Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
123
Here, you can buy leather , silver, handicrafts, and antiques, along with other pr oducts,
and tango and
milonga
dancers perform on the square. The tall, darkly handsome dancer
nicknamed El Indio is the star of the plaza, but ther e are many others who hav e made
their name here as well.
San Telmo is full of tango clubs and sho ws; one of the most notable is
El Viejo
Almacén
(at Independencia and Balcarce). The colonial str ucture was built in 1798
as a general stor e and hospital, befor e its r eincarnation as the quintessential Argentine
tango club. Make sure to go for a sho w at night (see “Buenos Aires After Dark,” later in
this chapter). If you get the urge for a tango course while y ou're in San Telmo, look for
signs advertising lessons in the windows of clubs. If you look foreign or unsure enough,
teachers might find their way to y ou anyway, but use caution when dealing with any
stranger who approaches you on the street.
Palermo
“Palermo” is a catchall term for a nebulously defined large chunk of nor thern Buenos
Aires. It encompasses
Palermo
proper, with its park system, also known as
Palermo Alto;
Palermo Chico;
Palermo Viejo,
which is fur ther divided into
Palermo Soho
and
Pal-
ermo Hollywood;
and
Las Cañitas,
next to the city's world-famous polo field.
Palermo Chico
is an exclusive neighborhood of elegant mansions off A venida Liber-
tador, where prices were seemingly unaffected by the peso crisis. This small set of streets,
tucked behind the Malba museum area, has little of interest to tourists besides the beauty
of the homes and a fe w embassy buildings.
Palermo
is a neighborhood of par ks filled with jacarandas, magnolias, pines, palms,
and willows, where families picnic on weekends and couples stroll at sunset. Designed by
French architect Charles Thays, the parks take their inspiration from London's Hyde Park
and Paris's Bois de Boulogne. Take the metro to Plaza Italia, which lets y ou out next to
the
Botanical G ardens
(
&
11/4831-2951
) and
Zoological G ardens
(
&
11/
4806-7412
), open dawn to dusk. S tone paths wind their way thr ough the botanical
gardens, where a student might escape hurried city life to study on a par k bench. Flora
from thr oughout S outh America fills the gar den, with o ver 8,000 plant species fr om
around the world represented. Next door, the city zoo features an impressive diversity of
animals, including indigenous birds and monkeys, giant turtles, llamas, elephants, and a
polar bear and brown bear habitat. The eclectic kitschy architecture housing the animals,
some designed as exotic temples, is as much of a delight as the inhabitants and speaks to
the v ast w ealth and self-conscious ar chitecture fr om the z oo's turn-of-the-last-centur y
origins. Peacocks and some of the small animals roam free, and feeding is allowed. Kiosks
sell special food in the z oo, a wonderful opportunity that children will especially enjoy.
Parque Tres de Febrero
, a 400-hectare (1,000-acre) paradise of trees, lakes, and
walking trails, begins just past the lo vely
Rose G arden
off A venida S armiento. I n
summer, paddleboats ar e rented by the hour . The
Jardín Botánico,
off Plaza Italia, is
another paradise, with many specially labeled South American plants. It is famous for its
population of abandoned cats, tended b y little old ladies fr om the neighborhood—a
delight for kids to watch. With its small interior fountains and grav el walkways, it has a
strong European feel. N earby, small str eams and lakes meander thr ough the
Japanese
Garden
(
&
11/4804-4922;
daily 10am-6pm; admission is about $1/70p), wher e
children can feed the fish (
alimento para peces
means “fish food”) and watch the ducks.
Small wood bridges connect classical J apanese gardens surrounding the artificial lake. A
simple restaurant offers tea, pastries, sandwiches, and a few Japanese dishes such as sushi
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