Buenos Aires - Touring

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Please post info about Buenos Aires sights, events, tour guides, etc., here.

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RE: Buenos Aires - RobertoBA, Our Man in BA

 

For more details, use the search function in Escorts South for the "Our Man in Buenos Aires" thread. However, you can reach RobertoBA, who's our man in B.A., by e-mail at vdagp@yahoo.com.ar. As you'll see in the testimonials to Roberto scattered throughout this board, he can make your stay in B.A. infinitely more pleasant and worthwhile, particularly if you don't speak Spanish.

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RE: Buenos Aires - Recoleta Cemetery/Barrio Norte

 

I copied and moved this from another posting about sightseeing in B.A:

 

Recoleta Cemetery is the Père Lachaise of Buenos Aires. Besides Evita (whose family tomb is not otherwise attention-getting) the cemetery is the final resting place for virtually everyone who was anyone in Argentina in the past two centuries. It's a fascinating place to visit, both for its history and because so many of the tombs themselves are architectural marvels in styles ranging from neo-classic to art nouveau to art deco.

 

A walking tour of the cemetery is highly recommended. Roberto is a good person to go with you, because he lives quite nearby and knows the area (and the cemetery) very well.

 

Once on the outskirts of the city, the cemetery is now in the middle of one of B.A.'s most upscale neighborhoods. Adjoining the cemetery are the colonial Pilar Church (one of the few remaining colonial era churches in the city) and the Centro Cultural Recoleta, housed in the former convent and featuring ever changing exhibits and events. Next to the Centro Cultural is the Buenos Aires Design Center, with showrooms filled with stuff to decorate your fantasy B.A. apartment! It also houses a number of cafés and restaurants. On Vicente Lopez, outside the wall of the cemetery, is the new Village Recoleta cinema/entertainment complex, with cafés, restaurants, bookstore and a big, up-to-date multiplex where you can catch all the latest releases. Across the green square from the cemetery is another collection of cafés and restaurants, including La Biela, one of the city's best known cafés. A great place for a coffee or a cold drink sitting on the outside terrace with the "beautiful people" of B.A. and shaded by a rubber tree bigger than any you've ever imagined! Leading away from the square beyond La Biela are the parallel Avenidas Alvear and Presidente Quintana, two of the city's most elegant, lined with luxurious shops, hotels, mansions and apartment buildings. Even if you're staying at a more budget-minded lodging, treat yourself to tea at L'Orangerie in the extremely grand gilt-and-crystal Hotel Alvear Palace, the most elegant in town. Before or after tea, you can shop 'til you drop at B.A.'s most upscale shopping center, Patio Bullrich, just a few blocks away.

 

Near the cemetery in the other directions are the National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Decorative Arts (housed in an old private palace from the days when the expression "rich as an Argentine" meant something), the Palais de Glace (housing rotating special art exhibits), the National Library, and MALBA (the new museum of Latin American art). There are also splendid parks, monuments and avenues throughout the area.

 

All of these attractions are within walking distance of each other. B.A. is very flat and a great walking town. As you can see, there's enough to keep you busy in and around Recoleta for at least a couple of days. As this is his neighborhood, Roberto is particularly good company for getting to know this part of town. Some long strolls through the Barrio Norte, as this neighborhood of Buenos Aires is called, will bring home the reason the city is known as the "Paris of the Americas."

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RE: Buenos Aires - More Things to See and Do

 

(Lifted from one of the other threads):

 

Music lovers might want to time their visits to B.A. to catch a performance at the Teatro Colón, which is always a memorable experience, given the history and physical splendor of the theater, the superb acoustics and (usually) the quality of the productions. Opera is also given at other venues, including the beautifully restored Teatro Avenida (where they also do zarzuelas), the Teatro Argentino in nearby La Plata (Argentina's second most-important opera company), and at other theaters in Buenos Aires and neighboring Avellaneda. In addition, there are extensive seasons of dance, symphonic music, and visiting artist series (like the one sponsored by the Mozarteum Argentino) at the Colón and other locations. With some advance planning, Roberto can help you get tickets to these events. By U.S. standards, tickets are very reasonable, so you can afford to go frequently!

 

B.A. also has frequent concerts by well known pop artists, including big Brazilian names like Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa who don't tour that much in the northern hemisphere. If you miss seeing them live in Brazil, you can catch them here!

 

There's an enormous theater scene in Buenos Aires, and you don't need to speak Spanish to enjoy some of the performances (for example, local productions of international musicals like "Chicago" or "Les Miz"). Although knowing Spanish would increase your enjoyment, performances by the group "Caviar" are a hoot, no matter what. Caviar is an extremely imaginative and skillful "drag" troupe that performs revues made up of amazingly elaborate lip-synched skits. Everything from a fully staged rat-dinner scene from "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" (in Spanish, of course), to a strip version of the Ave Maria, to twisted tangos, and more. If you're ever lucky enough to catch their recreation of a 1940's Puerto Rican musical radio show, complete with exaggerated Andrews Sisters wigs, plus all the commercials and jingles, you'll never forget it!

