Puerto Madero

Fancy hotels.

Puerto Madero

Greenery.

Puerto Madero

New construction.

Puerto Madero

Shiny buildings.

Puerto Madero

The canal.

Corner Fruit and Veggie Market

This is my local fruit and vegetable market. Actually there is another right across from my apartment building that no one ever seems to shop at. The guy who works there looks very lonely.

This one seems to be run by Bolivians or Peruvians. They are not your typical portenos. There are usually long lines of people waiting to be served. For me it is a little stressful since many names of fruit and vegetables are different in Argentine Spanish and I don't know how to say quantities, such as "a handful", or "just a few". I often end up getting more than I want, since I resort to kilos or half kilos.

Biblioteca Nacional

This is the National Library which stands on the site where Eva and Juan Peron lived. I don't remember all of the details, but I think the library was constructed by one of the dictators who took power while Juan was exiled in Spain. Later when he returned and took power again he put Borges in charge of the library in some demeaning post. I don't remember exactly and probably should check my facts, but like all things Argentina, there is more than meets the eye here.

Avenida del Libertador

This is a busy avenue that runs from Retiro up through Palermo. Ritzy, shiny, high rises with doormen line the avenue.

Montevideo

Colonia, Uruguay

Kiosko

This is a newspaper stand on Calle Tucuman near Ayacucho. They are literally all over the city. While they make maneuvering the already crowded sidewalks more difficult, I do like them. It's nice to see lots of newspapers, magazines and sometimes books on display. Also, many newsstands are decorated with fileto, a typical Argentine painting style, as is this one.

It's Coming....

Well, actually, it's already here. There is one Starbucks that opened in Buenos Aires last spring. It is VERY popular, which kind of worries me, since cafes and coffee culture are so much a part of life here - I hate to see that disrupted and replaced by caramel macchiatos.

Graffiti

More graffiti, this one from Avenida Callao. I think it is on the wall of a school. It says, "Ideas cannot disappear", or perhaps, "They cannot disappear ideas". I tend to think it's the first, but it might be both.

Memory of the Disappeared

This plaque is on a busy sidewalk on Avenida Callao. It is a memorial to 4 people who were detained and disappeared by the military in 1977.

Basilica

I stumbled across this church (literally) as I was walking home from Palermo, post-vertigo attack. I was medicated and still wobbly. The sun was setting and dusk was settling in. The church and open plaza were a relief as I tried to make my way home avoiding pedestrians and rush hour traffic.

Graffiti

This is in Palermo. It says "plants don't sin".

Carlos Likes Ice Cream Too

This is a corner in Palermo (I'm not sure if it's Soho or Hollywood). Carlos Gardel, legendary tango singer who died in a plane crash at a young age, causing women around the world to mourn and some even to commit suicide. It is said that Carlos sings better every day. Here's Carlos enjoying an ice cream.

Pay Phone

I haven't noticed pay phones here, but this one on Avenida de Mayo really stuck out. It is pretty wild, not only in shape, but in the way it is decorated.

Pizza Delivery?

I caught this bicycle from La Continental, one of my favorite pizza shops, outside a shop in San Telmo. Nothing like low-tech, environmentally friendly pizza delivery!

Bar - San Telmo

I love these corner cafes, or bars. They are all over the city. They usually are very cozy, have old male waiters in bowties and aprons and have patrons sitting in the window reading, drinking coffee or chatting. They are the epitome of Buenos Aires life for me. This one is in San Telmo

Kiosko

This is a kiosko on Avenida de Mayo. One of my favorite floggers, or foto bloggers, a French ex-pat who has a site called Buenos Aires Daily, has started posting weekly pictures of kiosks. They really are works of art, with all of the brightly colored packages lined up on display in small spaces. Not to mention, the stuff on display is totally yummy, like chocolate and potato chips!

San Telmo Street Fair

This is the San Telmo Street Fair on Defensa near Avenida Belgrano. The cute little guy looking at me through the fence seemed used to posing for pictures.

Obstacle Course

This is a sidewalk on Santa Fe, near where I live. The newsstand cuts off half of the sidewalk, and you can see three people ahead, with arms linked together, creating a human barricade. The sidewalk is relatively empty, being Sunday, but you can imagine how difficult it would be to navigate through this course on a regular day with 10 times more people. (Note: notice the lovely picture of Obama on the cover of Rolling Stone).

Nature Taking Over

This is an old building on Calle Alsinas, south of Plaza de Mayo on the way to San Telmo. I love the way nature is taking over. The building is deserted, but plants are growing out of the cracks and anywhere they can. Soon the building will become a forest.

Graffiti

There is graffiti everywhere, which at times is ugly, but at other times is inspiring or even artistic. Lots of stencil art and stencil graffiti as well. This is on Avenida de Mayo, one of my favorite Avenues, that is lined with old stone buildings, evidence of a more glorious past. This particular graffiti says - "Las Calles Son Nuestras" - the streets are ours, and there is another one that says "sigue impune", which I guess refers to someone who has not been charged with an alleged crime.

Obelisk

This is el Obeliso - the Obelisk, that is at the center if 9 de Julio, the widest avenue in the world(22 lanes) and Corrientes. The Obelisk is the site of most protests and celebrations. It's been decorated and even covered with a huge condom. It is one of the symbols of Buenos Aires.

Diagonal Norte

From Plaza de Mayo, there are two great avenues that head at diagonals - one to the north and one to the south. This is Diagonal Norte that heads to the Obelisk, which you can see in the distance. I love the big stone buildings.

Gotham City

This is an amazing building Hernan showed me after we went to San Telmo a few weeks ago. The building has these huge stone figures all over the sides with gargoyles on the top and lots of art deco decoration. It is very Gotham City, like the building where Lois Lane and Perry White (and of course superman) would work.

Recoleta Cemetary

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by the Recoleta Fair to buy a bag I saw when I was there with Popi. It was a beautiful day so I decided to take a walk through the cemetary and see if I could find Evita's grave. I didn't. When my camera batteries died, I left. But I did stumble across this very scary looking mausoleum with cobwebs all over it. It was way back in an isolated section of the cemetary and was really kind of creepy.

Oasis

I passed this beautiful flower stand yesterday on the way home from school. It is on the corner of Lavalle and Callao, a very busy intersection, but it was like an oasis in the center of the city.