Area & Populations Statistics/Comparisons

Buenos Aires has more people per square mile than any U.S. city. The density is palpable and it gives the city a vibrancy that is reminiscent of Manhattan. There are stores and shops everywhere. Taxis are ubiquitous. The sidewalks on main avenues are crowded with people. It's a city that's alive.

Yet, Sundays are still quieter than in large U.S. cities. Many shops are closed and traffic is noticeably lighter. Christmas Day is the biggest surprise: Virtually everything is closed. One has to plan ahead for breakfast and lunch, or go hungry. Curiously, many restaurants re-open for dinner on Christmas Day.

The Tango Singer

My review of the book, The Tango Singer, by Tomás Eloy Martínez, appears here.

Far Away and Long Ago - a book recommendation

Far Away and Long Ago is the childhood memory of naturalist William Henry Hudson. He was born (1841) in the Quilmes Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, son of settlers of U.S. origin, and grew up on the pampas of Buenos Aires. The account covers the period beginning about 1845 and ending around 1860, during Hudson's formative years. The book has a bit more about birds than I care to know, but they were Hudson's love. He is an excellent writer and offers a glimpse into a fascinating period in a fascinating place. Following is an excerpt, as a sample:

One hot day in December I had been standing perfectly still for a few minutes among the dry weeds when a slight rustling sound came from near my feet, and glancing down I saw the head and neck of a large black serpent moving slowly past me. In a moment or two the flat head was lost to sight among the close-growing weeds, but the long body continued moving slowly by--so slowly that it hardly appeared to move, and as the creature must have been not less than six feet long, and probably more, it took a very long time, while I stood thrilled with terror, not daring to make the slightest movement, gazing down upon it. Although so long it was not a thick snake, and as it moved on over the white ground it had the appearance of a coal-black current flowing past me--a current not of water or other liquid but of some such element as quicksilver moving on in a rope-like stream. At last it vanished, and turning I fled from the ground, thinking that never again would I venture into or near that frightfully dangerous spot in spite of its fascination.