The Buenos Aires Blog

Gaucho Gil

2009-12-03T03:39:00.001-08:00

Throughout Argentina there are hundreds of roadside shrines memorializing Guacho Gil, a legendary cowboy whose existence is undocumented and continues to be debated. The legend is that Antonio Gil was a Robin Hood-like outlaw who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Eventually he was caught and hanged by the authorities. Before his hanging he assured everyone that he would survive in spirit and continue to help the poor. His devotees, to this day, erect shrines along highways and byways of Argentine, leaving offerings to his memory, in the hope that he will perform a personal miracle on their behalf. i.e. help them recover from an illness, pass an exam, win the heart of another, etc. The shrines are characteristically decorated with red ribbons, candles, offerings (such as bottles of beer, booze, etc.) and various objects.

Above, a typical roadside Gaucho Gil shrine. This one along a dirt road several kilometers outside of San Antonio de Areco. Some are much smaller and others very elaborate. Keep an eye open and you will notice that there are also some in Buenos Aires.

The Celery Seed Adventure

2009-03-28T07:10:00.001-07:00

Sub-title: Grocery shopping in Buenos Aires

Tuesday, March 24, 2009.

We are in Buenos Aires and it has been marvelous. It's in the upper 80's and sunny every day so far (we arrived Saturday morning). The ten-day forecast ranges from sunny to partly cloudy and in the upper 70's to upper 80's. We've been very laid back. Just riding our bikes into new neighborhoods; exploring. Yesterday, the bulk of the day was taken up shopping for ingredients to prepare dinner for our friends Adriana and Carlos tonight. We shopped yesterday because today is a holiday here and we're not sure what stores will be open. Much of what we needed to buy involved a search because the ingredients are either not common here or have to be bought in a specialty shop. One example is celery seed. First of all, grocery stores and supermarkets generally don't carry herbs and spices. You have to go to a store called a dietetica.

A small dietetica

These are small shops that specialize in herbs and spices, as well as natural products and alternative medicines. We visited several dieteticas and were surprised that none carried celery seed. At the start of search we were hampered by the fact that we only knew the word for celery, in Spanish (apio), but the word for seed. Our Franklin translator only has the verb "seed," but not the noun. The woman in the first dietetica assured me that the verduleria (vegetable store) next door would have it. (Also called a fruteria-verduleria). The green grocer rummaged around and finally offered me nice bunch of celery, which I politely declined. And the search resumed.

A typical fruteria-verdularia

While I was running into the stores, Carolyn guarded our bikes. At one point she struck up a conversation with two school girls who spoke English (I don't know how this happened). This was fortuitous because they told us the word for "seed." Semilla. Yippee! Now we could do some shopping! Semillas de apio!

The helpfull schoolgirl

We stopped at two more dieteticas. The additional knowledge it didn't help, other than it gave the appearance that I knew what was looking for, which simply encouraged the people in the dieteticas to offer me alternatives to consider. i.e. alternatives from the perspective of alternative medicine purposes. I don't think that works for recipes, but perhaps I'm wrong. Substituting basil for celery might result in an entirely different but perfectly tasty dish.

In desperation, we resorted to looking at the COTO (a supermarket). Surprisingly, they did offer an assortment of condiments, herbs and spices in a section of imported foods. They had, for example, cayenne, which we had already found previously in a dietetica. (More on cayenne below). They also had an interesting assortment of condiments from the U.S. that I have never seen in the U.S., as well as various Asian stuff, but no celery seed.

Carolyn spied the awning and tables of Don Julio at the end of the block. We decided to postpone the search in favor of lunch. After my brain had been degreased with a couple of glasses of wine, I asked the waiter if he knew where some semillas de apio might be had. He offered to ask the cook and returned with an out of the box thinking type answer: Go to the the end of the block and around the corner there is a garden center. They sell seeds at the garden center. Eureka!

Eureka! Celery seeds!

Last night our friend Silvia had us over for dinner. We related search. When I mentioned my search for small red potatoes, which I eventually found in a she smiled and explained that they are not normally found in the supermarket or even the verduleria. Nope. They only sell the large white potatoes. She told us that you have to keep an eye out for one of the Bolivian women that claim a spot on the sidewalk to sell their small stock of vegetables, herbs and spices. These women often have the "Bolivian potatoes." i.e. Small red potatoes.

