Il Matterello – Italian Dining in La Boca
Calle Martín Rodriguez in La Boca is the rough-and-tumble kind of street you'd normally want to avoid after sunset. But there's one very good reason to set those concerns aside for one night: Il Matterello.
Metropolitan Buenos Aires
Groups of shouting Brazilians, skyscraper window cleaners, gallery-worthy graffiti, costumed kings and queens roaming the streets... you never know what picture opportunities are going to present themselves when you step out. Now that fall has begun, Buenos Aires has changed a little. Kids are back to school, and people are back to work... luckily for us, the city's compelling beauty stays the same!
El Gato Negro
Found on Calle Corrientes, El Gato Negro is one of Buenos Aires' sixty Bar Notables, and an institution in the city. It was founded in 1926 by Victoriano López Robredo, a Spaniard who'd spent much of his life in Sri Lanka and wanted to bring his knowledge of teas to Buenos Aires.
After One Month in Buenos Aires…
Alright, it's a little late, but we've been so busy in this crazy city that we totally forgot to do our traditional "After One Month" questionnaire. Buenos Aires is nothing if not distracting. Here are some of our thoughts about Buenos Aires, after having had time to become acclimated.
Hotel in San Telmo: Babel
We walk down Calle Balcarce all the time, and have often noticed the colorful sign of Hotel Babel. After doing some research, I've decided this is the hotel that I would choose for a short stay in San Telmo. Not necessarily For 91 Days... for a longer stay, it's better to rent an apartment!
The Carlos Thays Botanical Garden
The most striking aspect of the northern barrios (Retiro, Recoleta, Palermo), especially in comparison with their less affluent southern counterparts, is the number of beautiful parks and green spaces. One of the most remarkable is the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden in Palermo.
The Face of Argentina
Allow me to introduce Juan Carlos Balvidares, the "Caminante Argentino", who's been around the world, sharing his music beyond the borders of his native land. We met him in front of the Recoleta Cemetery, where he was performing. Finding out that I'm from Germany, he told me that he's been there and also walked across the rest of the world, making money by playing his original songs on the streets. Usually, you can find him in front of the cemetery, but on Sundays you might run into him at the Antique Market in San Telmo. Visit his site to hear some of his music. And if you run into him on the streets, strike up a conversation! He's more than happy to share his stories.
Inside the Teatro Colón
One of the world's best opera houses is found in Buenos Aires. Built in 1908 at the height of the city's Golden Age, the Teatro Colón is a grandiose testament to the rivers of money that once flooded the Argentine capital.
Pizzería Banchero in La Boca
"Hey, what do you feel like eating?" Every time I've been asked that, every single time during the course of my entire life, the answer has been "pizza". Even when it was 8am. Even when I was 18 months old. It's the only honest response: there are other things I should eat, things which might even taste better. But pizza is what I want to eat. Always.
Vesre: The Crazy Reverse-Talk of Buenos Aires
"Revés" is Spanish for reverse and, if you say its syllables in reverse, you get vesre: a strange little word game that has worked its way into the normal speech of Buenos Aires.
