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Introducing a collection of favorite places from around the world
July 15, 2009
We on the Google Maps team are committed to organizing all the local places and businesses that can be found online, from a
design shop
in New York City, to an
architectural bookstore
in San Francisco, to a
cabaret
in London. To show you the range of all this interesting local information, we've teamed up with local experts around the world to share some of their favorite places.
Culinary expert and chef Alice Waters has shared
her favorite places
for organic and sustainable food in San Francisco and the Bay Area, including places like
Blue Bottle Cafe
, whose coffee Alice serves at
Chez Panisse
in Berkeley, and
Bi-Rite Creamery
, where you can find salted caramel ice cream.
Iwona Blazwick, director of the
Whitechapel Gallery
in London, has shared
her favorite places
to experience art in London, from the
Tate Modern
for contemporary art to
Curzon Soho cinema
, where you can catch the latest independent film releases.
Vladimir Spivakov, artistic director and principal conductor of the State chamber orchestra Moscow Virtuosi and the National Philharmonic of Russia, has shared
his favorite places
to hear and appreciate theater and music in Moscow, from the
Moscow Conservatory
, where he studied, to the historic
Maly Theater
, the oldest theater in Moscow.
With this project we also hope to send a friendly message to local businesses — people are looking online for local information, and you should be here. Timothy Childs, Founder and Chief Chocolate Officer of
TCHO
in San Francisco, shares his perspective on using online tools to build and grow:
"TCHO is all about using appropriate technology, to make high quality chocolate and experiences for our customers. As our start-up moves to early growth stage, we are now using tools like Google Maps and the Local Business Center to reach customers and to continue building our business."
It's
estimated
that 80% of U.S. Internet users use web search to find restaurants, stores and other local businesses, and yet only about half of local businesses currently have a website. By working with local experts to highlight the power of the web, we're encouraging local business owners to build out their online presence. If you're a business owner looking to get online, have a look at the
Google Local Business Center
.
To browse the full collection of favorite local businesses and places, visit
google.com/favoriteplaces
or
m.google.com/fav
from your phone's browser.
Special thanks to all the participants and partners around the world who helped to make this project possible, including United Airlines, NYC & Company, Time Out and Le Figaro.
Posted by Michaela Prescott and Katie Mandel, Product Marketing, Google Maps
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