This morning we discovered that somehow we managed to lose the precious package of celery seeds. It probably fell out of the bicycle basket. Tuesday morning Tito suggested a store called KLeR, which sells spices, but it was closed for the holiday. He led me to a flower stand on the corner, which I thought would be an unlikely place, but the vendor apologetically explained that he usually had celery seeds, but was out of stock due to the constant demand. Demand? He explained, with a wink, that celery seed is a natural alternative to Viagra. Later Carolyn and I went to the big garden center on Scalabrini Ortiz, Vivero Mario and found they had plenty of celery seed in stock. Finally we had the 1/2 teaspoon that we needed for the salad dressing! See the recipe HERE.

Museo Xul Solar

2009-02-01T21:16:00.001-08:00

Museo de Xul Solar is often overlooked by visitors to Buenos Aires, which is an unfortunate oversight.

Xul Solar was a man of many talents and interests . . . a painter, sculptor, inventor of languages, and writer. A small museum, in the building in which he lived, is architecturally interesting, in addition to an extensive collection.

Don't miss this gem of a museum:
Museo de Xul Solar
Laprida 1212

Cementerio de la Chacarita

2008-12-16T18:13:00.001-08:00

We spent another two glorious weeks in Buenos Aires, beginning November 20, 2008. The first week was unseasonably hot (90's but welcome) and the second week was perfect (mid 80's). It poured one afternoon and was cloudy the next day. Actually, and I can't believe I'm going to say it, the cloudy day was a welcome reprieve from day after day of perfect blue skies and sunshine. See the photos here.

Last March we bought some bikes, which greatly expanded our opportunities for exploring the city. One of the most fascinating things we explored was this time was Cementerio de la Chacarita. We arrived at a modest, secondary entrance that did not offer a clue to what lay beyond the walls. Yes, walls. The entire place is surrounded by huge walls, like a medieval castle. For some reason, this entrance is identified as Cementerio del Oeste.

We quickly discovered that this cemetery is enormous. Immense. On the order of eight or ten times the size of the touristy Cementerio de la Recoleta. Simply put: It's the largest cemetery in South America.

In the map above (click to enlarge), the Recoleta is outlined in red. Cementerio de la Chacarita is outlined in blue. The yellow dot denotes the location of Casa Palermo. Unlike Recoleta, there were few people here on a Sunday afternoon.

Chacarita was established in 1871 and quickly began accepting victims of the yellow fever epidemic that raged in La Boca and San Telmo. Although less costly to be buried here than in Recoleta, there are many famous Porteños here. Among the most famous is Carlos Gardel, the beloved tango singer, who died in a plane crash in 1935. Each June 26th the area around his burial site is crammed with fans to this day. However, the most famous person buried here was Peron himself (Juan Domingo Peron). In 1987 thieves broke into his vault and severed and took his hands. Some speculate this was done to get his finger prints and access secret Swiss banks accounts. I dunno, seems a bit farfetched to me. Recently, his body was moved to his country home in San Vincente.

One of the fascinating aspects of Cemenerio de la Chacarita is the vast network of underground vaults and niches. There are two sections. One, closer to the part of the cemetery near the main entrance, and seemingly older, has small niches. See next two photos.

Further away from the main entrance is another, larger underground labyrinth, these being on two levels:

Click the photo above to see more detail. This is an extensive underground necropolis, with architecturally interesting access points at ground level. We found a plaque indicating that this was built in 1958.

Of course, the cemetery has blocks and blocks of monumental vaults similar to those found at Recoleta:

We found that vandals had broken into many of these, but the majority are in excellent condition. The "streets" within the cemetery seem to be endless. The following photos is of the main entrance, which we got to see on the way out:

Statistics: 12,000 burial vaults, 100,000 gravesites, 350,000 niches, covering an area of 95 blocks. In addition, there are two contiguous but separate cemeteries: Cementerio Aleman and Cementerio Britanico (We did not get a chance to visit either of these).

Cementerio de la Chacarita is accessible by taking Linea B to the Federico LaCroze station. On the weekends, there is an enormous market in the adjacent park. Larger than any other I have seen in Buenos Aires (at least so far).

