In an effort to attract families, this park features both a carousel, visible in the north-west corner of the stadium grounds, and a ferris wheel with ball-shaped cars.

Home to the Tigers, there are feline statues and motifs all over the building, including this 4.5m tall figurehead at the entrance to the stadium, flanked by two giant baseball bats. Note that the struts holding up the name sign are also bat-shaped!

The blue tank in centre field is a large fountain which gives elaborate displays between innings and after every Tiger score. Note the vehicles in each corner – the fountain is usually sponsored by one of the car manufacturers for which Detroit is renowned.

Unlike football stadiums and multi-purpose arenas, which tend to be quite generic, baseball stadiums provide architects and teams with much more freedom to add unique features to try to make their buildings attractive to the ticket-buying public.

A construction boom in the last couple of decades saw a trend towards smaller ‘retro’-styled parks topped off with design elements which range from the whimsical to the spectacular. The first of these was Oriole Park in Baltimore.

The stadium was built on former train yards owned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and is officially called ‘Oriole Park at Camden Yards’. A former B&O building dominates the view from much of the park, and stretches the length of Eutaw Street which is closed on game days, with cheap tickets allowing access to standing areas with a view of the field.

When a home run lands in the street, the spot is marked with a plaque. See if you can also find the two orange seats inside the stadium that mark the locations of famous home runs!

There are two American League stadiums with retractable roofs. In Seattle, the satellite image of Safeco Field¹ shows the 3-section roof open and the infield apparently set up for some kind of corporate function, with tables and chairs and a small stage. When open, the roof is partly cantilevered over the train tracks which run past the stadium. Note that the sponsor’s huge logo is clearly visible whether the roof is open or closed.

Unlike virtually all other domed stadiums, the roof here does not fully enclose the facility to allow heating or cooling, it merely serves to protect it from the frequent rain that occurs in the Pacific Northwest.

Toronto’s variable seasons also make a domed stadium a necessity. With interesting timing, the satellite images caught the Rogers Centre²roof partway through the 20-minute rotational process of opening (or closing), showing the smallest of the segments on the west side of the building.

We also get an unusual perspective on the CN Tower, formerly the world’s tallest building, and one of the earliest sites visited by Google Sightseeing.

In New York, the new Yankee Stadium sits across just to the north of the recently-demolished original 1923 version.

The Street View images in the area allow us to see both stadiums standing side-by-side, and of course you can use Google Earth’s time slider to see how the sites have changed over many years – see prime parkland transformed into sports facility at great expense!

The focus here is on celebrating the game’s traditions, through artwork, monuments and historical items on display. Perhaps these distract game attendees from the exorbitant $2.3billion construction cost and seats which are some of the most expensive in professional sports.

Of particular controversy are those in the ‘Legends Suite’ – several rows behind home plate where seats have ranged in price from $500 to over $2,000! Opening in the midst of an economic crisis, takeup was slow, and the public perception of this zone fenced off from the surrounding fans was quite poor. As a result Yankees games on television often show many of these seats vacant.

Empty seats are also a problem on the other side of the continent where the Oakland Athletics play in a mixed-use stadium that, in 1996, had 10,000 additional seats constructed. This development – nicknamed Mount Davis after the notorious owner of the NFL’s Raiders – is covered during baseball season so that it doesn’t look so bad on television. The huge tarps, with the Athletics’ logo, are visible on Google’s recent 45 degree imagery.

Just to the south-east, in Anaheim, Angel Stadium is also visible in the 45 degree images. It is an older stadium, having opened in 1966. However, since Disney took over the team in 1996 it has been extensively modernised. Many new features have been added, including two large red caps by the main entrance, and an attempt to bring nature to the ballpark, with a rocky waterfall and trees beyond the centre field fence.

The iconic ‘Big A’ is a 70m tall metal structure that used to support the scoreboard inside the stadium. It was moved to the parking lot in the late 1970s. The ‘halo’ lights up whenever the Angels win a game.

To finish, here are a few notes about the other American League Stadiums.

Fenway Park in Boston is the oldest MLB stadium, and is best known for ‘the green monster’ – an 11m high wall in left field, though the satellite image doesn’t do it justice. (We can however see the grounds crew hard at work, and the field being setup for batting practice.) It also has a red seat marking the landing location of the longest home run, though I can’t find it on Google’s images.

In Kansas City, the Royals play in Kauffman Stadium which features a waterfall and acrobatic fountains which play between innings.

Google’s satellite images show players training on the field in Cleveland.

In Texas, Rangers Stadium is the only ballpark that I’ve noticed has its own heliport – just across the road to the west of the building. The exterior wall of the stadium is ringed with beautiful stone carvings, though they’re hard to make out on the first-generation low-res Street View images.

