Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plaza San Martín, marked by an equestrian
statue commissioned by President Sarmiento,
is enveloped by a park that extends downhill to
Avenida Libertador, the wide thoroughfare
that heads to the northern areas of the city.
This part of town is called El Retiro, as is the
massive railroad station at the base of the park.
Plaza San Martín is one of the few elevated
areas in a city that is extremely flat. Today the
park is crossed by winding pathways amid flow-
ering palos borrachos , palm and rubber trees. It
has children's playgrounds; young lovers enjoy
the grassy slopes; and it is one of the most
pleasant spots in the city.
Another prime
shopping street,
Avenida Santa
Fe branches off
the plaza too.
El Retiro (The
Retreat) is
named for the
San Sebastian
Hermitage,
which once
stood here.
On the Libertador side of the park a recent
monument honors those Argentineans killed
during the Malvinas War. Much like the Viet-
nam Memorial, the names of the fallen are
engraved on a black stone wall, marked by an
eternal flame and guarded by an honor guard.
A distinctive building overlooks the park. The
Kavanagh Building , now a 30-story residen-
tial tower, was the tallest building in all South
America when it was built in 1934.
If you spend some time in the park you're sure
to hear the distinctive chimes of a clock mark-
ing each hour. The clock, a replica of London's
Big Ben, was a gift of Buenos Aires' British
community. The plaza was called Plaza
Británica until the Malvinas conflict when the
name was changed to Plaza Fuerzas Aéreas
(Air Force). Also nearby, a carved totem pole
stands in Plaza Canada . Carved by Kwakiate
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