This is pretty awesome: I just discovered that Google Street View cameras, which normally take pictures along roads, have ventured into some of our local bars and restaurants: the Red Derby, Looking Glass Lounge and Red Rocks. The images provide a 360 degree view of the places and look to have been taken early in the day — most of them are fairly empty and very well lit (in fact, that’s the brightest I’ve ever seen the Red Derby.) Like regular Street View, you can click to move around the inside of the buildings or pan around and inspect what’s in there.
I wasn’t able to see the cameras in windows or mirrors, but I assume it was just a guy with some equipment rather than one of Google’s famous Street View cars or some other gizmo.
It’s pretty neat to explore the bars, even though I’ve been to each many times. I haven’t found other spots in the neighborhood with Street View (Wonderland is sadly missing) and the photos stay on the ground floor of each spot. They’re a little older too, the dates for LGL and the Derby say 2010, with no date for Red Rocks.
I think it would be funny if the Street View person hung around at the bars and had a few drinks, maybe some tots at the Derb’ or curly fries at LGL, then took some wobbly photos afterwards.
To see if a place has the “See Inside” feature or not, just look for it on Google Maps and there will be an option along with photos and Street View. The National Cathedral is another great example.