The Tampa Bay Rays play in a domed stadium which is actually in St Petersburg, Florida.

In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Twins play at Target Field, a new stadium not yet shown on the satellite images, though we can see it – and its dedicated transit station – mostly completed on Street View.

Finally, the Chicago White Sox play at US Cellular Field, which has a huge list of attractions – from luxury restaurants to misting rooms to cool off on hot summer days – though none of them are really visible from above.

Every stadium can be explored in more detail in the appropriate team’s section on the MLB site, and Wikipedia has good information as well.

Part two of this series will cover the National League, including a stadium with – would you believe – a swimming pool!

Locations: California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Texas, Washington / Categories: Buildings, Monuments, Stadiums and Sport, Street Views, Structures

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Post Alley happens to be where people queue to get into the Market Theatre and since around 1993 they’ve been sticking their used chewing gum to the wall of the alley. The proprietors of the theatre cleaned the wall a couple of times in the mid-1990s, but eventually they had to give up, and instead decided it should be a tourist attraction, so The Gum Wall was born.

Today there are hundreds of thousands of pieces of brightly coloured gum stuck to the walls of Post Alley, some stuck up to 20 feet high. People visit the wall specifically to add their own pieces of gum, and have taken to forming mini gummy-artworks, or writing their initials. Here we see that the Street View car actually captured a couple of women taking turns chewing and sticking the gum.

Perhaps even more astonishing than the fact that thousands of bits of old, chewed, synthetic rubber stuck to a wall have become an actual tourist destination, is that there’s another one in San Luis Obispo, California: Bubblegum Alley.

In fact, Bubblegum Alley has been around a lot longer – since at least the 1970s, and possibly even earlier. Due to Bubblegum Alley’s age, today the gum almost completely covers the walls on both sides of the 21 metre-long alley.

Google Street View however won’t be visiting Bubblegum Alley in any more detail, at least not until their recording equipment slims down a bit.

All of this oddity makes us wonder, could there be an even more disgusting tourist destination elsewhere in the world?

More on The Gum Wall and Bubblegum Alley at Wikipedia.

Locations: California, Washington / Categories: Street Views

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Each arm of the structures is 4km in length, making them longer than the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre we visited some time ago here on Google Sightseeing, which is the longest building in the United States. However, the LIGO structures appear to be low concrete tunnels, so aren’t officially buildings.

The observatories are an attempt to detect cosmic gravitational waves, the existence of which was predicted by Einstein in 1916. Almost 100 years later, scientists are still searching for direct evidence of these waves which are thought to originate from supernovas and other astrophysical events.

The science involved is far beyond the comprehension of this writer (who failed high school physics) but here’s what I can figure out. Lasers housed in the main building at each complex (Livingston, Hanford) pass through ultra high vacuums housed in each of the tunnel arms and bounce back-and-forth on mirrors at the end of each arm a number of times.

Along the way they pass through interferometers before returning to the main building. If a gravitational wave happens to hit the Earth during this process, the laser beams will be out of step with each other, allowing the wave to be measured. The 3,002km distance between the observatories is equivalent to 10 milliseconds at the speed of light, which would allow triangulation of the source of any waves detected.

However, the measurements involved are so incredibly minuscule that the one of the main challenges faced by the scientists is learning how to distinguish actual wave measurements from random movements in the mirrors caused by minor earth tremors, vehicles on nearby roads, or (one assumes) something as simple as a mouse running over the concrete tube.

I’m totally out of my depth once I start reading about alteration of space-time, cosmic strings and other wonders, so if you want to learn more, Wikipedia is a good place to start, while the official LIGO site has options ‘for scientists’ and ‘for all’. There’s also an introductory video on Youtube.

Thanks to punk floyd, Joel Koerwer, Nicolas Ward and Rich Holmes.

Locations: Louisiana, Washington / Categories: Buildings, Structures, Weirdness

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An exclave is defined as “a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.” Practically speaking, it is a portion of one territory that cannot be reached by land without first passing through another.

There are several examples of exclaves in the United States. One of the best known (and previously documented on GSS) is Point Roberts, Washington, an area of the state that can only be reached by first travelling through British Columbia, Canada.

The exclave of Point Roberts was created by the 1846 Oregon Treaty, which set the boundary between the United States and British North America at the 49th parallel north — with one exception. Due to various mapping mistakes and confusion over the location of the headwaters of the Mississippi River, the U.S.-Canada border juts northward to include a chunk of land lying north of the 49th parallel. This area, now part of the state of Minnesota, is known as the Northwest Angle.

The Angle (as it’s known by locals) can only be reached via a single gravel road through Manitoba, and visitors clear Customs in both directions via videophone in a small unmanned hut. The total population of the remote, 300 square km (116 square mile) township is 152, and it boasts the only remaining one-room school house in the state.

