This section of the city retains some of the colonial flavor of past years and is steeped in the city's history. It was a fashionable district for years until a yellow fever epidemic drove the inhabitants north into what is now the Recoleta, and the lower classes and immigrants moved in. It has cobblestoned streets, low buildings, antique shops and the famed Sunday antique market in the main square of the barrio. San Telmo's tango bars are an excellent place to learn and dance the tango.
Recoleta
A contrast to La Boca, this upscale expensive neighborhood is where the city's wealthy congregate. Elegant and refined, this barrio is built around the huge Recoleta cemetery where Eva Peron is buried amidst those who disdained her. Here also are outdoor cafes, distinctive homes, and the telos, hotels renting rooms by the hour. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Pilar located here is a national monument. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes contains many works of famed European artists.
Palermo
The open spaces of this barrio, a legacy of caudillo Juan Manuel de Rosas who was overthrown in 1852, made possible the Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays, the Jardín Zoológico, the Rosedal or rose garden, the Hipódromo and the Planetarium. If you're in Buenos Aires during October and November you might catch a game of polo here but you can enjoy a day trip to the Tigre delta of the Parana river at any time. This delta has been a vacation spot for over a hundred years and trains leave the Retiro train station regularly. Wooden ferries will take you further into the tree-lined delta.
Puerto Madero
Reclaiming this port area for residential and commercial use, the city is creating a planned development of restaurants, businesses homes the Catholic University and office buildings. By 2005, there will be public parks a covered stadium two convention centers, three museums and four five star hotels.
El Centro
The center of Buenos Aires clusters around the Obelisk and contains the business and financial centers of the country plus many shops, restaurants, and movies, government buildings, parks and plazas, monuments and two of the biggest streets in the world. Avenida 9 de Julio is the widest and crossing it is Rivadavia, the longest street.
Will your stay be complete without learning the Tango? The Tango- The Argentine Social Dance is danced everywhere any place at any time - even in the street. There are niceties and nuances as explained in The Bridge to the Tango which you should learn along with Evening Etiquette at the Argentine Dance Hall and the Basic Step before you take to the dance floor. Even if you don't want to dance, don't miss a visit to a tango show.
Take an appetite with you to Buenos Aires.
Though porteños enjoy a varied ethnic cuisine thanks to their immigrant ancestors, the traditional Argentine meal of beef or bife is prevalent.
Much of Argentine beef is exported, yet the best is saved for national consumption and in Buenos Aires, you'll find plenty of restaurants to enjoy it. Steak houses called parrillas abound. Some call attention to their menus with stuffed cows in the doorway or cook their meat in the windows. This might make the vegetarians and vegans among us pause, and others long for a big tossed salad, but in Buenos Aires, beef is the thing.
