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intersects with Calle Lavalle, a smaller version of itself. You'll find even more stores, most
of lesser quality, and some inexpensive parrillas worth visiting. The street is also home to
numerous movie theaters and video and electr onic game arcades, so it's a good place for
teenagers to hang out while you shop around. The city is currently pedestrianizing other
streets within the MicroCentro, such as the recently completed Tres Sargentos. As of this
writing, R econquista, which parallels F lorida, is being pedestrianiz ed as w ell and will
connect with Lavalle.
Avenida Corrientes is a living diary of Buenos Aires's cultural development. Until
the 1930s, A venida Corrientes was the fav ored hangout of tango legends. When the
avenue was widened in the mid-1930s, it made its debut as the Argentine Broadway, and
Evita's first apar tment was her e as she str uggled to make herself famous. Today Corri-
entes, lined with Ar t Deco cinemas and theaters, pulses with cultural and commer cial
activity day and night. I t is also home to many bookstor es, fr om the chains that sell
bestsellers and offer E nglish-language guidebooks, to independent bargain outlets and
rare booksellers. The Obelisco, opened in 1936 as Buenos Aires's defining monument to
mark the 400th anniv ersary of the first (unsuccessful) founding of the city , marks the
intersection of Corrientes with Avenida 9 de Julio. Whenever locals have something to
celebrate, they gather her e. It's exciting to come her e when Argentina wins an interna-
tional soccer match.
MUSEUMS
Note that several of these museums are in Recoleta, which has no metro stations.
El Museo Histórico Nacional (National History Museum) Argentine his-
tory from the 16th through the 19th centuries comes to life in the former Lezama family
home. The expansive Italian-style mansion houses 30 rooms with items saved from Jesuit
missions, paintings illustrating clashes betw een the S paniards and I ndians, and r elics
from the War of Independence against Spain. The focal point of the museum's collection
is artist Cándido López's series of captiv ating scenes of the war against P araguay in the
1870s.
Calle Defensa 1600 (at C aseros). & 11/4307-1182. Free admission. Tues-Sun noon-6pm. Closed Jan.
Metro: Constitución.
Malba-Colección Constantini The air y and luminescent M useo de Ar te
Latinoamericano de B uenos Aires (Malba) houses the priv ate art collection of E duardo
Costantini, a wealthy Argentine real estate developer. One of the most impressive collec-
tions of Latin American art anywhere, its temporary and permanent exhibitions showcase
names such as Antonio B erni, P edro F igari, F rida Kahlo, Cândido P ortinari, D iego
Rivera, and Antonio S iguí. Many of the wor ks confront social issues and explor e ques-
tions of national identity. Even the benches are modern pieces of art, and the enormous
atrium offers access to the various floors under a metal sculpture of a man doing pushups
over the escalator bay. This wonderful museum, which opened in late 2001, is located in
Palermo Chico.
Av. Figueroa Alcorta 3415 (at San M artín de Tours). & 11/4808-6500. www.malba.org.ar. Admission
$1.75 (£1.20). Free admission Wed. Wed-Mon noon-8pm. No metro access.
Museo Evita It is almost impossible for non-Argentines to fathom that it
took 50 years from the time of her death for E vita, the world's most famous Argentine,
to finally get a museum. The Museo Evita opened July 26, 2002, in a mansion where her
charity, the Eva Perón Foundation, once housed single mothers with children. While the

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