Ogling from Afar: Google's in Austin, Ya'll!

Last night (Thursday, October 16) Google threw a housewarming party at their new Austin office on Sixth Street and Congress Avenue. The night before, Google held an open house in the historic Scarbrough building , where attendees feasted on “Hill Country rattlesnake cakes with pistachio nut crust and lobster risotto stuffed mushrooms.” Sadly, we had to rely on the Austin American-Statesman to furnish us with that tidbit of information, since Zilker Ventures was not in attendance at the soiree.“I love good food,” said Zilker Ventures staff member Koby, wistfully.“I do too,” says ZV office manager April.We all do, Google. We all do. So how about you spread the food, and the love, around?Our feeble entreaties may very well fall on deaf ears, however, as Google has set up their ivory tower (read: bubble) overlooking the popular cross section of 6th and Congress, where they have set up a mini-Austin world of “Barton Springs Pool” conference rooms, Clay Pit and Bucca di Beppo stocked cafeterias and theme rooms featuring Lone Star flags, barbeque, Astroturf and carbon footprint-reducing bikes. Sounding kind of like an Austin Epcot Center, the new office is the hope and wish of every Austinite who dares to speak its name: “Google's in Austin?!”The name is practically aspiration, the ooooh syllable being stretched out in a tone replete with awe and wonder. Gooooogle. Oooogle you, is what I'll do. In fact, Google's presence in Austin is so esteemed that, for some unknown reason, even crazy homeless Joe was struck with profound fervor. “Google's in Austin! GOOGLE'S IN AUSTIN!” raved the vagrant, who manifested his overwhelming emotion like a dream mere feet away from Zilker Ventures CEO Gaines Kilpatrick some weeks ago. We're excited too, dude. Can you taste the innovation, Austin? It's here—and it's as delicious as a tikka masala from the Clay Pit. And it's as natural and inherent as a mouthful of Barton Springs water or Town Lake sweat.