Thomas Locke Hobbs

Currently near San Francisco

 

These glass skyscrapers around Manhattan will, on sunny winter days, relfect this intense yet diffuse sunlight in odd directions. I work in midtown and I'm often struck by the cinematic quality of pedestrians lit by this bright, oddly angled light, like the artificial lighting in photographs by Philip Lorca-diCorcia. Walking across Madison Square the other sunday I was in the middle of just such a swath of reflected light and had a friend snap the photo.

 
Friday, December 26, 2003

 

A local version of the flatiron. Buenos Aires is nothing but 8-12 story concrete apartment buildings constructed on narrow plots laid out by the Spaniards in Colonial times. Individual blocks are an architectural jumble of different styles as old houses were gradually town down and replaced with apartment flats. Buenos Aires is a city where it seems the words 'site consolidation' have rarely, if ever, crossed a real estate developers lips.

Each building is responsible for the sidewalk in front of their building, putting down their own unique tile, of which the picture above is one common example. Sometimes they'll come loose and dirty water will splash up, as if in some video game.

 
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

 

Plaza San Martin.

It was late spring in Buenos Aires. It was sunny and in the low 80s most of the days I was there. The Jacaranda trees were blooming, a little past their prime. I think I prefer Buenos Aires in the gray winter. It fits better with my image of the city as a melancholy place.

 
Tuesday, December 23, 2003

 

I went back to Buenos Aires over thanksgiving. This view is of downtown, which is a jumble of small, concrete buildings ranging from 6-20 stories.

This photo is from inside the Subte on Line A. It's the oldest subway line in South American, having opened in 1913. The cars currently in use date from the 1920s and are the world's oldest still in used. The doors have small leather latches that you pull to open when the train arrives in the station. The cars bodies are made of wood and they rock and bed with the bumps along the tracks. The incandescent lights blink on and off when the train switches tracks the car and briefly loses electricity. Some of my Porteño friends think it's an embarrassing anachronism. En el Subte, is a Spanish blog about experiences on the Buenos Aires subway. You can also see my gallery of Buenos Aires photos which I took back when I lived there in '99 and 2000.

 
Monday, December 22, 2003

For more about me, please go visit my old geocities page.

Friends Luc Garcia, Bryan Chin, Vagner Cardoso, Aaron Holsberg, Jesse on the Brink, Overheard in NY, nblinks. Other blogs I like World Hum, Ted Gideonse, Subway Moblog, Philip Greenspun, Marginal Revolution, Made in Brazil, Joel on Sofware, Gothamist, GoodAirs, Gizmodo, Felix Salmon, Frank Malafronte, Cool Tools, CityRag, Brad DeLong, Beautiful Horizons, Bloggy, Amy Langfield, more. Blog Highlights Portraits [2004, 2005, 2006], Portugal, Sao Paulo Gay Pride, Sao Paulo Skyline, More Sao Paulo [1, 2, 3, 4], Buenos Aires [1, 2, 3], Mexico City, Curitiba, The Gates, Paris, Morocco [1, 2, 3, 4], NYC Gay Pride [2006, 2007], My Flickr Stream. Archives 15.06.03, 22.06.03, 29.06.03, 13.07.03, 20.07.03, 27.07.03, 03.08.03, 10.08.03, 17.08.03, 24.08.03, 31.08.03, 07.09.03, 14.09.03, 21.09.03, 28.09.03, 05.10.03, 12.10.03, 19.10.03, 02.11.03, 09.11.03, 16.11.03, 23.11.03, 30.11.03, 07.12.03, 14.12.03, 21.12.03, 28.12.03, 04.01.04, 11.01.04, 18.01.04, 25.01.04, 01.02.04, 08.02.04, 15.02.04, 22.02.04, 29.02.04, 07.03.04, 14.03.04, 21.03.04, 28.03.04, 11.04.04, 18.04.04, 25.04.04, 02.05.04, 09.05.04, 16.05.04, 23.05.04, 30.05.04, 06.06.04, 13.06.04, 20.06.04, 27.06.04, 04.07.04, 11.07.04, 18.07.04, 25.07.04, 01.08.04, 08.08.04, 15.08.04, 22.08.04, 29.08.04, 05.09.04, 12.09.04, 19.09.04, 26.09.04, 03.10.04, 10.10.04, 17.10.04, 24.10.04, 31.10.04, 07.11.04, 14.11.04, 21.11.04, 28.11.04, 05.12.04, 12.12.04, 19.12.04, 26.12.04, 02.01.05, 09.01.05, 16.01.05, 23.01.05, 30.01.05, 06.02.05, 13.02.05, 20.02.05, 27.02.05, 06.03.05, 13.03.05, 20.03.05, 27.03.05, 03.04.05, 10.04.05, 17.04.05, 24.04.05, 01.05.05, 08.05.05, 15.05.05, 22.05.05, 29.05.05, 05.06.05, 12.06.05, 19.06.05, 26.06.05, 03.07.05, 10.07.05, 17.07.05, 24.07.05, 31.07.05, 07.08.05, 14.08.05, 21.08.05, 28.08.05, 04.09.05, 11.09.05, 18.09.05, 25.09.05, 02.10.05, 09.10.05, 16.10.05, 23.10.05, 30.10.05, 06.11.05, 13.11.05, 20.11.05, 27.11.05, 04.12.05, 11.12.05, 18.12.05, 25.12.05, 01.01.06, 08.01.06, 15.01.06, 22.01.06, 29.01.06, 05.02.06, 12.02.06, 19.02.06, 26.02.06, 05.03.06, 12.03.06, 19.03.06, 26.03.06, 02.04.06, 09.04.06, 16.04.06, 23.04.06, 30.04.06, 07.05.06, 14.05.06, 21.05.06, 28.05.06, 04.06.06, 11.06.06, 18.06.06, 25.06.06, 02.07.06, 09.07.06, 16.07.06, 23.07.06, 30.07.06, 06.08.06, 13.08.06, 20.08.06, 27.08.06, 03.09.06, 10.09.06, 17.09.06, 24.09.06, 01.10.06, 08.10.06, 15.10.06, 22.10.06, 29.10.06, 05.11.06, 12.11.06, 19.11.06, 26.11.06, 03.12.06, 10.12.06, 17.12.06, 24.12.06, 31.12.06, 07.01.07, 14.01.07, 21.01.07, 28.01.07, 04.02.07, 11.02.07, 18.02.07, 25.02.07, 04.03.07, 11.03.07, 18.03.07, 25.03.07, 01.04.07, 08.04.07, 15.04.07, 22.04.07, 29.04.07, 06.05.07, 13.05.07, 20.05.07, 27.05.07, 03.06.07, 10.06.07, 17.06.07, 24.06.07, 01.07.07, 08.07.07, 15.07.07, 22.07.07, 29.07.07, 05.08.07, 19.08.07, 26.08.07, RSS Feed (let me know if it doesn't work) Contact thomas_hobbs at yahoo dot com does spelling it out really prevent spam?