Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
124
and teriyaki chicken. A Japanese cultural center is located on the grounds, and you'll also
find notes posted for various Asian events throughout the city.
Previous visitors to the par ks within P alermo will notice security changes that do
impact a visit here. As a result of vandalism and theft, driven both by increased poverty
and the high v alue of metals, many statues and fountains ar e now surrounded by high
gates, and sections of the par k are locked at night. You can still look at the statues, of
course, but many are impossible to get close to.
Palermo Viejo
—once a r un-down neighborhood of war ehouses, factories, and tiny
decaying stucco homes (called
chorizo,
or sausage houses, due to their elongated shape),
where few cared to live as recently as 15 years ago—has transformed into the city's most
chic destination. Railr oad tracks and A venida Juan B. Justo further officially divide the
neighborhood into
Palermo Soho
to the south and
Palermo Hollywood
to the nor th,
though many establishments will say they are in one or the other incorrectly. The center
of Palermo Hollywood is P lazaleto Jorge Cortazar, better kno wn by its informal name,
Plaza Serrano, a small oval park at the intersection of calles Serrano and Honduras. Take
note that Calle Serrano is also called Calle Borges on some maps and str eet signs. Young
people gather here late at night for impr omptu singing and guitar sessions, often fueled
by drinks at the many funky bars and r estaurants around the plaza. A crafts festival runs
on weekends, but you'll always find someone selling bohemian jewelry and leather goods,
no matter the day . The neighborhood gained its name because many Argentine film
studios were initially attracted to its once cheap rents, large studio spaces, and easy park-
ing. Palermo Soho is better kno wn for boutiques o wned by local designers, with some
restaurants and hotels mixed in. Palermo Soho is considerably quieter and less gentrified
than Palermo Hollywood, which, in some ways, has become a victim of its o wn success,
populated during the daytime by lost tourists with maps and guidebooks in hand.
Las Cañitas
was once the favored location of the military powers during the dictator-
ship, and the ar ea remains the safest and most secur e of all of the central B uenos Aires
neighborhoods. While the military powers no longer contr ol the country, their training
base, hospital, high school, and various family housing units still remain and encircle the
neighborhood. Today the area is far better kno wn among the hip , trendy, and nouveau
riche as the place to dine out, hav e a drink and par ty, and be seen along the fashionable
venues built into converted low-rise former houses on Calle Báez. Located near the polo
grounds, it's a gr eat place for enthusiasts to catch polo stars dining on the side walks in
season. We place Las Cañitas into P alermo in this guidebook, though some r efer to the
area as a section of B elgrano or a location independent of any other neighborhood.
Recoleta
The city's most ex clusive neighborhood, La R ecoleta wears a distinctly E uropean face.
Tree-lined avenues lead past fashionable restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and galleries, many
housed in French-style buildings. Much of the activity takes place along the pedestrian
walkway Roberto M. Ortiz and in front of the Cultural Center and Recoleta Cemetery.
This is a neighborhood of plazas and parks, where tourists and wealthy Argentines spend
their leisure time outdoors. Weekends bring street performances, art exhibits, fairs, and
informal sports, especially near the entrance to the cemeter y.
The
Recoleta Cemeter y
(
&
11/4804-7040
or 11/7803-1594), open daily
from 8am to 6pm, pays tribute to some of Argentina 's most important historical figures
and gives its richest citiz ens one last chance to sho w off their w ealth. The cemetery was
once the garden of the adjoining church. Created in 1822, it's the city's oldest operating
grave site—more of a necr opolis, with tall mausoleums abutting, lining the paths that
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