TRAVEL

Inside nerd nirvana with a guide to the tech touchstones of Silicon Valley

Smartphones and apps are part of being on holiday, and never more so than on a tour of the touchstones of Silicon Valley.

There’s a quirky twist on tourism emerging amid the Silicon Valley whirlwind of innovation that has tethered everyone to their smartphones. Those omnipresent devices are being used to track down technological touchstones scattered around the San Francisco Bay area so selfies can be taken, videos can be recorded and the experience can be celebrated in a Facebook post, Snapchat or tweet. Here’s a tourist’s guide to nerd nirvana for those more interested in seeing the suburban home where The Woz built the first Apple computer alongside Steve Jobs than the spooky prison in the Bay where the Birdman of Alcatraz once served time alongside Machine Gun Kelly.

GROWING UP IN A GARAGE

Silicon Valley start-ups have a history of humble beginnings, dating to 1939 when Hewlett-Packard Co was founded in a Palo Alto, California, garage. It still stands at 367 Addison Ave, considered by many to be the birthplace of Silicon Valley. HP now owns the place.

PICTURE THIS: Alejandra Vicuna takes a selfie at the Apple campus, where visitors go to learn a piece of Silicion Valley history.