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Plaza de la Republica
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| BA from the sea |
We only had three days in BA, not a lot of time to explore
an historic, sprawling city, so we made the intentional decision to focus on
exploring neighborhoods at the expense of some cultural activities.
We stayed at the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt, the former
mansion of a French tycoon. An amazing
building on Avenida Alvear (more on that later), breakfast overlooking the
terrace would be great even if not staying here.
One hint for visitors to Argentina, the ATMs only allow
withdrawal of 25,000 pesos, less than $30 USD, but charge 8500 fee ($9)! It's better to bring USD and convert at a
Cambio or Bank. There is a bank with
ATM and cambio at the airport, turn right immediately after exiting into
baggage claim, go behind the Starbucks. Many
restaurants and cafes do not accept credit cards, and those that do rarely
allow service to be included in the charge, so I carried small bills for tips.
Uber is the best way to get around BA, ubiquitous and cheap
- half the price of taxis.
We felt totally safe, even at night. Try to avoid walking with your phone our
camera out.
BA has a very strong café culture, which we really enjoyed
as a quick break or casual meal. The ubiquitous
cafes serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus coffee and drinks, in a relaxed
atmosphere.
Beef is what's for dinner in Argentina - and lots of
it. There are Parilla (grill)
restaurants everywhere. We had some
great meals, and all were less than half the price of comparable meals in the
US.
El Estrebe (Pres. José Evaristo Uriburu 1269) is a family-owned
restaurant with great Malbecs, lots of appetizer options, and delicious
steaks.
La Cabrera has great atmosphere, and the amount of food was
outrageous. They provide complimentary
small appetizers and a large bread basket.
We ordered one entree to share, the beef tenderloin. The "serving" was 4 eight-ounce
filets! That's two pounds of the best
beef for around $35 (the price of one filet in the US).
For walking tours, the typical travel books were lacking, so
I used GPSmyCity. It has detailed
sightseeing walks with interactive maps.
Well worth the $13 annual subscription (although it requires carrying
your phone on the street). Below are the
neighborhoods we explored:
Centro
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| Palacio San Martin |
Plaza San Martin is named for General Jose de San Martin,
known as the Liberator of Argentina for his role in the War of Independence
from Spain in 1810. The Palacio San
Martin dates from 1909 and is beautiful, check out the courtyard on the Esmeralda
(left) side. Across the park is Palacio
Paz, explore the interior by eating at the Croque Madame restaurant on the
second floor (inexpensive but mediocre food with awesome atmosphere).Near Plaza San Martin is Floreria Atlántico, a great
cocktail bar in the basement of a florist shop, rated one of the 50 best bars
in the world.
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| Floreria Altantico |
The Basilica del Santisimo Sacremento, built in 1916, with
Romanesque and Gothic elements and a beautiful altar.  |
| Basilica del Santisimo Sacremento |
Calle (street) Florida is the main shopping street, with Galarias
Pacifico shopping arcade being the main attraction.
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| Galarias Pacifico from Calle Florida |
A short walk east from Florida is the Mercado de los Carruajes,
a restored nineteenth century market with multiple restaurants (great for
lunch). From here, it’s easy to explore
the rehabilitated Puerta Madero area with old brick warehouses converted into
restaurants and bars, and a promenade along the river.
Plaza de Mayo, named for the May 1810 uprising against
Spanish colonial rule, originates from 1580.
The Casa Rosada presidential palace is where Eva Peron addressed crowds
from the balcony.
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| Plaza de Mayo |
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| Casa Rosada |
At the opposite side of the square lies the Cabildo, the
first government building in BA erected in 1610.
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| Cabildo |
The Catedral Metropolitano de Buenos Aire was built in 1822,
has a neoclassical temple façade and a beautiful altar. It was the home parish of Pope Francis.
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| Metropolitan Cathedral |
The museum at La Manzana de Las Luces (Block of
Illumination) was closed the day we visited, a recurring theme throughout the
trip 😣. The Jesuits established the site
in 1661, but after the Jesuits were expelled from Argentina in 1767, the buildings
were eventually converted into the University of Buenos Aires.
