What the hell happened to Google Street View?

[Orbert]

I know you used to be able to map something using Google Maps, then switch to Street View.  I did this for the last couple of gigs, and it was handy because I could see what it looked like driving out there, since I'd never been there before.

Now I can't even figure out how to get Street View to come up.  There used to be buttons to switch to Satellite or to Street View, but the Street View button is gone.  A Google search (oddly enough) doesn't help.  Google Street View has an official website, which appears to be dedicated to showing off the glory of pictures taken by Street View.  There's nowhere to enter an address, nothing even remotely implying a connection to Google Maps.

What the hell?

[BlobVanDam]

You drag the little yellow man from the bottom right corner of the interface onto a road. Is that still how it works?

[Orbert]

Dear lord.  Yes, that's it.  Because it makes perfect sense that clicking on a little yellow man would switch you from map view to street view, as opposed to, I know know... having "Switch to Street View" be one of the dozens of options in the menu on the left.

Thanks though.

[BlobVanDam]

Yeah, not the most intuitive method. I guess it does need a specific location for street view, so a button might not cut it. Personally I prefer the Google Earth method of being able to double click on a spot.

[Orbert]

Someone suggested that on Facebook, but Google Earth appears to be an app that I have to download.  No thanks.

[BlobVanDam]

I wasn't suggesting you use it, but I do prefer the way it does street view. Google Earth is different to Google Maps, so they're not directly interchangeable. I don't think it can even give directions etc, at least the version I have can't. I don't know what the problem with having a separate app/program is though.

[Orbert]

My PC is old.  2007.  There are already things that it doesn't do properly anymore, and downloading any relatively recent software is always a risk.  For all I know, it'll update some driver that'll cause something else to not work anymore, etc.  Just not worth it.  But you're right; at one time, a standalone app was nearly always preferable to some web-based thing.  Web-based apps have gotten better though, and my PC is still a 2007.

I don't need directions.  I have yet to encounter an algorithm that gives directions even close to the way I would want them, so I prefer to actually look at a map.  It just used to be easier to switch to the view where I could virtually drive the roads out there and see what it looks like.

[BlobVanDam]

It would be total overkill just for street view anyway.

[jasc15]

I noticed that if you continue to zoom into the destination, it will automatically switch to street view, if available.