Buying Art in Argentina

2008-12-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

Last March we agreed to purchase a couple of paintings in Buenos Aires. One was about 14" x 20" and the other 3' x 5'. These were both oil paintings and not "street" art, but rather, fine art (accompanying image is a photo of the larger of the two). The smaller painting cost $200 US and the other $1,500 US. We left the larger one behind because it required restoration.

The seller packaged the smaller painting nicely, but he did not give us a receipt. When we got to the airport (EZE), the American Airlines clerk was very concerned that the painting would be confiscated because we did not have formal documentation evidencing that this was not a national treasure (!). Nor did we have documentation evidencing official permission to take our painting out of the country. He suggested that the police look at it before we took it through customs. Some police guy looked at it, shrugged and said it was up the the customs people upstairs. At this point we were quite nervous, not to mention irritated, but the customs people barely looked at it. My understanding is that some buyers of art have not been so lucky and have had "street art" confiscated or, at minimum, underwent considerable scrutiny before being allowed to depart with their treasure.

My understanding is that galleries are familiar with the regulations and procedures, however, it's not uncommon to buy art either from a vendor or artist at a street market or directly from an artist at his/her studio. I don't know if the artists are aware the regulations and/or the potential problems facing a buyer.

The formal steps required to get official approval to take art from Argentina are rather onerous:

1) Request a appraisal at the Banco Ciudad, which takes at least 24 hours, and,
2) With the appraisal in hand, submit a formal request at the Dirección de Artes Visuales, which is within the Ministry of Culture, to authorize the departure of the work, a procedure that takes about ten days.

I can't imagine that many people do this, but those who don't are at some risk . . . so be aware.

Note: As it turned out, a well qualified friend inspected the larger painting after the restoration was complete and advised us that it would not meet our expectations. So, we ended up declining the purchase. Had we concluded the transaction, I imagine we would have encountered considerable difficulty at the airport. The seller, a minor dealer, didn't say a word about it. As in all transactions, remember the doctrine of caveat emptor (buyer beware).

An article on this topic appears at this link (in Spanish): La Nacion

Christmas & New Year's Eve in Buenos Aires

2008-09-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Celebration in Buenos Aires

Casa Palermo has had a number of guest inquiries about Christmas in Buenos Aires, so I will share our experience . . .

Christmas

In general, we found that Christmas was less commercialized than in the U.S. Stores often had decorations, to some extent, but nothing like in the U.S. It was a welcome change.

We had the foresight to stop in at Roof, a restaurant around the corner, about a week ahead of time to ask if reservations were necessary for Christmas Eve. Indeed, not only were reservations required, but a deposit in the form of full payment was necessary. We we arrived it was evident why. The place was entirely filled. And unlike many restaurants in the U.S., they don't "turn tables." Once you have your table, you have it for the evening. We arrived at 9:00 p.m., with daughters Natalie and Julia, and didn't leave until 1:00 a.m. They had a fixed menu, but with numerous choices for appetizers, main courses, sides, etc. Everything was excellent; the service, the food, the ambiance, as well as the festive atmosphere that the staff created.

After dinner there was dancing and we took full advantage. In addition, two teenage boys from Colombia came to our table to ask us for approval for them to invite Natalie and Julia (teenagers then) to dance. Around the time desert was served, Santa appeared, in complete costume, an visited each table, giving every lady a small gift bag.

At midnight, two unexpected things happened. First, everyone in the restaurant started clapping and counting down the last minute before midnight. Second, at midnight, the sky erupted with fireworks and a lot of the people, including us, stepped outside to watch them. The sky was filled with fireworks in every direction. These were not organized displays, but fireworks being shot from what seemed like half the houses in BA. It was entirely unexpected and spectacular. Overall, it was a most memorable Christmas Eve, particularly because Natalie and Julia were able to be with us.

We anticipated that not much would be open on Christmas Day, so during the day on Christmas Eve we bought medialunas (small glazed, crescent-shaped bioche), fruit and other provisions for breakfast. Thank god! Nothing was open. Absolutely nothing. The city was wonderfully quiet. No traffic whatsoever; just the songs of birds. We had to do some hunting to find a place for lunch, but interestingly, by dinnertime, a lot of restaurants reopened. In any case, be prepared.