Just below the 49th parallel, and also cut off from the mainland of the U.S., is Elm Point, Minnesota. Elm Point is remote, uninhabited and roadless, yet satellite imagery appears to show a line cut through the forest at the U.S.-Canada border, presumably for clear sight lines along the border. Who would see any illegal activity along those sight lines is an unanswered question.

Alburgh, Vermont is a pene-exclave of the United States. Now before our dear readers crash the GSS servers thinking a pene-exclave is some sort of French rudeness, a bit of definition: a pene-exclave is an exclave for practical purposes, without meeting the strict definition of an exclave. In the case of Alburgh, the town lies on a peninsula connected to Canada (like Point Roberts and the Northwest Angle) but is linked to the rest of Vermont and neighbouring New York via bridges. These bridges serve as the only road route across Lake Champlain.

Among state borders within the U.S., many exclaves have been created over time by the meandering of flooded rivers. In these cases, legal boundaries remain in force, even though river courses render some areas cut off from the rest of their respective states. Among the most prominent examples are the Kentucky Bend and Carter Lake, Iowa.

The Kentucky Bend is an area of Kentucky that is completely surrounded by the states of Missouri and Tennessee. The Mississippi River passes over a geological fault in this area, and The Bend was formed by a shift in the course of the Mississippi River after an earthquake in 1812. A later surveying mistake (again with surveying mistakes?) while setting the Kentucky-Tennessee border created the division. The 44 square km (17 square mile) area is home to just 17 people. No bridges connect The Bend with the rest of Kentucky, and if you wish to send mail to someone in The Bend, his official postal address is (confusingly) in Tiptonville, Tennessee.

Finally, Carter Lake, Iowa is the only city in Iowa that lies west of the Missouri River. It is completely surrounded by Omaha, Nebraska, and was formed by a flood that straightened the course of the river in 1877. After a set of legal disputes Carter Lake was determined to be part of Iowa, and later became a recreational hot spot, offering casino gambling even though the rest of surrounding Nebraska outlaws it. The town’s utility services come from Nebraska, while children attend school across the Missouri River in Iowa. Travellers in Omaha driving to the city’s airport pass through Carter Lake¹, where signs reading “Welcome to Iowa” confuse many panicked out-of-state visitors.

You can read more about the Northwest Angle, Elm Point, Alburgh, the Kentucky Bend, and Carter Lake (along with a huge worldwide list of exclaves and enclaves) at Wikipedia.

Locations: Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Vermont, Washington / Categories: Natural Landmarks

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Unlike in Up however, the real life properties that find themselves in this situation don’t just float away, and their refusal to be moved has earned them the moniker of Nail Houses.

Edith Macefield moved into her home in Seattle in 1966, and in recent years turned down many increasingly large offers from developers looking to build on her land. In the end the developers decided to build the complex anyway, leaving her home boxed in on three sides. In the Street View images we can see the construction underway all around her little home, with her distinctive blue car parked outside visible even from satellite.

Edith sadly died in June last year, but since then her home was actually used as part of a publicity stunt promoting Pixar’s movie, and remains for the moment, as a reminder of what can be achieved by refusing to be steamrolled.

In Washington D.C., a Mr. Austin Spriggs reportedly turned down an offer of 3 million dollars for his property as it was directly in the way of a massive new development. Mr. Spriggs was apparently seeking a loan to open up a pizza restaurant on the premises, but when the Street View car passed, this was clearly still some way from becoming a reality.

It turns out that there are people all over the place who have decided, for the sake of pride, morals, or plain stubbornness, to remain in their homes no matter what. Here’s the home of a man who lives in the car park of the St. Alexius hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota. I wonder if he gets free parking?

Not even the biggest of companies can always get their own way either. At Microsoft’s Redmond West campus there’s one solitary private property, which was apparently left alone under the agreement that the house could stay there until the present owners died.

The phenomenon of “homeowner holdout” isn’t just constrained to private homes either. At Tokyo’s Narita Airport, the proposed layout of the tarmac was completely ruined by several farmers, who steadfastly refused to sell their land to the airport. You can see how the runways weave around the various farms that get in their way, as well as being split into tiny, useless segments by other bits of farmland.

I’m sure that this post only scratches the surface of this topic, so do you know of any nail houses in your area, and what’s the story behind them?

Wikipedia has more info on Nail Houses, and we wrote a story in 2006 about The Man Who Lives in the Middle of the M62. Thanks to Boing Boing and Deputy Dog.

