Googlife... or, "if you worked here, you'd be home now"

I just had the pleasure of spending two days at the famed Googleplex in Silicon Valley (I think it's actually in Mountain View -- place names don't seem to mean much around there) in connection with a meeting of one of my not-for-profit boards. I was only able to visit the "Crittenden campus," which is a fragment of the 'plex. The Google people were lovely hosts and I thank them for their hospitality. No business observations -- that's not the purpose of this blog -- but a few cultural observations:

* All drink is free. When I first walked into the lobby, I saw a huge case full of Naked brand fruit juices. I took a bottle of Power C and asked where I could pay. The receptionist smiled. During the course of my visit, I probably drank $30 worth of bottled water, juices and coffee.

* All food is free. I had a couple of meals in "Cafe 14," which -- like all Google dining facilities -- features organic, predominantly locally-grown and -raised meats and produce. I enjoyed some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes and a nicely-done shrimp and grits, among other samplings. I skipped the famous desserts.

* Just outside the lobby door of each building, there is a rack of bicycles, and you can borrow without permission to ride anywhere else on campus -- and just inside each door, there's a basket of bicycle helmets. There's also a crate of Google umbrellas to borrow in each lobby. And a place to drop off your dry cleaning.

* All toilet seats are heated. They use the Toto system. I will observe that male Googlers appear to like their seats overheated. I hope my downward adjustments did not discomfort those who followed.

* Dogs are everywhere. They seem to create an informal social bond, as just about every time I saw a Googler with a dog, there was another Googler with a dog. I did not see supplies of plastic pick-up bags around, nor did I see any evidence of doggie leavings, so someone is looking after them.

* There is "useful information" everywhere you turn. While testing the afore-mentioned toilet seats, I found I could read one-page "Learning in the Loo" memos on the wall of the stall -- during my visit, I learned about alternatives to taking meetings (conference calls, webinars, etc.). There were one-pagers on HR practices on the cafeteria tables. There were bulletin boards everywhere. I could hardly find time to look down at my Blackberry.

* It appears that if you stand in one place in the Googleplex, many fascinating people will walk by you. An Eastern European prime minister was on campus while I was there. So too was a who's who of thought leaders for the Google Zeitgeist event, where they ponder where the Web -- and technology in general (e.g., energy) -- are going next.

* A final note: Other than fellow visitors, I saw almost no one else my age on campus. "My age" means anyone who actually saw the Beatles live on The Ed Sullivan Show. I'm sure there are some around the Googleplex -- so I look forward to a return visit where I can join them in Cafe 14 (or one of the 15 others, if my count is correct) for some locally-raised boneless pork chops with organic red cabbage and all the Honest Tea I can drink.