Street View cures the homesick blues
March 19th, 2009 | Published in Google Earth
I moved from Amsterdam to London last year and even though I've enjoyed getting to know London, I can't help feeling a bit homesick sometimes. Which is why I'm really excited that today we're launching Street View for both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom; now I can take a trip down memory lane and explore my new home, even if it's raining. Starting today you'll be able to view 360º street level imagery for Amsterdam, London, Rotterdam, Manchester, Liverpool and several other cities in these countries -- 25 cities in all!
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...or visit my old university in Rotterdam:
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...or even take a look at the bike I left behind:
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Street View will also help me further explore London and other cities in the United Kingdom. I can now better plan my visits to Portobello market in London (so that I don't get lost like last time)...View Larger Map
....try to find the exact spot of a famous zebra crossing:
....show my friends abroad some of London's most famous landmarks (spin around for another view):
....or take a look at historic Oxford:
The great thing about this is that with Google Maps on my mobile I can check Street View when I'm out and about and see exactly what the restaurant I'm supposed to be meeting my friends at looks like.
I'm not the only one who's very excited about Street View's arrival in the Netherlands and the UK; there are quite a few websites which are already (yes, already - it's that easy) using Street View in creative ways. With some help from our friends at fancyapint.com I can use Street View to find the best watering holes in London, and the Tate museum helps me get a better sense of British culture by showing how the world has changed since the likes of J.W. Turner were painting back in the 18th century. Other partners such as the Mayor of London show the highlights of the city, VisitBritain shows me where to go in the United Kingdom, and the Dutch tourist organisation VVV shows me what's what in Holland.
And if somehow this just isn't enough, there is even more! After launching Street View in France, Spain and Italy last year we're also excited to announce that we're adding more cities to Street View in these countries, which means that Google Maps will be even more useful when you next plan a vacation to the south of France, Zaragoza or the Amalfi coast.
If you want to view street level imagery for all these new locations - go to Google Maps and drag the Pegman icon to one of the (many) new cities in Europe. Have fun exploring!