165 University Avenue in Palo Alto, California. This downtown office building earned itself the nickname “The Lucky Office” by being the first home to Google, PayPal, and Logitech.

When it comes to turning a startup into a multi-billion dollar company, entrepreneurs know that success often requires great timing as well as some good, old fashioned luck.

Unfortunately, luck doesn’t grow on trees or else it would be for sale on every street corner here in Startup Land. However, it turns out that getting the right office space might just be the next best thing.

That right, certain office spaces in Silicon Valley appear to be more lucky that others in terms of housing successful startups. The best example of this is 165 University Avenue or “The Lucky Office” as it’s referred to by valley insiders. This downtown Palo Alto office building has served as the first office for technology giants such as Google, Paypal, Danger, and Logitech when they were first starting up.

Regardless of whether or not you believe that this office has anything to do with the success of its tenants, many startups vie to lease space here hoping that the building’s luck will rub off on them next.

Heavy surf pounds the rocky shore at Pescadero State Beach in Pescadero, Californa as visitors head to the coast during a brief break in the Bay Area’s Winter rainy season on 12/29/12.

One of the great things about living in Silicon Valley is how easy it is to get out of it when you want to. The Pacific coastline is 32 miles due West and is a popular day trip for Valley dwellers looking for a bit of time with the ocean. There are dozens of beautiful beaches between San Francisco and Santa Cruz all with unique features and shores.

However, don’t get your hopes up for a sunny warm day at the beach. The Pacific is way too cold to swim without a wetsuit and it’s not uncommon to experience fog, wind, and pounding surf. You’ll need a warm coat to appreciate the magic.

Gordon Laing photographed on the streets of San Francisco.

I had a chance to catch up with Gordon Laing during his recent visit to Startup Land. Gordon is the founder and editor of the popular CameraLabs.com – a comprehensive photographic equipment review website that he founded in 2005. In addition to being a fount of knowledge, he is also a genuinely nice guy who’s up for photographic adventure.

I was after an iconic portrait of Gordon against the San Francisco skyline but we also managed to have a little fun with an alternate shot before the night was over.

An entrepreneur takes notes during a presentation at 500 Startups headquarters in downtown Mountain View, California. Each year over 50 startups graduate from the 500 Startups accelerator program which provides $50,000 in seed funding, office space, and access to a network of 120+ startup mentors. Founded by Silicon Valley veteran Dave McClure, 500 Startups seeks to infuse Startups with its own unique mix of cutting edge education, mentorship and access to capital.

The moon rises over “Festival Village” in downtown Palo Alto during the 2012 Palo Alto International Film Festival (PAIFF). Featuring over 50 films, PAIFF celebrates the convergence of art and technology through Films, Talks, Interactive, Workshops, and Music.

A young woman prepares for take off at the 3rd annual Super Hero Street Fair on September 22nd, 2012 in San Francisco, California. The event was held at the Islais Creek Promenade and provides a platfrom to honor extraordinary people in the community for their contribution to culture, music and the arts.

If Captain America, Superman, Batman, and the X-men were to throw a party in San Francisco it would probably look a lot like the Super Hero Street Fair. Complete with climbing wall, multiple music stages, and a gladiator pit, this costume event is brought to us by the same folks who produce the How Weird Street Fair, except this time the party was held at the Islais Creek Promenade in the Dogpatch.

Yes, it was excuse for Silicon Valley dwellers to try out their latest Halloween costumes a month early, but on the serious side, the event also honored extraordinary people (real life super heroes) in the community for their contribution to culture, music and the arts.

Here are some photos of the Super Heros in action…

K.Flay performing at BFD music festival held on June 2nd, 2012 @ The Shorline Amphitheater.

This is the fourth of four posts containing photos from the BFD music festival held on June 2nd, 2012 @ The Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. Photos below are of K.Flay, St. John, and Eligh & Amp Live performing in the Subsonic Dance Tent. Click the images to see a larger version or slideshow.

See more photos from this year’s BFD:

BFD Part 1: Garbage & Silversun Pickups
BFD Part 2: Jane’s Addiction & Cake
BFD Part 3: Falling in Reverse, GROUPLOVE, Neon Trees

Ronnie Radke of Falling In Reverse performing at the BFD music festival held on June 3rd, 2012 @ The Shoreline Amphitheater.

This is the third of four of posts containing photos from the BFD music festival held on June 2nd, 2012 @ The Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. Photos below are of Falling in Reverse, GROUPLOVE, and Neon Trees performing on the Festival Stage. Click the images to see a larger version or slideshow.

BFD Part 1: Garbage & Silversun Pickups
BFD Part 2: Jane’s Addiction & Cake
BFD Part 4: K.Flay, St. John, Amplive & Eligh

Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction performing at the BFD music festival held on June 2nd, 2012 @ The Shoreline Amphitheater.

This is the second of four of posts containing photos from the BFD Music festival held on June 2nd, 2012 @ The Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. Photos below are of Jane’s Addiction and Cake performing on the Main Stage. Click the images to see a larger version/slideshow.

See more photos from this year’s BFD:

BFD Part 1: Garbage & Silversun Pickups
BFD Part 3: Falling in Reverse, GROUPLOVE, Neon Trees
BFD Part 4: K.Flay, St. John, Amplive & Eligh

Shirley Manson of Garbage performing at the BFD music festival held on June 2nd, 2012 @ The Shorline Amphitheater.

I’ll let you guess what BFD stands for, but rest assured, it’s an appropriate name for one of the biggest music festivals in Northern California. Held at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, BFD takes place right smack in the middle of Startup Land, literally, around the corner from the campuses of titans like Google, LinkedIn and Intuit. Now in its 18th year, Live 105 packs their BFD festival with an impressive line-up of modern and alternative rock artists. This year was no exception. BFD 2012′s roster included Jane’s Addiction, Cake, Garbage, Silversun Pickups, GROUPLOVE, Neon Trees and Falling In Reverse. There was also a stage dedicated to hip hop and electronica featuring artists like K.Flay, St. John, Amplive & Eligh and The Limousines.

This is the first of four posts containing photos from the festival. Click the images below to see larger version and a slideshow.

See more photos from this year’s BFD:

BFD Part 2: Jane’s Addiction & Cake
BFD Part 3: Falling in Reverse, GROUPLOVE, Neon Trees
BFD Part 4: K.Flay, St. John, Amplive & Eligh