Argentina – Buenos Aires
The Paris of South America
This city of 3.1 million enjoys a pleasant climate because of being on an estuary off the Atlantic coast at about the same latitude as Los Angeles. The name means “Fair Winds.” BUenios Aires is the commercial center of Argentina.
On Strike!
A pre-strike demonstration by subway workers starts the day off with some excitement.
Motorcycles
The lowest-cost way to get around in B. A.
Protest
This replica Indian dwelling is a protest in the central Plaza de Mayo for indigenous rights.
Street Furniture
These trompe l’oeil bus benches may look soft, but they’re hard concrete.
Subways
The city metro system has six lines, with a total length of 57 km. The early 20th century wealth derived from Argentine beef made this the first subway system in Latin America.
Main Street
This broad diagonal avenue is named after the nation’s founding date.
The Obelisk
Built in 1936, it celebrates the 400th year of the city. Below, small shops and political posters for the upcoming election fill the streets.
El Teatro Colón
The civic opera house, named after Christopher Columbus, was built in 1889-1906 to replace the smaller original opera house. It was extensively renovated in 2010. Below, the concert hall and the lobby ceiling.
The Salon Dorado
The “Golden Room” is used for special events.
La Boca
This working-class neighborhood is a colorful place for carnival-style entertainment and souvenir shopping.
Near the river, it started as a dockworker neighborhood.
Small shops and restaurants are everywhere..
Satirical political effigies line a balcony..
Work and play combine in a swirl of color…
A neighborhood ball court.
La Recoleta
This neighborhood is at the other end of the economic scale from La Boca. This French restaurant, “The Connecting Rod,” is a popular meeting spot.
These figures advertise a Recoleta restaurant.
The Pink Bakery
Exploring the Recoleta neighborhood.
Safe Parking
Your expensive car is safe from predation in here.
A City of the Dead
The high and the mighty of Argentina are interred here at Recoleta Cemetery, in elaborate above-ground tombs. Tombs can advertise a family business.
Good Luck
Rubbing this dog’s nose is thought to bring luck to visitors. Small wonder it’s so shiny.
Evita
Eva Duarte Perón, wife of president Juan Perón during the Forties and Fifties, remains a popular figure, and her tomb is the most venerated in Recoleta.
Tango
Argentina’s national dance originated in the working-class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
It originated in Afro-Cuban slave culture during the 19th Century.
The Cathedral
The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral may look like a courthouse from the outside, but the facade once fronted a more conventional cathedral whose nave collapsed because of faulty design. It is now the basilica of Pope Francis.
