Google Maps...

We've grown to rely of Google for everything... well, mostly everything. I'm trying to resist as Google is invasive to the Nth degree. If I have an addiction, it's using Google Maps. For years, it's been part of my job to research addresses of my sales leads. More than finding things with my GPS, it's also a way to scout out the access to buildings for kitchen deliveries making sure there's enough room for a truck as some condos have restricted access and a top view of the landscape helps a lot.
My brother is obsessed with genealogy and the neighborhood we grew up in. I was around 6 years old when we moved away so memories were few. With Google Maps, I was able to research the house. While the address is the same, the building changed. It's on a main street and many of the houses were rezoned and converted to use as business.
The garden where my grandfather grew fruits and vegetables is now an asphalt driveway and a truck is parked in the front of the building that a single door has been converted to a storefront.

From time-to-time, I've seen the Google truck driving around taking photos and I know some maps have archives so you can go back in time to see what was there on a previous Google visit. I've done that several times when an old house was demolished, the lot was empty and new house was built at the same location. Very interesting.

There was a landmark in North Miami Beach... it's the Krispy-Kreme doughnut factory. Opened in the mid 1960's and operated 24 hours a day. Where could you get something to eat at 3am? Krispy-Kreme! Business changed and a new building (with larger drive-thru) was built 1 block away. The old building torn down and a WaWa gas station is at that location, however Google Maps street view doesn't reflect a change made more than a year ago.

Images of my Miami house were dated 2011... I expect the Google Maps truck to be passing back sometime soon.