New Year's Eve

Shortly after making reservations at Roof for Christmas Eve it occurred to us to plan on New Year's Eve and we made reservations at the now defunct Club del Vino. Natalie and Julia left shortly after Christmas, so it was just the two of us for New Year's Eve. Although the atmosphere at Club Del Vino was less festive, the food was good, but they offered way too much. We had finished two main courses by 11:30 p.m. and saw the wait staff delivering plates with what looked like some sort of cakes. We decided to forgo the desert and made a sudden plan to leave and get to the roof terrace at Casa Palermo to watch the inevitable fire works. While waiting for the check, we realized that the "cakes" were not cakes at all, but yet a third course of lomo (filet mignon)! Once outside we discovered that there wasn't a taxi to be found and started on a brisk walk home (about 1 mile). We were astonished to find that there was no traffic on Scalabrini Ortiz; normally a heavily packed four lane thoroughfare. We arrived at Casa Palermo in time to crack open a bottle of champagne and to get to the terrace a few minutes before midnight. Once the fireworks started, they didn't end until almost 1:00 a.m. We watched an incredible display, with rockets and bursts in all directions. New Year's Day was similar to Christmas Day. Virtually everything closed and a wonderful quiet and peace everywhere we walked.

Living in Buenos Aires

2008-06-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

A interesting article (Crisis and Renewal by Maxine Swann) about a norte americano living in Buenos Aires appears HERE.

Photo Essay: Montecarlo

2008-04-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Montecarlo is a typical corner cafe-bar, operated by a young man named Gerardo Lorenzo and his mother. The menu is typical of such places, but the ambiance and friendly service make is a great place to have breakfast or lunch. It's a comfortable place to people watch. A perfect oasis to take a break while exploring Palermo.

Montecarlo
Paraguay 5499-91

click here to see photo essay.

Cheating on your hairdresser

2008-03-19T19:25:00.001-07:00

Carolyn will likely have a fit when she sees that I've posted this article because it reveals a secret: She has her hair colored. And not merely colored, but treated with two colors in a scientifically complex process that takes two hours, involves hazardous chemicals, requires a complete understanding of alchemy and employs aluminum foil. Of course, the result is that she looks stunning, so its worth every penny. Or in this case, every peso.

Because of the exchange rate, most services in Argentina cost about one third of what you would pay in the U.S., so Carolyn decided to save a few dollars and have some fun while on vacation. She found a suitable looking salon (Victor Rubenoff on Charcas), but the menu of options was not at all familiar or understandable (i.e. in Spanish). So during lunch, we enlisted our friend Fernando to call the salon to explain exactly what she was after. When she arrived, she was put into Marcelo's care, who, miraculously, did exactly what she wanted. The results were stunning, as always.

Need a drink?

2008-02-27T17:41:00.000-08:00

The photo above captures a dining moment that is rare or virtually impossible to find in the United States. That is, having lunch and sharing a large bottle of beer on the sidewalk in front of your favorite little pizza joint.

We, in the U.S. (and Canada), are so incredibly up tight about so much, especially alcohol, it's amazing we all don't simply explode. In many other countries, beer and wine, if not stronger libations, are considered a part of the diet. Period. Nobody thinks twice about it otherwise.

I recall driving in Mexico about six years ago on the toll road that leads from Mexico City to Oaxaca. Enterprising "restaurantuers" set up shop in hastily built shacks, frying tortillas, grilling unidentifiable animal parts and serving cactus. Beverages available? Coke, beer, tequila. Just don't drink the water. Tequila on the toll road. Hilarious.

