This kitschy cocktail joint--modeled after a '60s roadside motel--is located in the same building as Groupon’s Chicago headquarters, which makes it a popular after-hours employee hangout.
On February 14, 2011, Watson, a supercomputer from IBM (#29 on Fast Company's list of Most Innovative Companies), took on Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings in an episode that filmed on this lot.
This resort hosts "The Weekend," an invite-only event that has drawn the founders of Paypal, Flickr, and Evite--all of whom hobnob with Reid Hoffman, CEO of LinkedIn (a 2011 Most Innovative Company).
Microsoft's Bill Gates used to sneak out of his parents' house at night to use the computers here. Back then, only large institutions had powerful computers, and they were all tied up during the day.
This is one of the MLB's tech-savviest destinations: Pitchers wear motion-sensor suits to evaluate their technique, and management uses specialized software to adjust ticket prices based on demand.
Millions of players know PopCap (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) for Bejeweled, which was inspired by the old-school games at this arcade, known as "the Louvre of the 8-bit world."
To stay in shape and de-stress after work, staffers at Rent the Runway (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) head to Physique 57, a posh fitness center that specializes in full-body cardio classes.
When they're not visualizing the Twitterverse for MTV and Nike, the staff of Stamen (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) heads to this bar, which is known for its comfy couches.
When staffers at Stamen Design (#48 on Fast Company's 2011 list of Most Innovative Companies) aren't creating next-gen data visualizations for Nike, they're lunching at The Sandwich Place.
Trader Joe's (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) opened at this site in 1967, decades before it was trendy to shop organic. The chain was originally named "Pronto Market."
Tumblr co-founder David Karp interned for designer Fred Seibert when he was 14, a year before dropping out of high school. The startup sublet its first offices in Siebert's studio years later.
On July 7, 2009, Ustream (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) broadcast Michael Jackson's memorial service live from this arena. The feed lured a record-high 4.6 million viewers.
Amazon helped stock "The Real World: Seattle" house, which was located on this pier. Employees put sex books near the computer, which defaulted to the Amazon website, scoring the company a few cameos.
Apple engineer Gray Powell lost an iPhone 4 prototype here, which was eventually dissected on the blog Gizmodo a full two months before its official June 2010 release date.
Engineers from ARM (a 2011 Most Innovative Company), who tweak the microchips used in iPads, come to this Austin chain for a different kind of chip--preferably topped with Roberto’s Brazo-Fuerte dip.
Cisco (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) is named for “San Francisco,” and this bridge inspired the company’s original logo.
In exchange for the classic Coca-Cola ads on the walls here, some chefs film themselves making Coke-inspired recipes (BBQ sauce, dressing) for one of the beverage titan's blogs.
Though it may still look like a construction site, this tower will eventually house the new Conde Nast HQ, which will take up nearly a million square feet of office space.
Before graduating from this university in 1985, Conan O'Brien, founder of Conaco Productions (a 2011 Most Innovative Company), spent two years editing campus humor mag "The Harvard Lampoon."
The Jurassic Park dinos featured in this theme park's ride couldn’t produce lysine. In real life, they’d need help from Dacheng Industrial, among the world’s foremost synthesizers of the amino acid.
This club hosts the highlight of the annual DonorsChoose Moustaches for Kids charity contest, where growers gather to drink "picklebacks" (a shot of Jameson whisky and a shot of pickle juice).
This pub near eBay's HQ is where innovations are hatched from casual conversations over pretzels and beer. The most recent: a deal-finding feature called, um, Deal Finder, that launched in December.
Visit this sandwich shop at lunchtime and you're likely to spot an employee from Most Innovative Company EA. Their go-to orders include the Dripper: roast beef smothered in BBQ and melted Swiss.
Since opening its first modest retail outlet at this mall in 1989, Forever 21 (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) has expanded its average store size to 5,000 square feet.
Adam McKay, co-founder of Funny or Die (a 2011 Most Innovative Company), was also a founding member of this comedy club, whose alumni include Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Jack McBrayer.
Among the technorati who attend events at this theater: "Natural Capitalism" author Paul Hawken and Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia (a 2011 Most Innovative Company).
This library was among the first to join Google's "Library Project," which aims to scan the collections of the world's major book repositories and make their contents searchable online.
In the early '90s, Zack Zalon, cofounder of Hello Music (a 2011 Most Innovative Company), worked as a manager at this club. He brought hundreds of acts to the stage, including No Doubt and Pearl Jam.
In January, this museum opened R:Evolution, a $19 million exhibit about the first 2,000 years of computing. It includes the first commercially available microprocessor, 1971's Intel 4004.
JetBlue (a 2011 Most Innovative Company) is the first corporation ever to receive rights to Milton Glaser's famous "I ♥ NY" logo, which is featured prominently in the airline's New York ads.