Locations: District of Columbia, Japan, North Dakota, Washington / Categories: Abandoned, Buildings

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An unforeseen side-effect of the 1846 Oregon Treaty, life in this U.S. exclave moves at a much slower pace than on the mainland, but at the cost of some major conveniences. Residents of Point Roberts have to drive over an hour and through two international border crossings just to see a dentist, seek medical attention, or even go to school past the 3rd grade!

Located only 30 minutes outside of downtown Vancouver, Point Roberts is also popular with vacationing Canadians for its relatively inexpensive real estate.¹

Despite its isolation from the rest of the country, this bastion of United Statehood actually has its own border crossing (pictured above) and is the self-proclaimed “greatest gated community in the United States”. Though, if you think about it, isn’t it just like a small Alaska?²

There’s more about Point Roberts at Wikipedia.

Thanks to Keith, Didier, Deron Husak, and Peter.

Locations: Washington / Categories: Natural Landmarks

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And they make quite the sight when decorated for Christmas!

A solitary boot of almost the same height can be found in Edmonton, Alberta. Also hard to pick out on the satellite image, Live Maps’ birds eye view is somewhat better.

It’s about 30cm shorter than the pair in San Antonio, but is equally impressive when lit up!

Meanwhile, a 6.5m pair of boots – along with a 13m wide steel cowboy hat – can be found in Oxbow Park in Seattle, Washington … and on Street View and Live Maps.

These structures were relocated from their original gas station location, where the boots contained the bathrooms!

Another location with a larger-than-life cowboy hat is the mini-replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas, barely visible from the nearest Street View image:

The hat was added in 1998 in an effort to one-up the residents of Paris, Tennessee after several back-and-forth attempts to create the largest replica.

And in Yukon, Oklahoma, a beautifully landscaped boot can be found in Chisholm Trail Park – named for the route of a 19th century cattle drive between Texas and Kansas. The decorative landscaping, including fountains in the two small ponds, is even more visible on Live Maps’ birds eye view.

Thanks to ‘Koty’, Ray, . and Felippo.

Locations: Alberta, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington / Categories: Street Views, Structures, Towers

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While there are several claims to be the world’s largest maze, the most legitimate seems to be the Peace Maze, in Northern Ireland – which is officially recognised by the Guinness book as the largest permanent hedge maze in the world.

The path of the Peace Maze is 3.15 kilometres (2 miles) long, and contains many features symbolic of The Troubles; most notably a divide which has to be crossed to get to the end.

There are many non-permanent mazes, often created from corn or other plants. This one outside York claimed to be the largest when it opened with a Star Trek theme in 2006, but in the current view it is somewhat smaller.

At Temple Hall Farm Regional Park near Leesville, Virginia, there’s a maze celebrating 100 years of flight.

Across the country near Olympia, Washington, a TV fan has clearly paid homage to his favourite series by creating this CSI themed maze.

Back in England, we have a Monster Maze at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in North Somerset. Like many maze owners, the people in charge here make grand claims about their maze’s importance – but in truth this is just one of many attractions that claim to be the world’s longest hedge maze.

Finally here in Conholt Park, Wiltshire, we find what might be the most bizarrely shaped maze ever – a giant foot! (Perhaps this is related to the World’s Largest Fingerprint?)

See our Maze category for loads more interesting mazes!

Thanks to Marc Armstrong, DJ Swammi, Kel, Jim Culp, john and Chris Branagan.

Locations: England, Northern Ireland, Virginia, Washington / Categories: Large Type, Mazes

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• The world’s largest Kiwi fruit is in New Zealand of course.

• Middle Earth’s Mount Doom (aka New Zealand’s Mount Ngauruhoe)

• Could this be the world’s largest dog and sheep?

• Looking into the crater of Mt Eden, Auckland.
• From our previous post on Zorbing in NZ, here’s some zorbuses on top of the hill:

Whilst elsewhere in the world we’ve seen:

• The Castlemaine XXXX Factory from the label is now on street view
• It’s alright mate, nobody’s watching you painting that wall
• Jimi Hendrix rocks Seattle
• After a slow morning taking pictures of Florida, the Google Driver skives off
• A caged Polar Bear on the streets of France
• The World’s largest baseball bat outside the Louisville Slugger Museum
• And finally, have you ever wondered what happens when the Street View car gets rained on? Well now you know!

If you’d like more sights like this, then subscribe to our twitter feed!

Locations: Florida, France, New Zealand, Washington / Categories: Street Views

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Usually when someone goes to the effort of creating a personal message this large and detailed it’s to ask for their sweetheart’s hand in marriage, as we’ve seen several times before. In this case however we have a simple dedication of love¹ executed on an impressively grand scale – which tells us that whoever executed this artwork must really ♥ Gina!

So, who is Gina, and is she still with the person who “hearted” her so much?

Thanks to David Leech.

Locations: Washington / Categories: Large Type, Other Vehicles

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