In the U.S., in contrast, having alcohol served anywhere on the the premises is subject to strict regulation and involves expensive and difficult to obtain licenses. I don't recall, exactly, the bizarre rules about where and when you can buy alcohol in Tennesssee, but it's so off the wall it's hard to believe it's the 20th century in that state. I understand other states also have such unfortunate weirdness. Just this last summer, Carolyn and I arrived at our favorite Thai restaurant (Yes Thai) in Chicago to find all the outdoor tables vacant (a first) on one of the most beautiful summer evenings imaginable. Inside we learned that the City suddenly decided to prohibit them from serving alcohol outside because they were too close to a nearby school. (I hate to be so cynical, but I think they simply don't understand that the guy telling them this was expecting an envelope.) Actually, I lied. I enjoy being cynical sometimes :)

The center and third photos show a wonderful tradition that we experience in Buenos Aires. After a meal, many restaurants (not the tourist places) bring a limoncello or other apertif as a thank you for your patronage. Imagine that happening at your local diner in the U.S.? I don't mean to complain, but we are made to believe that everything about the U.S. is ideal , and in many ways it is, but there is room for improvement. For example, having wine on sidewalk at Yes Thai.

In Buenos Aires, you can pretty much get a beer or wine (or something stronger) virtually anyplace that serves food. And the servers are almost always polite and helpful, albeit slow, but that's the culture. Eating and drinking take time. Take your time; chew your food. Relax. And by all means, have another glass of wine.

Buen provecho!

La Cava de Rovere

2008-02-27T17:11:00.001-08:00

La Cava de Rovere
Honduras esq. Lavalleja
4833-6180

This posting is a plug for a new wine bar and delicatessen in Palermo Viejo; a short walk from Casa Palermo.

We came across this place on one of our many strolls. We were in the mood for a glass of red and asked the owner if any wines were available by the glass. He waved his hand at a wall of bottles. I no longer recall what we had, based on his recommendation, other than that it was tasty. There is a small deli in an adjacent room with lots of delicious looking hams, cold cuts, appetizers, etc. We noted that they prepare beautiful party trays (picadas).

Closed Sundays. Otherwise open 10 am -midnight.

For other wine tasting venues, see this link: wine

Dining In Buenos Aires

2008-02-12T17:55:00.001-08:00

Buenos Aires is all about food. There are thousands of places to eat in Buenos Aires; over 700 in Palermo alone. In addition to the typical parrilla (steak house), Buenos Aires boasts Italian, Spanish, French, Scandinavian, Asian, French, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Polish and German restaurants . . . and many others. If you like, you can dine on dinner prepared with aphrodisiacs. Not your cup of tea? How about vegetarian or macrobiotic restaurants? The variety seems endless; staggering really. Something for everyone and at every price point. One of the nice aspects is that unlike the nonsense we experience in the states (i.e. liquor license that is expensive and difficult to get), you can get a beer, a glass of wine, or something stronger at virtually at any restaurant; even a tiny empanada shop or even a café.

Breakfast: Breakfast like we have in the U.S. is unheard of. It's all about pastries and coffee; or a sandwich. No eggs, sausage or bacon & hash browns! Media lunas are commonly eaten for breakfast. They are essentially a brioche shaped in the form of a crescent, like a croissant, and glazed. Oh, and about the coffee. They don't have coffee like in the U.S. either. Coffee is essentially espresso. I always order café doble (otherwise it's really a small portion) and Carolyn orders a café doble con leche (double size coffee with milk) or café cortado (espresso with a little milk). Cream is not used in coffee either. In fact, we could not find that they have cream at all. They use milk or steamed milk.

The café: The café is a “porteño” institution (porteño = people of the port). When we think of cafes, we usually think of Europe, but the porteños are real experts. Cafés abound everywhere and people sit in them for hours. Somehow, they have made a science of nursing an espresso for two hours. And we have fallen for it head over heels. Carolyn and I routinely wile away two hours or more, people watching in between reading magazines, blabbing and sipping. You will notice a wonderful tradition in cafes: The waiter will nearly always serve a small cookie with a cup of coffee.

Meat: Argentina has the highest per capita meat consumption in the world. Once you have a steak here, you will know why. The beef in better restaurants is outstanding. The cattle from which better beef is had graze on the pampas and eat actual grass, so the taste is better and the meat leaner. I have had tenderloin that literally tastes like it's melting in my mouth. Be aware that Argentina butchers cut up the beef into slightly different cuts, so some are similar to what you will find in the grocery store in Chicago; others are not.

