# Google Maps finds **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 5, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022 "2019-02-05T19:32:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/21 "2019-02-07T08:57:33Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > A while ago I was searching around Florida before a trip down there and randomly found in the Pinecastle Bombing Range somebody with probably too much free time on their hands, presumably “Fred,” had used shipping containers and vehicles to spell out their name: [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/@29.1178364,-81.7171238,767m/data=!3m1!1e3) If you scroll north a bit, in the large, circular area, they’ve also spelled out "USN’ > [@X.L.Lent](#): > > Here’s one more: > A monument with the outline of the Hindenburg located on the exact spot where the crash occurred on May 6, 1937: > [https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0303292,-74.325724,72m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en](https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0303292,-74.325724,72m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en) Fixed link: [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0303292,-74.325724,72m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en) I’ve been there. I’m not sure what the outline on the ground represents, but it’s much smaller than the actual airship. Scroll out a bit and look for two large building to the west. Those are the hangars, one airship each. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/22 "2019-02-07T14:31:52Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > If you scroll north a bit, in the large, circular area, they’ve also spelled out "USN’ > > Fixed link: [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0303292,-74.325724,72m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en) > > I’ve been there. I’m not sure what the outline on the ground represents, but it’s much smaller than the actual airship. Scroll out a bit and look for two large building to the west. Those are the hangars, one airship each. It’s just a memorial from what I can tell. > **[Hindenburg Crash Site](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hindenburg-crash-site)** > > The site of one of history's most indelible and horrific tragedies. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/23 "2019-02-07T15:42:23Z")
> [@X.L.Lent](#): > > This odd maze of railroad track is used to turn locomotives around at the end of the line to Carbonia, on the island of Sardinia: > [https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1672502,8.5108971,240m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en](https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1672502,8.5108971,240m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en) > > Here is a video of a locomotive using this track: > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBhtgXjzxZo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBhtgXjzxZo) That’s pretty cool! A 3-point turn for a train engine. If my wife was driving that train, they’d have to add a few more points. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/24 "2019-02-07T16:30:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > It’s just a memorial from what I can tell. > > [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hindenburg-crash-site](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hindenburg-crash-site) Incidentally, Atlas Obscura is _the_ site for finding these sort of neat gems. I’ll sometimes pull up Google Earth, then open a browser window and go to Atlas Obscura and start exploring. It’s kind of like Wikipedia: it’s easy to follow different links and tags, and get lost in some very cool stories about arcane bits of forgotten history and locations. They usually have an address, map, and / or coordinates so you can go to Google Earth and find them on your own. It’s a wonderful way to blow an afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/25 "2019-02-07T19:42:10Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Incidentally, Atlas Obscura is _the_ site for finding these sort of neat gems. I’ll sometimes pull up Google Earth, then open a browser window and go to Atlas Obscura and start exploring. It’s kind of like Wikipedia: it’s easy to follow different links and tags, and get lost in some very cool stories about arcane bits of forgotten history and locations. They usually have an address, map, and / or coordinates so you can go to Google Earth and find them on your own. > > It’s a wonderful way to blow an afternoon. There’s also a map site that I can’t remember the name of to save my life that is sort of similar- you basically pull up the site, and it overlays all sorts of historical stuff on top of Google Maps. I was looking at the area outside Ypres on the site back in 2014, and they had pretty much every WWI site labeled on the map- it was very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/26 "2019-02-07T20:27:13Z")
I watch a youtube channel where a couple likes to show you walks and restaurants near their apartment in a large city. Over the last year or so, hints that they’ve dropped (despite warnings in the comments from viewers), plus local businesses and other clues you can see in their videos have enabled me to pinpoint their apartment building. This is because I’m nosy, a street view addict, and apparently have too much time on my hands. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/27 "2019-02-08T02:22:56Z")
> [@X.L.Lent](#): > > This odd maze of railroad track is used to turn locomotives around at the end of the line to Carbonia, on the island of Sardinia: > [https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1672502,8.5108971,240m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en](https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1672502,8.5108971,240m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en) Have you noticed that odd traffic circle southwest of here, just across that field with all the dirt paths. Those three parallel roads could have just as easily could have one. And then there’s that business with the second traffic circle to the southeast of there, near that loopy paved path that goes nowhere. I’d like to know the story behind this strangeness. Are Italians really adverse to intersections or did someone on the street planning commission owe a big favor to a road building contractor? Yeah, they could be planning on developing the area and putting in a bunch more stores and such, but I dunno. Still seems odd to me. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/28 "2019-02-08T02:27:10Z")
