What Is Your Favourite Place In Buenos Aires ?

[Yogur griego]

[font=Helvetica Neue'][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]1. Corrientes from Callao to the Obelisco, at night. It's a visual feast for the eyes. I even love just passing through there on the colectivo. It turns the corner and BOOM, the lights, the people, the pizzerias, such an iconic part of the city. [/background][/font]

1 --> I absolutely agree. The Gran Vía here evokes a similar feeling (only) to a certain extent, but there's something legendary about arriving in that part of Buenos Aires in the evening and at night, especially when you've just left the subte (in winter, that is). The first thing I usually did when returning to BA from Retiro was walking down Leandro Alem and then Corrientes till Callao. After that, the avenue becomes a very quiet and boring place until you arrive at the heart of Almagro. There are only a couple of cities in the world that give you this unique feeling with so much life and so many lights, I am thinking of Champs-Elysees and Broadway.

I am less fond of the area in La Boca you're referring to. I don't really like 'hanging out' in any part near the Riachuelo. I have often wandered around that place for a healthy dose of melancholy but I came accross some potentially dangerous situations, especially more towards Barracas, which forced me to become a bit more cautious. It really IS becoming more and more dangerous. I have also been in Nueva Pompeya a couple of times, near the river as well, which felt safer.

 

[wineguy999]

Parroquia San Benito Abad Palermo. Beautiful building and grounds.

 

[DontMindMe]

You're right YogurGriego, and that is part of why I added in there that I haven't done this little excursion in a while. Safety concerns are certainly a consideration and getting lost and wandering further towards Barracas than my route indicates would not be good. I doubt I'll do this with my fellow foreign friends when I'm back, but La Boca is a really special place and it's so much more than El Caminito. On that walk I would see and feel old school Buenos Aires, and I loved that. A group of foreigners would be too conspicuous, though, I think. My boyfriend would put on his Boca Jersey and since he happens to have piercings and a skin color that used to frighten my elderly porteño neighbors ( <_<), we would joke that he blended in with the neighborhood so that's why no one bothered us.

Funny you say that about Gran Vía, I just hailed a cab there last night. (By the way, do damn near all bars in Madrid always shut down at 3 on Thursday nights or is this a crisis thing?) It is the closest to Corrientes in terms of grandeur and lights but you are right, it doesn't have the same impact. I also like the end of Corrientes at Alem/Luna Park, and around Medrano. It's my favorite avenue in the city. I even went so far as to seriously consider living in a place I found right off Corrientes and 9 de Julio, if you can believe that. The guy renting it was a stage actor and said he often gave his roommates theater tickets. I know, qué quilombo of a location, but man was I tempted.

 

[oamter]

Finally an optimistic thread!

Ice cream at Rapanui on the corner of Arenales and Azcuenaga. Surprised no one else is talking about it. Have you tried it? Lemon pie is to DIE for.

Feria de Mataderos on a Sunday. Browsing the stalls in the sunshine with choripan in one hand and boyfriend's hand in the other. The selection may be smaller than at Plaza Francia or San Telmo, but I find that products are nicer, less kitchey and SO much cheaper.

I got an amazing 100g camambert from Cordoba last time, adorable AR 15 llama key chains that were AR 40 in Palermo shop and my boyfriend got a beautiful handmade leather and gourd mate for 50 pesos. The food stands have a great, cheap selection of meats, cheeses, breads, olive oils and beyond. The knife selection is astounding (ostrich toe ones freak me out) and the guy who makes them explains absolutely every detail. The best surprise was the time we went into the museum (nothing special) and were treated to a payada on the patio. Oh, and I could count on 10 fingers how many foreigners I spotted, myself included.

 

[PaulBee]

Ezeiza airport, pre-boarding waiting room.

Why ?

 

[PaulBee]

I knew it was impossible to suggest just one fave place in Buenos Aires, but I didn´t realize h-o-w many wonderful places there are, when you start adding them up - and learn about additional places ! I love the architecture of Avenida de Mayo, but especially 900 block, which is between Suipacha and 9 de Julio. Amazing !

 

[camberiu]

Why ?

Guess.

 

[PaulBee]

Guess.

I guess that you like a quieter, more peaceful setting and are frustrated with the current economic problems and resulting strife and restrictions.

 

[PaulBee]

How about Edificio Kavanaugh ? It was the tallest building in South America and oh so Art Deco / Moderne !

 

[KlaraF]

Ezeiza airport, pre-boarding waiting room.

WTF? How badly did you want to run away from the country?