My favorite cuts of beef:

bife de lomo (or simply lomo) = tenderloin
bife de chorizo = similar to top loin, sirloin steak, strip steak, N.Y. strip
ojo de bife or bife ancho = rib-eye cuts
bife con lomo = T-bone (or Porterhouse) steak

Note: lomito is a smaller serving of bife de lomo, typically a thin serving on a sandwich. At Pinot Cafe, a neighborhood restaurant at Plaza Guemes, near Casa Palermo, I order a sandwich called "Lomito Especial," which is very tasty, topped with cheese and a fried egg.
Note 2: Chorizo is a grilled sausage that can be found in every parrilla. It's got to be really, really bad for you, but I can't resist them; succulent and delicious. One of the best chorizos I've had is at La Dorita de enfrente. (note: Argentine chorizo is very different and nothing like Mexican chorizo).

Parrilla (pronounced pah-reesh-ah): A parrilla is a steak house and they are ubiquitous in Buenos Aires. Typically, an enormous grill is the centerpiece of the restaurant. Parrillas serve all varieties of beef, sausages, chinchulines (small intestines), riñones (kidneys) and morcilla (blood sausage).

Where to eat? To find restaurants in Buenos Aires, Óleo is the best guide available, short of personal recommendations. The Óleo database allows searches by a variety parameters: cuisine, neighborhood, price, etc. Not only will it provide the address and usually a photo of the restaurant, it will provide a location map. Particularly helpful are the ratings of the food, service, decor and price that are calculated by user votes. Indeed, vote after you've eaten someplace. Óleo is indispensable.

Gael Greene's "Buenos Aires Hot List" is noteworthy and Ms. Greene's credential's are impeccable. However, Casa Palermo guests receive our person list of recommendations. Recent guest Tom B. from Venice, Florida wrote, "The restaurant recommendations were amazing. While some were more enjoyable than others, there was not a bad meal to be had from your list." One of our recent favorites is the restaurant Bo Bo (at the Bo Bo Hotel) in Palermo.

Hours: Porteños dine later than people of the U.S. Dinner in restaurants begins at 9:00 p.m. and people take their time. Restaurants don't turn tables (except in some touristy restaurants; principally in Puerto Madero). Once you have a table, take your time and feel free to stick around until the place closes.

Pizza: There are loads of pizza places in BA. The pizza is a bit different that in the U.S., but terrific. Among our favorite's is Morelia. Order the pizza "a la parrilla" (grilled) and you will find yourself drooling over a thin, cracker crisp pizza. Indoor and outdoor seating.

Smoking: Buenos Aires went smoke free in January, 2007. No smoking in any restaurants. However, this has raised the popularity of outdoor seats.

Mate: You will notice people drinking and sharing mate. Mate is essentially a tea made with the dried leaves of a plant called yerba mate. Typically it's drunk from a gourd through a special metal straw called a bombilla. Mate is something that is enjoyed in someone's home or shop. It is not sold in cafes or restaurants.

Home made: There are many family operated restaurants in Buenos Aires. You won't find them in Recoleta or Barrio Norte, but they are hiding all over the other barrios. These places often look run down but serve excellent, truly home made food. Don't be afraid to try them.

Tips:

Don't bother cooking at home: There are too many wonderful restaurants to try.
Tipping: For excellent service, tip 10%. Average service: 5 - 7%.
Tips: Be prepared. For some odd reason, you cannot add a tip to a credit card charge. You must leave the tip in cash, so come prepared!
Reservations: Some restaurants don't accept reservations; many do. If you don't show up within 15 minutes of your time, don't be surprized if they give your table to another guest.
Wine: Initially we ordered expensive wines, but a local friend taught us to stick to wines in the $20-35 Peso range. These are almost all excellent. No need to spend $60 or $80 Pesos unless you really want to splurge.
Beer: Share by ordering "la cervesa grande" and ask for "dos vasos" (two glasses).
Payment: Be prepared, some places only take cash. Only some places will accept U.S. dollars.
Pepper: You will find salt on the table, but rarely pepper. Ask pimienta, por favor (pee myen tah)
Hot: Forgettaboutit. Oddly, hot and spicy (picante) are not popular. We have found it difficult to find anything real spicy. Carolyn spotted Tabasco recently, only to discover it labeled "MILD" (!).
Chimichurri: It's not spicy. It's got flavor and served with meat, but it's not spicy.
Casera (kah-ser-ah): This means "home made" and is often a sign of good eating.
Water: Virtually all restaurants serve bottled water, either sparkling (agua con gas) or still (agua sin gas), however, we regularly drink tap water at Casa Palermo.
Picadas: Not all restaurant have these, but if they do, they are great to have instead of a meal. Picadas are simply a plate of tidbits. Usually cubes or slices of cheese, ham, olives, etc.
A punto (ah poon-toh): Cooked medium (steak = pink)
Cruda (crude-ah): Rare (as in very under-cooked), bloody center.
Well done: I don't know (this shouldn't be done to beef unless you like it tough).
Dulce de Leche (duel-say deh lech-eh): Caramel. People are crazy about it in Buenos Aires.
Milanesa: beef, pork or chicken in a thick covering of bread crumbs.
You want to sit outside? Ask "afuera, por favor." (Inside? Adentro.)

