In message
-septe
mber.org, at 15:35:54 on Tue, 12 Jun 2018, Recliner
remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:
In message
-sept
ember.org, at 15:03:59 on Tue, 12 Jun 2018, Recliner
remarked:

And did you get taken to the Microsoft Store?

Yes, and got staff discount. But maybe everyone gets that?

I thought you had to be accompanied by a Microsoft employee.

I was, because that's who I was visiting, so they showed me around.

Yes, I think that's part of the standard offer to Redmond visitors.

My first visit was to the former Belleview office. Due to the local
taxation system in the US, they lost out big time when MS relocated the
majority of its operations.

Of course, in those days, MS-UK was emulating the Liberal Party with the
entire head count fitting in one taxi. De Montford Road (nothing to do
with any universities) near Reading station, but located in Reading for
the usual reason at the time - the MD lived in Pangbourne and wanted a
short commute.

They were quite surprised when I politely declined, on each of the
occasions I was invited to visit the Store.

In those days it was still the case that US-dollar prices for things
were translated to UK-pound prices, and what with the discount it was
well worth picking up a few things.

Like you, when I had spare time on one visit, I rode the monorail to the
Space Needle, but was disappointed by how dated it seemed.

It wasn't that old when I visited it in the mid-80's

On the other hand, the Underground Seattle tour, highly recommended to
me by a MSFT super techie, was excellent.

Originating like the Atlanta Underground, which was refurbished, and
trading again, when I visited in the late 80's, but struggled to find
its niche and has now closed for a second time.
--
Roland Perry