2 Calle Florida
3 El Obelisco
4 Centro Cultural Borges
5 Puente de la Mujer
6 Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur
7 Basilica Nuestra Seủora de la Merced
8 Museo Mitre
9 Plaza de Mayo
0 Plaza Embajada de Israel -ICROCENTRO
2 E T I R O
-/"MFN 'MPSJEB -BWBMMF 5SJCVOBMFT
EF+VMJP 1FMMFHSJOJ (FO4BO
.BSUểO
3FUJSP
$BUFESBM 1FSị
1MB[B
#PMJWBS .BZP
"WEF.BZP 1JFESBT
&TUBDJỉO EFM3FUJSP 5FSNJOBMEF 0NOJCVT3FUJSP
1VFSUP .BEFSP
&5(&2148,67$&5(&2148,67$
& &2 5%( 7$ 858*8$<
77(*5$/3(51 &$//(-
8$1$0$1
62
&78&801
&9 ,$0 2 17 (
&0$,3
&(60(5$/'$
&3(//(*5,1,&$//(3$5$*8$<
$9 $/9( /
$ 5
&&(51,72 &)/25,'$
&$//('
(/&
$1$/
&)/25,'$
& $ 5 ( 1 $ / ( 6
%JRVF
"OUF 1VFSUP
%ÈSTFOB /PSUF
&/,%(57$'
& $ / / ( 0 7 ' ( $ / 9 ( $ 5
$9&255,(17(6
$ 9 ( 1 , '$ , 1 * 4 8 $5 7 , 1 2
&/ $9$//(
$9' (/
26,7
$/,$1 26
& $//(-81& $/
$9
$1 7$5*(
17, 1$
&6 $5 0 , ( 172
&60$571
&$//(
/,%(57$'
$9
$1 7$5*
(1 7, 1$
$9'(//,%(
57$'25
$9 /
1 $ /(0
$9(
1,'
$( 0
$' (52
$9 & 5 ' 2 % $
'(-8/,2$9(1,'$
$9'(0$<2
$9,1*+8(5*2
&6$17$)(
3/$=$
*5$/
/$9$//(
3/$=$
&$1$'
3/$=$6 0$57,1
1BSRVF .VKFSFT
"SHFOUJOBT
ZBSET NFUFST
Preceding pages Avenida de Mayo at night
Sign up for DK’s email newsletter on traveldk.com
Around Town – Microcentro, Puerto Madero & Retiro
81
! Plaza San Martín The qualities of Buenos Aires’ most carefully maintained plaza (see p36) are boundless.
From its highest point at Avenida Santa Fe, a towering statue depicting triumphant General San Martín on horseback is set on a scalloped base – a popular lunch spot for the neighborhood’s workers.
Palms, majestic lloronas, and oaks shade those resting on the manicured grass. From late October till mid-December, purple jacaranda trees bloom along the stairway leading to the Falklands War memorial.d Map Q5
@ Calle Florida Ten blocks of unrelenting con- sumerism would be insufferable if not for Calle Florida’s variety of shops and the quality of people-watching. Tiny snack kiosks sit alongside exquisite silver jewelers, young tango dancers and magicians gather crowds which, blithely entertained, impede pedestrian traffic, while sales clerks ply passersby with flyers for custom leather jackets. It is best to go with the flow from Plaza de Mayo toward Plaza San Martín as, by the 10th block, most appreciate the plaza’s tranquility.
d Map Q5
£ El Obelisco Monumental sculpture does not get much bolder than El Obelisco – a 220-ft (67-m) spire set on
9 de Julio. The 1936 structure was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Buenos Aires’ founding, and it now serves as a point of orientation for visitors and porteủos, as well as the punchline of local jokes (for 2005’s AIDS Awareness
Week, the structure was covered by a giant pink
condom) (see p20).
$ Centro Cultural Borges
However incongruous it may be to find a vital cultural center inside a shopping mall, the Centro Cultural Borges
is an enveloping experience. The
three-level space is dedicated to Argentina’s grandest writer (see p33), exhibiting Borges’
letters, poems, and effects. It is also a performance space, where avant-garde tango shows draw passionate audiences. Its visual arts wing recently held a show of the Catalán artist Joan Miró.
d Map Q5 • Galerías Pacífico • 5555- 5359 • Open 10am–9pm Mon–Sat, noon–
9pm Sun • Adm • www.ccborges.org.ar Equestrian statue of San Martín
Centro Cultural Borges housed in Galerías Pacífico
82
Around Town – Microcentro, Puerto Madero & Retiro
Lunch – Microcentro Style For people who take a sandwich
back to the computer, the lunchtime customs of Microcentro’s workers might inspire admiration and jealousy.
Workers eat out at a restaurant or a shady patch of Plaza de Mayo.
A coffee follows at Martínez or Havanna, and in good weather, a
short nap under a palm. Two hours later, it is back to work.
The elegant Puente de la Mujer
% Puente de la Mujer When opened in December 2001, Spanish architect Sergio Calatrava’s Puente de la Mujer, so called for the streets in Puerto Madero bearing names of famous Argentinian women, was intended to herald the city’s entry into the 21st century. How- ever, the government’s collapse stole the bridge’s headlines. Its striking form cannot be denied though, evoking a male dancer pressing into his female partner in clear, elegant homage to the tango.d Map G2 • Dique 3
^ Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur
A network of gravel paths wind through this stupendous eco- logical reserve. High marsh grasses, ombú trees, and
flowering bushes play host to seabirds, lizards, and songbirds.
Shaded picnic areas, popular on warm days, afford unimpeded river views. Check the website for guided moonlit tours.
d Map H1 • Avda. Tristán Achával Rodríguez 1550 • 4315-4129 • Open Apr–
Oct: 8am–6pm Tue–Sun; Nov–Mar: 8am–
7pm Tue–Sun • www.buenosaires.gov.ar
& Basilica Nuestra Seủora de la Merced
This 1779 basilica set amid Microcentro’s bustle is the third Our Lady of Mercy on this site, the first dating back to 1604.
Baroque and gilded, its altars are some of the city’s finest. Also notable is its faỗade’s politicized relief, depicting General Belgrano (1770–1820) offering victory trophies to the Seủora, earned in battle against the Spanish.d Map F1 • Calle Reconquista 207 • Open 8am–7pm daily
* Museo Mitre
Reopened in 2008 after restoration, the former residence of mid-19th-century president Bartólome Mitre presents a detailed view of how he lived the semi-retired life amidst Microcentro’s madness. His formidable library and reading
Around Town – Microcentro, Puerto Madero & Retiro
83