Buenos Aires
Home to the widest avenue in the world
The Paris of the South where the dinner time is 9pm and no one is in bed before 11pm. Situated on the shores of the Rio de la Plata and 240km from the Atlantic Ocean. In life pre-covid a standard greeting is a kiss on one cheek. The Tango was born here. In brothels.
Buenos Aires is made up of distinct neighbourhoods or barrios.
Microcentro
At its heart is the famous Obelisco and the cultural centre of Buenos Aires.
La Boca
full of Italian restaurants and artist colonies and beautifully colourful houses. And tourists. Lots of them
San Telmo
Bohemian and trendy with jazz clubs and theatres. This is where you can get your non-brothel tango.
Recoleta
Home of the most visited tourist attractiong - a cemetery and sleek galleries, theatres and a culture centre. But for the rebel, bring your skateboard and ride down the hill behind Plaza Mitre.
Villa Crespo
street art murals, meditation, outdoor yoga and a massive park
Pueto Madero
Green spaces, canals and sky scrapers. Also where you can visit the Bridge of the Woman. Looks a lot like Southbank.
Constitucion
Home to the cheap rent and has been the birthplace of many an inventive and creative project. Home of the circus subculture. Also has a massive train station that is clearly the cousin of Flinders Street Station
Despite having more bookstores and football stadiums per capita than in other cities
neither football nor reading are the national sports.
The controversial national sport is called Pato (meaning duck) and is similar to polo but riders use their hands instead of sticks. In the olden days they used an actual duck. :(
Huge numbers of dogs but culturally considered inappropriate to pick up the poo. Watch your step!
Instead of showing you their wares, street vendors lay their goods on people and you could be sitting on a train literally covered in packets of gum, a CD, childrens books and hairbands. I do not know it this also applies to fire twirlers.
Money is exchanged on the “Blue Market” where vendors will shout or whisper “Cambio!” and then money is exchanged in an entirely shady but accepted way.
With towering apartment high rises, with every apartment having an air conditioner, it literally rains on the footpath. That is covered in dog crap.
Buenos Aires has the largest Japanese garden outside of Japan
First Latin American city to allow civil unions between gay couple. In 2005 the Obelsico was the model for the worlds largest condom to promote World Aids Day.
The main thing I want to see in Buenos Aires is the big condom and seeing as its not there anymore, I'm staying home.