Area & Populations Statistics/Comparisons

2008-01-30T19:59:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

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

Far Away and Long Ago - a book recommendation

2008-01-03T20:00:00.001-08:00

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.

The Palace of Running Water

2007-12-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

Museo del Patrimonio Histórico at the Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes (Palace of Running Water)

Av. Córdoba 1750, Buenos Aires
Museum entrance at Riobamba 750, 1st floor

Click here for photo slideshow: Palace of Running Water

Avenida Córdoba is an often used thoroughfare, so although many tourist pass by this grandiose Baroque structure, most miss this attraction because the entrance is around the corner at Riobamba 750. In addition, although residents pay their water bills on the first floor, the museum is only open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9-noon.

The building construction began in 1887 and was completed in 1897. Norwegian designer Olaf Boye was responsible for the building's design; the English construction company Bateman-Parsons and Bateman took responsibility for construction. The façade is made up of over 170,000 tiles and more than 130,000 enamel bricks, as well as glazed castings of the coat of arms of the fourteen provinces and the capital, which at that time made up the Republic of Argentina . The ocher and blue-greenish terracotta glazed tiles were made by Royal Doulton and shipped in crates from Britain. Each tile was numbered, corresponding to it's exact placement on the building. Located at the highest point of the city (such as it is in this incredibly flat city), El Palacio de Aguas Corrientes was built as a disguise for what was essentially a water tower meant to provide clean, drinking water to the locals following the yellow fever epidemic of 1877.

Water was collected from the river, off the shore of Belgrano, and diverted through canals to Recoleta, where it was pumped to El Palacio. Twelve metal tanks inside stored 72 million liters of water. Today the equipment is defunct and the building serves as the headquarters of the water company Aguas Argentinas. It also is home to the waterworks museum that has hundreds of toilets collected from across the world as well as a library, drawings, antique sanitary artifacts, models and other materials on waterworks across the globe.

Prior to the construction of the distributed municipal plumbing system, water was collected and held in pools and containers in individual homes. In the mid-1800's water was literally sold in buckets to homeowners, brought from the river, full of silt. These conditions helped spread disease. Because the new water storage building was located in an area that was being populated by the city’s wealthy families and their mansions, the building was meant to complement the surrounding architecture and as a monument to what was a world class city.

An excerpt from the book "Far Away and Long Ago" by W. H. Hudson provides a clear, first hand description of the situation around 1870:

" . . . the principal and sublime stench in a city of evil smells, a populous city built on a plain without drainage and without water-supply beyond that which was sold by watermen in buckets, each bucketful containing about half a pound of red clay in solution. It is true that the best houses had _algibes,_ or cisterns, under the courtyard, where the rainwater from the flat roofs was deposited. I remember that water well: you always had one or two to half-a-dozen scarlet wrigglers, the larvae of mosquitoes, in a tumblerful, and you drank your water, quite calmly, wrigglers and all!

All this will serve to give an idea of the condition of the city of that time from the sanitary point of view, and this state of things lasted down to the 'seventies of the last century, when Buenos Ayres came to be the chief pestilential city of the globe and was obliged to call in engineers from England to do something to save the inhabitants from extinction."

