Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Plaza Lavalle
Right
Parque Las Heras
Plazas and Green Spaces
!
Plaza Rodríguez Peña
bronze effigy of General San
Martín complete this charming
square
(see p81)
.
$
Plaza Vincente López
Every fall, the lovely flowers
of this plaza's tropical jacaranda
trees blanket its paths and lawns
in a beautiful bluish-purple. It is a
picturesque sight and, just one
block from the noisy intersection
of Avenidas Santa Fe and Callao,
a perfect soother for busy
shoppers.
d
Map N5 • Barrio Norte
@
Plaza Lavalle
This lovely plaza recalls the
elegant city squares of Paris and
London. It is difficult to imagine
that it was once a dumping
ground for the bloody carcasses
of the Recoleta slaughterhouse.
Crisscrossed by paths, filled with
tropical trees and birdsong, and
with beautifully maintained
lawns, it is the perfect readers'
square. It has a children's play
area, too.
d
Map P4 • Recoleta
%
Jardín Botánico
One of the city's oldest
squares, Plaza Lavalle is fronted
by important buildings. These
include the Teatro Colón
(see
pp12-13)
and the Palacio de
Justicia (the federal supreme
court). The city's biggest
synagogue, the Templo Libertad,
stands at the square's
northeastern corner.
d
Map P5
• Barrio Norte
Carlos Thays
Wild and wonderful, the city's
botanical gardens combine high
art with verdant nature. Opened
in 1898 and designed by French
landscape architect Carlos Thays,
the gardens are home to over
5,500 plant species from every
continent. The plant life is inter-
spersed with classical statues
and fountains.
d
Map L3 • Palermo
£
Plaza San Martín
Named in honor of
Argentina's great liberator,
General San Martín, this lovely,
monumental plaza is
sequestered on weekdays by
sunbathing office
workers and kissing
couples. At its center
is a magnificient 200-
year-old rubber tree,
to the east of which
stretches a broad
balcony with views
over Retiro. A
memorial to
Argentinian soldiers
killed in the 1982
Falklands War and a
Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays
36
Watch tango from under a canopy of trees at the Jardín
Botánico, which holds free cultural events on weekends.
