Setting any of these as your home page gets you back the old Google "black menu bar page".
"Search Image Maps ... gmail ...
http://www.google.co.uk/?noj=1
https://www.google.co.uk/?noj=0
http://www.google.com/?noj=1
https://www.google.com/?noj=0
For me the new "apps menu" screen means
1. Scrolling the screen over to get the Apps icon back from the right hand side.
2. Clicking the new apps icon
3. Finally getting to say gmail that I can get with one click on the "black menu" page.
Until I noticed the "noj" thing after much searching I was planning to do a local home page.
Google seem to have lost their minds - again - can't blame this on on Marissa.