Cul de Sac

2007-12-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

There is no end to walking around Palermo, and one can certainly spend an entire vacation wandering there, but we find ourselves occasionally "crossing the border" into Almagro and Villa Crespo, two barrios immediately south of Palermo. Each time, we find something interesting. During our last trip we stumbled across Cul de Sac, an outlet store/showroom for a small handbag (cartera) manufacturer that is located in the rear. The plant produces bags for other labels, but the showroom exclusively displays its own label, Cul de Sac.

The owner previously designed bags for Prune, a well known handbag store in Palermo Soho, before striking out on his own. Carolyn ended up buying four bags. Two as gifts and two for herself. Cinthia, the saleswoman, spoke enough English to help us make the purchase. The store is only about a 10 minute walk from Casa Palermo (7 blocks), located at Lavalleja 1114 (Esq. Cordoba 4400). 4774-9448

Note: Argentina is well known for it's leather and there is a "Leather District" in Buenos Aires that's only about a ten minute cab drive from Casa Palermo. It's located in the area surrounding the intersection of Murillo and Scalabrini Ortiz.

Note: Click map for a larger image.

Pickpockets & Other Dangers

2007-12-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

I really hate to make my first posting on my Buenos Aires Blog about something negative, but I want our guests to have a good time and not get ripped off. BA is simply sublime when all is going well. But like in Chicago, or any large city, you have to be on your guard. During our last trip (Nov-07), someone tried to pickpocket me two different times:

1. On a very crowded downtown subte (subway) car, standing near the doors, I felt fingers reaching into my back pocket. I quickly turned around, pretending to get a better grip of the handrail. The guy was directly in front of me, looking innocent and off to the right. Moments later, I felt tugging on the camera case, which is strapped to my belt and on my side. I realized that the same guy was trying to open the zipper on the camera case. I shifted, placed my hand on my camera case and stared at the guy, who pretended to ignore and moved away. I noticed that had pulled the zipper open about halfway. I began to formulate a plan. I saw that he had his cell phone in his shirt pocket. I figured that at the next stop, as the doors opened, I would reach into his pocket, grab the phone and hurl it out on to the platform. I envisioned that he would go after it. But then he pulled out the phone and began playing with it. So instead, I took his photo. He immediately turned away, pretending to be looking out the window, and vanished the moment the doors opened at the next stop.

2. At another sutbe platform, as a train pulled up, everyone rushed forward, even though there are throngs of people trying to get off. All the bodies are in contact at such a moment and it's an ideal opportunity for a pickpocket. Sure enough, I felt some tugging at my camera case. I looked down and saw that a middle-aged woman's hand was struggling with the zipper. What astonished me was her clever approach. Her purse was cut open at one end and her hand was protruding from it. Had she snatched my camera, she would have simple pulled it into the purse. Of course, I pulled away and she instantly vanished, never actually getting on the train. (A good strategy would be to hang back, let the crowd get on the train, and get on last.)

Taxi trouble

Here's a tip we all need to keep in mind when in BA: If a taxi driver initiates a telephone call or starts texting after you get into the cab, it's probably prudent to immediately tell him to stop, get out and walk away. Find a different cab. I read this tip a while back somewhere, but this story puts it into perspective:

KIDNAPPED

Update (2-21-09): I learned that some dishonest taxi drivers at Retiro train station are pulling this trick: When a passenger gets into the car, they insist on seeing the bills that you plan to pay with. When you hand them the bill(s) to examine, they substitute them with counterfeit bills. Tip: If you are paying with a large bill, memorize the last three digits and read them to the driver as you hand them the bill. -OR- pay in small bills. That will drive him nuts.

Don't wear expensive stuff

We were on a bus on Av. Sante Fe. I was talking with my friend Ralph; Carolyn was sitting with our friend Nancy. Unexpectedly, another passenger, a woman, said to me, in English, that she recognized that Carolyn was wearing a Movado watch and a diamond ring. She cautioned that thieves recognize the real thing. Nothing happened, but at least we were warned. Carolyn put her watch and ring away.

Be careful out there.

Also see: Trip Advisor posting

Inaugural Posting

2007-12-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

I have created The Buenos Aires Blog to serve as a outpost for information about Buenos Aires for guests of Casa Palermo and tourists in general who are interested in information about Buenos Aires.

Links to photos I have taken in Buenos Aires:

November, 2007
November, 2006
April, 2006
December, 2005
October, 2005