Barracas is big. It’s bulky. And this southern barrio has a reputation for being bad. But it’s one of my favorite areas of Buenos Aires. Hopefully this series of posts will dispel some of the misrepresentations about Barracas & encourage people to explore it. I walked just about every block in Barracas back in 2007 & recently returned to see what’s changed. Quite a bit.
Read More »buenos aires: barracas revisited, divisions
Imagine having a gigantic, empty space just waiting to be developed within the city limits. Not many opportunities like that come along, but during the last dictatorship (1976-83) an enormous tract of land in the southern section of Buenos Aires became the city’s newest amusement park.
Just one problem: it never brought in the expected crowds.
Read More »buenos aires: parque de la ciudad
Don’t be jealous… although you should be.
The Kavanagh is a Holy Grail to architecture buffs worldwide, & I scored a visit inside today. The building administration was adamant about not taking photos in public areas. Did I listen? We were chastised several times, & I wouldn’t want the person who granted us access to get into trouble. She lives there after all. But how could I resist?
Read More »buenos aires: inside the kavanagh
Most people associate the Costanera Sur with choripan & a wonderful sculpture by Lola Mora. Todo bien. But there’s actually more of the old public bathing area which extends into La Boca. A dead-end on the map, I’ve always to explore that corner of Buenos Aires. Today was the day.
Read More »buenos aires: the other costanera sur
Let’s clear something up. This isn’t the English word “once” but the mini-barrio known as Once in Buenos Aires. Say OHN-say… now you’ve got it.
A 12-block walk through the heart of Once will be the next release for Endless Mile, nicely ahead of schedule. Text & layout are already finished. The only big task remaining is to create a couple of graphics. The walk should be available soon! It’s a treat to show visitors a part of Buenos Aires that is centrally located (about the same distance from both Recoleta Cemetery & Plaza de Mayo) but rarely visited. Hopefully we’ll change that. Our introduction begins with the following text:
Read More »business: why once?
Since verdicts were passed last night in what the local press called the “Megacausa ESMA,” it seemed appropriate to take a walk today around one of the newer parts of Buenos Aires I’d yet to explore: the Parque de la Memoria. ESMA is an acronym for the Naval Academy, the setting for some of the most brutal torture experienced by desaparecidos during the last military dictatorship. Trials against military personnel involved in those crimes were reopened in 2005, & bit by bit the more notorious figures are being given life sentences.
Read More »buenos aires: parque de la memoria