San Francisco

Back for a minute with photos from one of my few trips out of town, a few years ago.  Above, the Matson Building, and below left, the PG&E Building, now both part of PG&E headquarters.  Below center and right, the former Standard Oil Building at 225 Bush St.



Above, morning light on Sts. Peter & Paul on Washington Square.

Above and below left, the Chambord Apartments at Sacramento and Jones Sts., which "has often been misattributed to Barcelona architect Antonio Gaudi."  Below right, the Alcazar Theater on Geary St.



Above, the PacBell Building on New Montgomery St.  Below left, Union Bank at 400 California St.  Below right, the dome of SF City Hall.




Above, the Russ Building on Montgomery St.  Below, California St. and Leidesdorff St. sides of the Insurance Exchange Building.


And finally, I noticed several moody sets of trees out there, and nearly all of them turned out to be ficus trees. Below, morning light on trees bordering the Joe DiMaggio Playground on Lombard St.

Con Edison Building

Taking up most of the block between 14th & 15th Sts. and Irving Pl. & 3rd Ave., the three faces of the building (minus the end facing 3rd) share features but aren't identical.  Above, on 15th St.; below left and just below it, parts of the 14th St. face.

Air Conditioned Vision

Yes, air conditioning pushes hot air outside for the rest of us to share, and a billion people in India and China are ready to buy their first unit.  But it's hard to think about how we're melting the planet -- or to appreciate the way buildings with window units can look like an organism or a boulder-strewn or industrial landscape -- when your brain is left unconditioned, stewing in its own juices.

On top and below left, at 340 57th St., one of the more impressive AC arrays I've seen.  Below right, on W 27th St. off Broadway.



Above l-r: (1) snow on Park Ave, South, (2) a brutal arrangement at Lexington & 23rd St., (3) a more pleasing sight on the opposite (SE) corner.  Below, a sideways industrial landscape on 47th St. between 5th & 6th Aves.

20 Exchange Place

59 floors, built in 1931.  Above and at the bottom, from the south on S. William St.


Above l-r: (1 & 2) from S. William St., (3) from the north on William St.  Below left, doors at William St. & Exchange Pl., below right, from Hanover St. near Wall St.