Rock quarries and cemeteries

We are off on a city tour today. Still pretty cold out so I layer on the clothes but by the end of the day I am defiantly ready for the freezer. We hop on the subte change at Nuevo de Julio and walk over to Plaza San Martin. Who needs a stinking tour…we are experts at this ville already.

The city has allowed graffiti to grow to an overwhelming art form. Like the dog poop on the sidewalk they have apparently given up trying to clean it up. Speaking of sidewalks, BA has given them new meaning. Rock quarries would be a more descriptive term of the area between street and buildings here. My bias on clean is being assaulted but who am I to criticize my hosts. I found fault with the sanitary conditions in Singapore so I guess I am inconsistent at best.

We climb aboard and plug in our ear buds for an English interpretation of BA by the Plata. Our first stop was just a few blocks from where we live in Ricoleta . We are going to see Evita’s controversial burial site in the famous Ricoleta cemetery. The Perons went after the underclass for their political base and most portenos from this affluent barrio are not fans of Evita. Her maiden name is much more acceptable so she is buried in her Duarte family plot. I think I mentioned previous that like New Orleans this is a mostly above ground repository so you can peer into some of the glass doors and see the old caskets. The place is so big you can get lost down the numerous alleyways. It is one of the must see sights in BA and the tourist groupies are out in force busking for your pesos.

We then moved next door to the equally affluent Palermo barrio. Checked out the good ol USA Embassy, efficiently designed but ugly as they come. Appropriately the zoo is across the street. Then up to Palermo Soho were we got out and shopped the neo-rich boutiques. And a little birdie told me this is where the BA prostitutes hang. Speaking of dogs…you should see the very athletic looking dog walkers in this area. Some have up to 30 k-nines in tow. All together now…1-2-3 pee.

Looking forward to our next stop…”Republica de la Boca.” Not to be confused with the Republic of Davis found closer to the Tropic of Cancer ( am I letting my new found geographical knowledge show?) however there are some similarities. Most wanna check out the barrio’s most famous street, the Caminito which is lined with examples of Boca’s colorful houses but I can’t wait to see the Bombonera, the Boca Juniors’ soccer stadium. The residents in this area have a rep for playing by their own rules and there is no covenants committee to dictate your architectural behavior. Rumor has it that we will be taking a tour of the Bombonera for our humanities class so I have to be satisfied with a drive by. Gives you the same little fan-atical feeling as did that place up in Green Bay when I went by it a few years ago. More to come on this venue I hope.

We are now heading to the newest area in BA to be developed…the harbor or Puerto Madero. Reminding me of the redevelopment of some of Sydney’s docks, this is a combination of high rise and old rise. Puente de la Mujer is BA’s answer to the opera house down under. Not quite as grand but functional non-the-less, this bridge was opened in 2001. I think I will spend some more time in this area also as some of the best and most expensive restaurants are here as well as the cities’ Catholic university. Met one of the theology professors the other day so I may ask him to tour me through the small Pabellon de las Bella Artes there. The east side (which way is north?) is where the really expensive property lies…kinda like New York? Anyway all this needs to be explored in depth and reported on in future issues…if I could only get outta Palermo Soho with the ladies.

Enough already. I am frozen solid and on top of my recovering cough I have a blocked ear. Kazuko and I are talking more about grave sites than tourist sites these days.

Chow…

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