The city is divided into barrios (neighborhood demarcations), with a very similar feel to NYC. There is a distinct feeling to each area, as if you've crossed a magical line. I'm staying in the "trendy" Palermo, which is further divided into Palermo Viejo, Palermo Soho, & Palermo Hollywood (I'm not kidding). It is a neighborhood-based restaurant district, touted to be the "cool place to be" with tree-lined streets, outdoor cafes, and restaurants. The problem I see is that only every 6-8th commercial space is something nice, and the rest is locked-up, run-down, graffiti-covered spaces. And for the nice places, most barely attempt curbside appeal. The sidewalks are a torn-up mess. So either this area is on it's way up, or on it's way out. The travel books claim the former. The good news: I'm in an Italian area and found a fantastic place to eat, with no need to look any further - I think it's the best Italian food I've ever had! No offense to the New Yorkers, but that's the NY side to BA.
I took a day of walking & another day on a tour bus checking out the city. In the city center you hit an area where every 3rd street or so there are beautiful buildings with the distinct Parisian look. Again though, it is hit or miss, and it never felt like you could consistently turn a corner and find beauty. More often than not I found myself on a street where I did not want to be. Nonetheless, it is clear that these nice buildings lead to the descriptor of Buenos Aires being the Paris of South America.
I've never been to Madrid, but from what I've read, drivers are crazy & the city doesn't really get going until after midnight. All of this is true here. Apparently traffic lanes are merely suggestions, your horn must be checked every minute or so to make sure it is still working (seriously, I have no idea why everyone honked so much!), and don't even once think pedestrians have the right away because here drivers like to accelerate, honk, & swerve around you in dramatic fashion, even if you barely step off the curb. And getting anywhere & everywhere is apparently a race. Most restaurants don't open until 8pm for dinner, and I've read that a lot happens at night with all the bars & clubs that I've seen..... Of course, my wild nights consisted of making it to 10pm with a particularly good chapter in my book. : )
Overall, the highlights of BA for me were the good Italian food, the few but worthwhile beautiful buildings, crossing the world's largest avenue (16 lanes!!!), seeing the colorful buildings in the tourist shopping area of Caminito (which is in the barrio of La Boca, home to Argentina's futbol (soccer) team ~ a HUGE deal here), seeing Casa Rosada (the office of the President of Argentina, aka "The Pink House", like our White House), and visiting Recoleta Cemetary (the most amazingly beautiful mausoleum you could ever imagine, where Eva Peron's (aka Evita's) tomb is, along with many famous poets & authors).
Also notable for the last several days....... Tina, the parrot who'd keep me company & worked on clipping the lawn while I lounged at my B&B's backyard, and the guarantee of seeing the dog walkers out every day between 10:30-11:30 with more dogs than you could ever imagine heading in all directions.
And so my blog comes to an end. I've hit my max here at the 4 week point, & I'm ready to come home.... So no Iguazu Falls & no Rio, my last two planned destinations. Getting a Brazilian Visa takes a bit of time & effort, & I'm pretty certain I'd find Carnival entertaining for about an hour.... and so I've decided I'd rather spend my remaining 2 weeks in front of a fire at home lazily drinking cappuccinos with a good book. Perhaps the rest at some other time. I'll be home February 2nd, & Eric B is kindly picking me up at the Leb Airport. And don't think it's not intentional that I made it in time for the Superbowl..... I don't think I could bare watching another football game in Spanish. Go 49ers!!!!!! : )
Location:Buenos Aires, Argentina
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