Vienna Past/Perfect #85

I don't know exactly why I derive so much pleasure from looking at old-ass photographs of this creaky-ass old city, and then trekking around trying to re-create them. But I have always been entranced by images, and old ones--especially of streets and corners I know--often strike me as disorienting, revelatory, telling.

I love this picture of a gas station which could have only been built in 1950 or 2372 A.D. After seeing it, I was positive I would find this street empty today. But when I arrived on the spot in question, I found...a gas station. From Jetsons modernism to corporate minimalism in a mere 58 years. We really do live in interesting times.