Sunday, September 27, 2009

Look up: San Francisco



Turn-of-the-century skyscraper, Montgomery St. at Sutter.

Ghost advertising, San Francisco



Washington St.
About to disappear again as soon as that new building goes up in the vacant lot alongside.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Playlist: Bajofondo



The sound of Buenos Aires...

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Hall 11, Frankfurt




Pretty grand entrance for a trade show exhibit hall, I'd say, and the home of BMW's exhibit at this year's IAA.

(Apologies for lousy quality of recent images, which I've taken with my iPhone while my Casio Exilim is out for repair. As marginal as that is, it's better than an iPhone, for sure.)

Old and new II, Frankfurt




Most of Frankfurt was destroyed by Allied bombing in World War II, and little was reconstructed in historical fashion. Thus the city has a really interesting blend of old buildings and new construction, a mixture that makes Frankfurt a living city rather than a quaint relic. It also makes the destruction palpable, because every new building stands as a reminder of what was there before, and what was lost. It's too bad the city's architectural heritage suffered along with its people, but the destruction seems to have infused the city with a certain vitality that the better-preserved (or totally reconstructed in the historical style) cities often seem to lack.

Old and new, Frankfurt




Frankfurt, the fragmentary city: Palais Thurn und Taxis in foreground, with new Palais Tower in the background.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Wednesday, September 2, 2009