February 28, 2007
Buenos Aires tourist attractions: tango, protests, cemeteries, food, fashion, and more
Here's an article on visiting Buenos Aires where you can eat inexpensively (chinchulin de cordero, or grilled lamb's small intestine. About $1.65; bife de chorizo, a stunningly tender boneless chunk of beef comparable to a thick New York strip. About $5).
The article isn't only about food though. They also mention some tourist attractions like street tango dancers. Then there are the more morbid attractions:
On Thursday afternoons, marching Madres de Plaza de Mayo, mothers and sisters of victims "disappeared" by the military junta that ruled Argentina into the 1980s are joined by protesters.
Eva Peron is in Recoleta Cemetery, stored in the Duarte family tomb, which is relatively modest for a cemetery that's nothing if not a study in post-mortal overstatement. Even with the waves of tour groups brought here, it's possible to spend reflective moments with her, alone or alongside the cats (another Webber show!) that freeload among the memorials...
All in all the article is very informative but the last paragraph is fairly discouraging: And there are disappointments, greatest of which are the trash scavengers (sometimes whole families of them) that descend on the city after dark and pick through plastic bags of garbage for recyclables and edible scraps.
And another paper has another Buenos Aires travel article, this one focusing on fashion and food. Here's an excerpt that makes me wonder if I could keep up with my wife if we went on vacation in Bueons Aires:
Most young Argentine designers have set up business in the area, making it a prime shopping destination. One boutique that drew me in was Objeto, where designers Rodrigo Abarquero and Debora Di Stilio sell whimsical pieces, such as layered cotton shirts printed with cartoons that look like Teletubbies gone wild, and uneven skirts with bold stripes. Next, I stopped at Maria Marta Facchinelli's shop, filled with pastel-colored dresses of silk, jersey or cotton tulle. After launching her line in 2000, this up-and-coming Argentinian designer has been featured in magazines, including Vogue and Bazaar. I finally decided on a flowing blue skirt with gold sprinkles at Rapsodia, a bohemian chic temple co-owned by local socialite and former model Sol Acu?a.
This article ends with some airfare information, advice on the weather, useful information on taxis, and is certainly worth reading.
