I just can’t get enough of Google Maps satellite view! Everyone I tell about it is consumed with looking up their childhood neighborhoods, their friends’ homes, favorite destinations and the homes of celebrities.
When I told my stockbroker yesterday he admitted it practically shut down the office for the day because they were all having so much fun!
Since Michael Jackson is in the news now, I thought it would be interesting to see if his Neverland Ranch would come up with a detailed satellite view. It’s public knowledge that his address is 5225 Figueroa Mountain Rd, Los Olivos, CA 93441. I keyed that in Google Maps and it didn’t point to exactly the right place. But, I remembered that last month my wife and I, who live an hour north of Los Olivos, took a drive in the country after having lunch in Los Olivos (Patrick’s Side Street Cafe, yum!) and saw throngs of people at a gated entrance on Figueroa Road. We pulled over and asked what they were doing there and they said they were waiting for Michael Jackson to drive in or out (do they need a life or what!). Anyway, I remember what the entrance looked like, and I remember seeing one or two schools bordering (no comment) the property so with some moving around the map a little I was able to find the entrance to his property. I then followed the interior road until I found what looks to be Neverland Ranch: here’s a direct link to the page.
If you follow the road back down in a southwest direction, you’ll see what must be his residence. Now, I’ve never been inside the Ranch (whew), but I’m pretty sure I got all this right. I searched the internet for other aerial images to compare, but surprisingly, I could not find any-proves the value of Google Maps right there.
Google really needs to find a way to monetize the satellite views, as they are going to be very popular. It’s just too much fun. I think I’m going to go check out a new hiking trail right now
Mark Fleming is the founder of a new blog called Google Tutor & Advisor. Google Tutor & Advisor offers in-depth Tips, Techniques and Advice for Google Users.
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