Street Corners 3 - Lavalle / Florida - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - 19 November 2009 - 19:25

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Street Corners 3
Lavalle / Florida
Buenos Aires (Argentina)
19 November 2009
19:25


Two red kiosks stand at the junction of these two streets in downtown Buenos Aires. Around each kiosk there is a neatly cluttered display of newspapers, maps of South America, postcards of the city and other tourist souvenirs. There are magazines for gossip, magazines for politics and magazines of naked women. Photographs of icons of twentieth century popular culture are also for sale: Che Guevarra, Eva Peron, Diego Maradona, Marilyn Monroe and Jim Morrison.

Calle Florida runs approximately north to south between the financial district and the largest bus and rail terminals. This is the main shopping street with fashionable clothing stores, tea salons, money changers, street cafes, an ice-cream parlour, a school of English and the ever-present McDonald´s.

In addition to the established retailers there is also an impromptu market of street sellers, laying their goods out along the pavements at the feet of the passing crowds, bringing the flow almost to a standstill. They sell badges, rings, mate gourds, bracelets, ethnic crafts, leather belts and other trinkets. Unlike the sales assistants in the major outlets around them, these people are mostly Indian in appearance.

Unlicensed money changers also walk along the street, attracting trade with regular cries of ´Cambio, cambio!´. Men and women stand at the corner nearby handing out cards for nearby clip joints and sex shops.

Florida is an irregular mixture of billboards, neon signs, faded colonial offices and modern concrete tenements. The buildings stand no more than five storeys high, but the street is narrow, giving it the feeling of a channel cut through the shops on either side.

A police officer in regulation blue and black uniform leans nonchalantly opposite me by a money changing counter talking on his mobile phone. A few minutes ago, he and several of his colleagues were trying to move on several of the street sellers. City governor Macri has pledged a crackdown on illegal trading, and these vendors are facing the consequences of this. There are several placards up beside their wares protesting against this harassment by the government authorities.

Lavalle contains most of the city´s central eating establishments: parrillas with meat slabs roasting in the windows, pizzeria, Mexican restaurants and a few fast food outlets. The street also has several cinemas, gambling places, bars and small convenience stores. Port Madero lies to the east and there are few people coming from here. To the west lie the restaurants and the other entertainments further along towards the Avenida 9 July.

Music can be heard from a small shop selling CDs and DVDs. The place specialises in tango and dance, but this tune is a light rock arrangement of some pan-pipes.

A bearded and unwashed tramp lies asleep on the pavement outside the Banco de la Nacion Argentina. He is ignored by the passers-by, including the policeman who is now marching off in the direction of the port.

Some street performers have begun their routine between the two newspaper kiosks. One is an older man dressed in the smart suit and trilby hat of traditional tango - the other is a young man in shorts, t-shirt and baseball cap. The younger man has climbed on a beer crate and is banging two foam sticks together and shouting loudly. I am unable to understand much of his patter. A small crowd begins to assemble round them, and the younger man is now hitting the older one with the sticks.

A street cleaner meanders through pushing a wheelie bin in front of her. She empties one of the litter receptacles and passes on.

Several children have now gathered around the street performers looking rather confused. The shouting continues, but the roles seem to have been reversed, for the older man is now using the foam sticks to hit the younger man.

The music from the nearby shop has changed to a gentle slow swing bear. Shoppers and restaurant goers continue on their way by - most of them dressed in a casual way without appearing too boisterous: jeans, short sleeved shirts, summers skirts or dresses. Occasionally older people will pass in formal suits, woolen waistcoats or tailored slacks.

This is a busy evening, shops are still open, and most people will not consider eating for some time. Only half a dozen or so customers sit in the cafe opposite, and these are just drinking coffee or Quilmes beer. Although its patrons are informal and relaxed, the surroundings are an elegant mix of brass light fittings and dark wooden interiors.

The policeman returns with two colleagues. They continue onwards, paying no heed to the tramp or the street sellers. A police car follows slowly behind, headlamps dipped, on patrol.

I am approached by a couple of girls looking for directions. It sounds as though they are trying to find a place called Aire Jardin. I reply that I do not know Buenos Aires that well, and they head off down Florida.

The street performers are playing to a large crowd. The are now speaking in English, but the act remains just as incomprehensible.

Dusk begins to set in, and the rhythms of a bossa nova can be heard from the music store. The lights in the shop windows and above the restaurants grow brighter, and there is a pleasant evening stillness in the air. The city, however, is only really waking up for the night - and there will be few thoughts of rest or sleep.

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