A Brief Work Trip to São Paulo, November 2013

Flew down to São Paulo for a couple of days of work in early November 2013. It was a quick turnaround, feeling like I spent most of my time moving between a plane cabin and these stark, modern office hallways. The whole trip was a blur of fluorescent lighting, suits, and name badges.

My main impression of the city itself was from the car, under consistently overcast skies. The Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge was a constant and striking landmark. Its massive, X-shaped pylon and the web of cables dominated the view against the grey weather, a piece of dramatic architecture in the middle of all the traffic.

From high up at night, the city looked completely different — an endless grid of orange and white lights stretching out to the horizon. It felt vast. Then it was time to leave, just as quickly as I'd arrived. Just another day of work in a different city.