The Pampas & the Atlantic Coast - Argentina - page 227

& Sun) was the vacation house of the city's creator and contains period furniture
and many of his personal knickknacks.
Two blocks northeast, the Teatro Argentino OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP
( www.teatroargentino.gba.gov.ar ; Av 51 btwn Calle 9 & Calle 10) is a fantastically ugly concrete
monolith, but boasts great acoustics and quality performances: ballet, symphony orches-
tras and opera. Two blocks further northeast, in front of Plaza San Martín, is the ornate
Palacio de la Legislatura OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP , also in German Renaissance
style. Nearby, catch the French Classic Pasaje Dardo Rocha OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP , once La Plata's main train station and now the city's major cultural cen-
ter, containing two museums. Also close by is the Flemish Renaissance Casa de Gobi-
erno OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP , housing the provincial governor and his retinue.
On Sundays, check out the lively feria artesanal OFFLINE MAP

(crafts

GOOGLE MAP

fair; Plaza Italia) on Plaza Italia.
Plantations of eucalyptus, gingko, palm and subtropical hardwoods cover Paseo del
Bosque OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP , parkland expropriated from an estancia at the
time of the city's founding. It attracts a collection of strolling families, smooching lovers
and sweaty joggers. Various interesting sights are strewn within, such as a small lake
with paddleboats for rent; the open-air Teatro Martín Fierro OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP , which hosts music and drama performances; the Observatorio
Astronómico OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( 423-6593; www.facebook.com/obser-
vatorio.laplata ; AR$3; 8pm Fri & Sat) ; the modest Jardín Zoológico OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP ( 427-3925; admission AR$15; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) ; and the star attrac-
tion, Museo de La Plata OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( 425-7744;
www.museo.fcnym.unlp.edu.ar ; admission AR$6, Tue free ; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) . This excel-
lent museum features the paleontological, zoological, archaeological and anthropological
finds of famous Patagonian explorer Francisco P Moreno, The eclectic collection in-
cludes Egyptian tomb relics, Jesuit art, amusing taxidermy, amazing skeletons, mum-
mies, fossils, rocks and minerals, scary insects and reconstructed dinosaurs. Arrange
English tours in advance; it's worth visiting on weekends when school groups aren't
around.
One of Argentina's most famous homes is Casa Curutchet OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP ( 421-8032; [e-mail]; Av 53, No 320; admission AR$40;
10:30am-2pm Tue-Fri, closed Jan) , designed by French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier for
Pedro Curutchet, an Argentine surgeon. It's a beautiful piece of modern architecture and