have visited in your private home metropolis. They do not sell iPhones or computer systems at this store, but it’s far the only region you may buy a genuine Apple emblem t-shirt, cap, or other add-ons.
Google Garage
Garages should preserve a special vicinity in the hearts of all those who aspire to emerge as the following well-known Geek in Silicon Valley. Today there are, in all likelihood, loads of tech-savvy young adults running in their garages to provide you with the subsequent great product so one can change the panorama in the Silicon Valley. If you had been interested in the HP Garage, you’d additionally be interested in seeing the Google Garage. It was 1998 whilst Stanford grad college students Larry Page and Sergey Brin came up with the arena’s maximum famous seek engine and housed their start-up enterprise within the domestic of Susan Wojcicki’s Menlo Park garage. If you’re a Geek, come and gawk at the authentic organization home of the Internet’s maximum influential employer.
Weird stuff Warehouse
If you need something laptop or tech-associated, you’ll likely discover it on this 10,000 rectangular foot shop. You can discover almost something from cables, printers, and software program to artistic mouse pads and vintage elements on your vintage pc.
Google’s Android Statues
Standing proudly out of doors of Building 44 at Google’s company headquarters is a collection of iconic figures. Each plastic Android statue has a code name based on a new edition of the popular cell working machine. See the latest Android – KitKat, which joins Cupcake, Gingerbread Man, and the others.
Intel Museum
Although that is a small museum, it consists of Intel’s complete tale and its history of creating the brain of the personal laptop. Plan on spending more than one hour and bring the youngsters alongside because they will love the various interactive famous. This is a fun and academic enjoyment that should no longer be missed, and admission is free!
If you have a 401-K plan or make investments inside the inventory market, you likely very own a number of those high-tech companies. If you very own a proportion of Apple, Google or Facebook, and are in the town at the proper time of the yr, you could attend the yearly shareholder meeting. What a treat it would be for any Geek to peer Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) or Tim Cook (Apple) and maybe even ask them a question.
Silicon Valley is amazing for Geeks of all ages. While it’s miles an actual vicinity with real difficult-running human beings, you will sense like you’re in an enchanted land. Visit the tech sites, stop by using Stanford University, have lunch at an excellent restaurant, and take a touch time to let the elegance of this location take your breathe away.