We walked along Avenida de Mayo, and had drinks at CaféTortoni, a famous meeting place for artists, writers, politicians, and tango dancers.
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| Cafe Tortoni |
Near Plaza de Republica and the Obelisk is Teatro Colon, one of the world’s great opera houses, but was not open for tours the day we
visited. Nearby Confiteria la Ideal is a magnificent coffee and pastry shop.
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| Teatro Colon |
Palacio Barolo, the tallest building in South America until
1935, was designed by Mario Palanti who based his design (and the Palacio Salvo
in Montevideo) on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.
We visited the Congress, seat of the legislature, and adjoining
Mariano Moreno park. It was the day
after protests, which are very common events and worth avoiding as a tourist.
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| Congress |
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| Mariano Moreno Park |
The El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore (Av. Sante Fe 1860) is
a must-see establishment located in a beautifully restored theater from 1919.
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| El Ateneo Grand Splendid |
San Telmo, south of Plaza de Mayo, was originally the
port area, then in the 19th century wealthy portenos (as the BA locals
are known) built beautiful mansions along the streets of San Telmo, but the 1871
yellow fever outbreak drove many of the wealthiest people to abandon the
densely-populated San Telmo district and build new residences in the Recoleta
neighborhood to escape the pestilence.
D’Oro Italiano for lunch, great atmosphere and homemade
pasta
Walked Pasaje Defensa through the San Telmo neighborhood,
which is the oldest part of the city.
The street is lined with mansions from the early nineteenth century,
converted to multi-family residences when the wealthy residents
built homes in the Recoleta.
Casa Minima is the smallest house in Buenos Aires.
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| Casa Minima |
Bar Poesia is a great café with pictures of literary giants
lining the walls. The Rivas Café is a
great place to stop for a drink.
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| Bar Poesia |
Mercado San Telmo is a unique experience, with food stalls,
artisan shops, and small eateries. Plaza
Dorrego is a one-block park just south of the Market, which hosts artisan
stalls.
The iconic Caminito is a short ride south through the La
Boca neighborhood, situated along the waterfront. The colorful corrugated metal houses are
unique. El Gran Paraiso is a restaurant and bar in Caminito
that has great atmosphere and a beautiful patio for dining.
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| Caminito |
Roceleta
Avenida Alvear is the most exclusive street in Recoleta,
with many of the Parisian style mansions and apartment buildings built after the
1871 yellow fever epidemic. At the
eastern end of Alvear, before crossing Av 19 de Julio (the world’s widest
boulevard), you will see the French and Brazilian embassies – the French is
incredible. On the western end of the
Avenida, check out the lobby of the Alvear Palace hotel
See the giant banyan tree at the western end of Avenida
Alvear near the Ice Palace.
La Biele is a great café for drinks and sandwiches with a
view of the park
Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar dates built in 1732 by the
Recoleta friars, with a beautiful altar made of Peruvian Silver. The adjoining Cemeterio de la Recoleta was established
in 1822 contains the family mausoleums of the rich and famous of BA, including Eva
Peron.
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| Basilica Pilar |
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| Basilica Pilar |
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| Cemeterio de la Recoleta |
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| Cemeterio de la Recoleta |
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| Cemeterio de la Recoleta |
Floralis Generica (flower) sculpture is a 66 foot tall
flower with four petals made of aluminum, the petals retract at sunset and open
at daybreak. The flower was damaged in
the massive storm that hit BA in 2023.
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| Floralis Generica |
The Embassy area of Palermo is a great place to walk. It is between Ave Figueroa Alcorta and Juez
Tedin. The architecture of the embassies
is worth a stroll through the winding streets.
Jardin Japones (Japanese Garden) is beautiful and relaxing
(despite the crowds)
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| Japanese Garden |
We then explored the Palermo neighborhood,
specifically the area called "SOHO".
It is a beautiful neighborhood with tree-lined streets and countless
restaurants, bars and shops. We followed
this route which captured the highlights of Palermo SOHO: Thames street south
from Nicaragua, east on Gerriti, north on Serrano for one block to the square
at Plaza Serrano, filled with restaurants and bars. Continue on Serrano, east on Costa Rica to
Plaza Immigrantes de Armenia, another square filled with restaurants and
bars.