 

Classical music lovers who understand Spanish should try at least once to catch a performance of "Les Luthiers," who are the P.D.Q. Bach of the Spanish-speaking world. Their parodies and send-ups are dead-on and screamingly funny. Some of their best stuff is available on CD, in case they're not performing when you visit, but of course you miss the visuals. Maybe they'll do a DVD?

 

Of course, there are many other theater offerings, but they may be less interesting unless your Spanish is fairly good. B.A. is also a great movie town, so it's a good place to catch up on things you may not have had time to see at home. In most cases, films are shown in the original language (with Spanish sub-titles, if necessary). Of course, it's also a great opportunity to see fine Argentine and Spanish films that may not have been released in the U.S. or other non-Spanish-speaking countries.

 

B.A. is a great book-lover's town, so if you read Spanish you'll be in heaven! (Some dealers also sell books in English and other languages). One of the largest and nicest bookstores is the new branch of Ateneo, in a very grand recycled movie theater on Av. Santa Fe. It has a good café on what used to be the stage, but be warned, it's very popular and there can be a wait for a table. Fortunately, there are cafés/confiterías on virtually every corner, and on streets like Santa Fe sometimes a few more squeezed in on each block, so refreshment is never very far away!

 

The San Telmo antiques fair on Sundays is fabulous fun. Be sure to allow plenty of time to cruise the booths set up in the square (and I do mean CRUISE) as well as the many antique dealers. If you've always craved a Belle-Époque épergne, a Beaux-Arts bronze, or a de-trop chandelier for your breakfast nook, this is the place! Bring money, because it's hard to go without falling for something or other! And yes, they ship! If you won't be in B.A. on a Sunday, all is not lost. The booths won't be set up in Plaza Dorrego, but the area surrounding it is filled with antique dealers, some of them "world-class" (with prices to match). So you can still enjoy the neighborhood and shop for that certain special bibelôt (that's French, hon, for tchotchke) you've been yearning for! There are also some smart bars and restaurants in the area, as you can imagine. You can have a very pleasant lunch or brunch there.

 

There is also other shopping, particularly for fine leather goods. Certain M4Mers have greatly enriched the coffers of Casa López by virtually buying out their entire stock, but there are other fine shops as well. If you're on a budget, check with Roberto, who usually knows where you can find for considerably less the same merchandise you'll see in the high priced vitrines on Calle Florida and in the Patio Bullrich. Of course, you shouldn't miss the Ralph Lauren Polo shop in a restored mansion on Av. Alvear, if only to see the building. For that matter, a shopping tour of Avenidas Alvear and Pres. Quintana is also a must, just to get the flavor of upper-end Argentine commerce.

 

Railroad buffs won't want to miss the recently restored Retiro and Constitución stations, among the largest and grandest anywhere. The cruisy T-rooms (especially at Retiro) are also a reason to visit, although they're strictly AYOR!

 

Besides the various museums mentioned in other postings here B.A. has lots of interesting art galleries and art auctions. Roberto is an art addict, so he's a very good source of information about them and an excellent guide to that aspect of B.A.

 

Crisis or no crisis, B.A. is also a great dining-out town (although the range of available cuisines isn't as broad as it might be in New York). Lots of good restaurants, all at prices that are reasonable to cheap by North American/European standards. Of course, Argentina has an endless supply of superb ingredients, including its world-famous beef and fine wines. Again, Roberto is a good source of info about dining options, and a fun dinner companion if you don't want to dine alone.

 

When you feel the need for a change of scenery, there are numerous options for day-trips, including visits to palatial old estancias (agricultural estates) in the countryside; a trip across the Rio de la Plata to visit the well-preserved old town of Colonia in Uruguay; visits to the upscale suburbs north of town, like San Isidro; a cruise of the fascinating Paraná river delta at Tigre (a maze of channels and islands with some amazing weekend homes, inns and restaurants); a visit to Casa FOA (the local decorator's showcase) when it's open; etc. Excursions somewhat farther afield could take you for a few days to Montevideo and Punta del Este (in season), Bariloche, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, the historic Jesuit missions in the Northeast, the wine country around Mendoza (and Santiago, Chile, just on the other side of the Andes), the spectacular high desert and Andean scenery of the Northwest, Iguazu Falls, and on and on. . .

 

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of the urbane pleasures to be found in B.A. and help you figure out how much time you might want to spend there! By the way, these posts just scratch the surface. Like Paris, London or N.Y., Buenos Aires is the kind of city you can spend a lifetime getting to know, so don't worry about running out of things to do there. It's impossible!