The “satellite” view has since been updated, but a few years ago my sister told me to go look at the overhead view on Google Maps of the old country church/cemetery a mile from where we grew up. As you zoomed in, you could see that there was a funeral and burial in progress. She then told me to look at the date. It was my brother’s funeral. That car on the end was my car. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/29 "2019-02-08T02:32:40Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > The “satellite” view has since been updated, but a few years ago my sister told me to go look at the overhead view on Google Maps of the old country church/cemetery a mile from where we grew up. As you zoomed in, you could see that there was a funeral and burial in progress. She then told me to look at the date. > > It was my brother’s funeral. That car on the end was my car. Ouch. That’s a real kick in the balls. I did just learn that you can use Google Earth to look at old images, if ever you wanted to relive that moment. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/30 "2019-02-08T03:31:02Z")
An oldie but a goodie, these four buildings each have a 90-degree angle. Nothing strage about that but put them together and… [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Naval+Amphibious+Base+Coronado/@32.676156,-117.157152,296m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80d9532810e696df:0x8377877a0e4f0033!8m2!3d32.6761156!4d-117.1577121?hl=en) ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/31 "2019-02-08T03:41:25Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > An oldie but a goodie, these four buildings each have a 90-degree angle. Nothing strage about that but put them together and… [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Naval+Amphibious+Base+Coronado/@32.676156,-117.157152,296m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80d9532810e696df:0x8377877a0e4f0033!8m2!3d32.6761156!4d-117.1577121?hl=en) Yikes ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/32 "2019-02-08T04:08:26Z")
> [@UCBearcats](#): > > Yikes It opens 6:00 a.m. Friday, if anyone’s interested. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/33 "2019-02-08T17:23:53Z")
When I was a kid, there was a schoolyard urban legend that the pond outside an Illinois Department of Transportation building in Springfield was shaped like Illinois. The thing is, that would have been largely impossible to verify at the time - unless you were an IDoT employee, you couldn’t have gotten near it. I-55 runs right alongside, but since the surface of the road is maybe a meter above the surface of the pond, it’s really hard to tell. About all you could have said for certain is that it’s longer that it is wide, not unlike Illinois. Alas, it is not shaped like Illinois. https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.7785203,-89.6051549&z=15&output=embed&dg=ntvb ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/34 "2019-02-08T20:18:13Z")
The “Badlands Guardian”, a face in the clay in Alberta, Canada https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=50.0101305,-110.115585&z=16&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=50%C2%B000%2737.8%22N%2B110%C2%B007%2700.9%22W ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/35 "2019-02-08T20:24:20Z")
[The Luecke farm in SE Texas](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Luecke+Farm/@30.0759072,-97.1543418,6351m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x864486e14ff4a1e7:0x66e073785135de3c!8m2!3d30.0833948!4d-97.1412849?hl=en-NZ). My Google review criticizing the font selection seems to be missing. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/36 "2019-02-08T20:30:08Z")
I have to think this school was shaped like the Millenium Falcon on purpose: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.6389539,-75.5491579&z=16&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=Parkland%2BHigh%2BSchool ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/37 "2019-02-08T20:46:58Z")
Searching my house, from above you can see my dog lying on the back patio, and my wife’s car backing out of the garage. From streetview, our dining room light is on, which means one or the other of us - or both - were likely sitting at the table. Fortunately, you cannot see any more detail inside. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/38 "2019-02-08T20:51:58Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I have to think this school was shaped like the Millenium Falcon on purpose: > > [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Parkland+High+School/@40.6389539,-75.5491579,919m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c4376d80699e0d:0x83acd0264db91b74!8m2!3d40.6389498!4d-75.5469692) I don’t know about that, but I do know that [this similarly shaped amphitheater](https://goo.gl/maps/oFT9zzX9qs42) is shaped like the Grateful Dead’s Steal Your Face skull on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/39 "2019-02-09T08:13:18Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Back to 30 Connaught Avenue. The bus was moving right along. Destroyed a car and pushed it fifteen feet. English journalism gets right to the point, too. “Destroyed” not “Badly damaged” as I believe American journalists would write. I think they mean “destroyed” as we Americans mean “totaled”. ---
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022/40 "2019-02-11T07:38:18Z")
Found another one yesterday. The bottom of the crater of a long dead volcano is filled with sand and has been decorated by the local citizens using rocks. The image can only be seen from the rim of the volcano or from the air. The location is about 15 miles south east of Mexicali, Mexico. [https://www.google.com/maps/@32.4196386,-115.3059462,307m/data=!3m1!1e3](https://www.google.com/maps/@32.4196386,-115.3059462,307m/data=!3m1!1e3) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-finds/829022.md?page=3)