Adventures, anecdotes and advice from three months exploring Buenos Aires
Since opening a couple years ago, the closed-door pescaterian restaurant Casa Felix has built a name as one of the best dining experiences in the capital. Chef Diego Félix and his US American wife Sanra welcome guests into their charming Chicarita home for an evening of excellent cooking and conversation. In the garden and around the dining table, it's not uncommon for total strangers to quickly become friends.
A grimy destitute man enters the bar and begins to approach tables, selling that homeless-person newspaper. Due to both habit and a hardness of heart from years spent living in cities, I wave him off before he even begins his pitch, keeping my eyes firmly locked on my book. But as he moves throughout the restaurant, I notice something startling. Most of the other people are purchasing a copy, and even engaging him in conversation.
Swirling, symmetrical lines and bright colors are the primary elements of fileteado, the most porteño of all arts. The decorative style can be seen everywhere in the capital, from store fronts to city buses, and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity. We met one of Buenos Aires' most famous filete artists, Alfredo Genovese, at his studio in the barrio of Paternal.
Near the Plaza de San Martín in Retiro, the skinny Iglesia del Santísimo Sacremento is not as famous or conspicuous as so many other landmarks close nearby. But as long as you're in the area, it's worth taking a quick walk through one of Buenos Aires' prettiest places of worship.
If the working class vibe of San Telmo isn't your thing, and you're looking for a hostel in the more upscale Palermo, check out Kapaké. Found in the relatively quiet neighborhood of Palermo Hollywood, it's got a great location, near the parks and the subway station. Fitting in perfectly with Palermo, the Kapaké Hostel is fashionable and cool; a comfortable little spot which prides itself on cleanliness and safety.
For a restaurant named after a 1920s anti-art movement, Dadá turns out to be remarkably unpretentious. There's a lot to love about this little place on Calle San Martín in Retiro: the decoration, the friendliness of the staff and, of course, the food.
The most important train station in Buenos Aires in the Estación Retiro, found within walking distance of Plaza San Martín. Three train lines converge here, taking passengers to destinations like Tigre, Tucumán and Córdoba.
With the Casa Rosada to the west and the city hall to the east, the Plaza de Mayo is undoubtedly the political nexus of Argentina. From famous speeches to white-hooded mothers united in a call for justice, the plaza has long been the focal point of the country's most compelling dramas.
In the 19th century, the wealthiest corner of Buenos Aires wasn't Retiro or Recoleta, but Barracas. Over the decades, this southern neighborhood lost its former glamor but recently has been showing signs of a resurgence in popularity.
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.
