Buenos Aires, Part Uno
Well, here I am day three into my trip to Buenos Aires. The weather has been spectacular, though today was a bit warm for my tastes (lower 80’s). I probably should have blogged more regularly since I’m already forgetting what I did yesterday, not to mention two days ago. But I’ll start at the beginning.
As a result of that tropical storm that was approaching the coast on Saturday, we changed our departure flight to Saturday morning instead of Saturday afternoon. That got us into Dallas/Fort Worth with a 6+ hour lay-over. To make it more enjoyable, we rented a car and drove to Fort Worth where we went to the Botanical Gardens/Japanese Garden and then onto the Fort Worth Stock Yards. How cool was that!?! We got to sit in on some sort of cattle auction in this enormous barn-like structure. In between the auctions a guy would come out and bull ride. It smelled like shit (literally), but it was fun.
The flight from DFW to Buenos Aires was quite nice – even at 10.5 hours. We were in business class of their retro-fitted planes. That meant we had these seating pods that would recline almost flat (almost…not quite). They had individual entertainment units that stored countless songs, movies, TV shows and games. You could either keep it in the back of the pod in front of you or take it out and put it on your lap. Sweet! Randy has made me accustomed to traveling a certain way.
So, we arrived in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning headed straight for the condo. As a result of a marathon, the driver brought us the back way into the city – through some pretty sketchy looking neighborhoods chock full of graffiti and empty buildings. Little did we know that that is what most of the city looks like (more on that later).
Our condo is located in the Palermo district, bordering Barrio Norte – which are two areas packed with shops and restaurants. We’re on the 8th (and top) floor of building where each unit is a two story loft. That means we’re actually up around the height of a 16 story building. We have a decent urban view.
We weren’t feeling any jetlag since the flight is practically due south so after settling in and showering, we headed out to San Telmo. This is an old district that, on Sundays, has a public market/antiques fair. There were street musicians, tango dancers, and vendors everywhere selling useless things you can’t live without. The area was a bit gritty (and all guide books encouraged you NOT to visit after dark. However, during the day it felt quite safe.
It was here that we first noticed some gorgeous old buildings…in terrible states of disrepair. And this, so far, has been the common theme in all of the areas we’ve visited (San Telmo, Montserrat, Microcentro, Retiro, Palermo, Palermo Viejo, etc…) You can tell the city at one point was quite prosperous with architecture rivaling Paris. But decades of decay has taken it’s toll. Even the well-maintained buildings are tagged with graffiti on the lower levels. It’s a shame.
Anyway, we were exhausted by that evening so we headed to a local market, picked up some groceries, and had dinner in the condo. On our way back to the condo, we also discovered that the screen on Randy’s camera got cracked…and stopped working completely. Since I didn’t bring a camera, we’re now limited to taking photos using the tiny viewfinder and not the screen. This also means we’re unable to adjust camera settings for night time photos, or photos taken inside, outside, in sunny conditions or in shady conditions.
On Monday, we decided to explore Palermo Viejo (hip and trendy) and Avenue Cordoba (where you can buy ultra cheap clothes). One great thing about Argentina (for tourists) is that locals can’t afford to import clothes from other countries so there are countless local designers making handmade clothes. And they make some damn creative stuff. I picked up four shirts (3 well-stitched dress shirts and one polo shirt) for under $100.
But you can find better bargains at restaurants. For example, we had a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and two bottles of sparkling water for $5 (including tip). We had a dinner consisting of two appetizer, two entrees, two desserts, two bottles of sparkling water and a bottle of wine all for under $15 each.
Today we headed to the center of the city where all of the government and historic buildings are located (Congress, Supreme Court, Metropolitan Cathedral, etc…). Once again, some buildings were amazing – yet closer examination showed pealed paint, faux finishes, and lots of cracks. One of my highlights for the day was riding the A-line subway. It’s the oldest subway line in
South America – dating back to 1913 – and they still use the original train cars. They’re made completely of wood with double hung windows that you can pull down. And the lighting is frosted glass globes suspended from the ceiling. You also have to open the doors manually to get off (or on).
It was also on this subway line that I had my first experience with a pick-pocketer. He wasn’t able to get anything (I don’t carry a wallet in my back pocket) but he tried.
OK – slight distraction: I’m watching Argentinian television as I type this and a commercial for Playboy magazine just came on the air. It showed the cover of the current issue then flipped the pages open to show the naked photos inside!!! It’s 6:30PM on a Tuesday.
Back to today. After the exciting subway ride, we visited the gorgeous (yet rundown) Metropolitan Cathedral. This edifice rivaled churches you’d find in Europe, yet can’t find in North America. Such a shame.
We then walked down Calle Florida, a pedestrianized street filled with restaurants and shops. We had lunch at a café (bread, dinner sized entrée, two bottle of water…$8 each), then continued to Gallerias Pacificas – an old shopping mall designed like that famous one in Milan. It’s essentially like streets covered in glass it’s like you’re walking down a Parisian Street. The center has a gorgeous rotunda with frescoes.
And that brings us to now. I’ve got the hiccups, Randy is napping, and I’m seeing porn on network television. Our current plan is to take a boat to Uruguay tomorrow. WOO HOO – another stamp for my passport!
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TWO Days in Buenos Aires and you havent gone to visit with EVITA yet? Her gravesite would be my first stop in the city…..that and the Casa Rosada so I could show how to REALLY sing “Dont Cry for Me Argentina” from a balcony! Glad to hear you are having fun 🙂
Oh, we saw the Casa Rosada on the first day…and third day…and fourth day. he he
Evita’s gravesite should be today: day 5!
Actually, still haven’t been to Evit’s gravesite..but we did make it today to her museum. Does that count? Got to see her clothes and personal items. Actually, it wasn’t that impressive (she was a petite little thing – either that or the museum curators took her clothes in to make her appeal tiny).