Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
!
Plaza San Martín
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 porteños, as well
as being the traditional place
for football fans to congregate
should their team win
(see p20)
.
$
Centro Cultural
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 le¡ading to
the Falklands War
memorial.
d
Map Q5
@
Calle Florida
Borges
However incongruous it
may be to find a vital
cultural center inside a
shopping mall, the
Centro Cultural Borges is
an enveloping experi-
ence. 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 has held shows of Joan
Miró and Salvador Dalí's work.
d
Map Q5 • Galerías Pacífico, Biamonte 125
• 5555-5359 • Open 10am-9pm
Mon-Sat, noon-9pm Sun • Adm
• www.ccborges.org.ar
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
Equestrian statue of San Martín
£
El Obelisco
Monumental
sculpture does not
get much bolder than
El Obelisco - a 220-ft
(67-m) spire set on
Centro Cultural Borges housed in Galerías Pacífico
81
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