Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ish edifices, including five-story buildings con-
sidered “skyscrapers” in the 1880s. South
America's first
subte
(metro) line, a five-mile
run inaugurated in 1913, was built beneath the
street.
Peru Station is
an original.
Note the
wrought iron
token booths
and hanging gas
lamps.
Along Avenida de Mayo look for the offices of
Argentina's internationally known newspaper,
La Prensa
. The cupola atop the building
serves as the paper's logo.
Café Tortoni
at
number 829 is the oldest and most literary café
in Buenos Aires. Local celebrities and foreign
stars have all tipped elbows at the Tortoni (see
After Dark
, page 220). As you cross Avenida 9
de Julio, look for the gaunt and picturesque
sculpture
of Don Quixote, a gift to the Argen-
tine people from Queen Sofia of Spain. Another
important intersection is Calle Salta, which
was once home to the
Avenida Theater
. Built
in 1808, it was the first theater in Latin Amer-
ica to stage Garcia Lorca's immortal play
“Bodas de Sangre” (Blood Wedding). Unfortu-
nately, this important landmark was destroyed
by fire several years ago.
As you near the National Congress Building
you'll stroll through a series of
plazoletas
(small
plazas), each featuring a beautiful statue or an
enormous fountain. You'll recognize the Rodin
statue
The Thinker
, one of several casts by the
Rodin studio, placed here in 1907. The
Monu-
ment of the Two Congresses
was completed
in 1914 to commemorate the 1813 Assembly
that banished slavery and the 1816 Congress
that officially proclaimed Argentina's inde-
