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Published: August 28th 2006
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La Flor
Sculpture at United Nations Plaza Having experienced the previous weekend in Buenos Aires, Sergio, Joaquín, and I realized that the many points of interest in the city become much more interesting on Saturdays and Sundays because of the various local activities going on only on those days. We had a long list of places that we needed to see during our last Sunday in Argentina. Our first order of business was to find replacement batteries for Sergio’s camera. He had taken about 400 photos on this trip so far and his camera was almost dead. A convenience store near our hotel got him back on his photographer’s feet.
We also needed to get some shopping out of the way. It is our family tradition to get Hard Rock Café guitar pins (representative of each city we visit) for my wife Elizabeth’s collection and t-shirts for the rest of us. The Hard Rock Café in Buenos Aires is conveniently located in Recoleta, near the resting place of Evita Peron that we had discovered by accident during our first morning in Buenos Aires. We completed the short walk between Retiro (where our hotel is located) and Recoleta in good time. As we were approaching Plaza Intendente Alvear
at the end of Quintana Avenue, we discovered a very festive craft fair with many different vendor stalls selling all sorts of arts and crafts. The atmosphere was similar to what we had found at Feria de Mataderos seven days before. The three of us meandered through the plaza, forced to walk very slowly due to the large crowds and eventually came to the Buenos Aires Design Center, a large commercial complex where HRC is located. This center has a large below-the-ground level, the site of a large number of typical mall stores and also a food court area that includes a large open-air terrace with many tables where people can sit to have light meals or coffee. This terrace offers a great view towards the northeast and the fall morning sun bathing it at the time, made it the ideal spot to just sit and watch people go by.
Once our shopping was completed, we exited the complex and walked towards the northeast grounds where a rock band was performing oldies music for the crowd. Our next destination was the Bellas Artes Museum and according to our maps, this museum was somewhere in the neighborhood. Having seen the
pictures of the building in our book guide, we thought that we had spotted the building on the other side of a large avenue that we assumed it was Avenida del Libertador. We crossed this wide avenue and walked towards the northwest to approach the building’s entrance. To our surprise, we discovered that this impressive structure was Buenos Aires University’s Law School and Social Sciences building. Somehow we had missed the museum. We continued walking towards the northeast in the hope of finding someone to ask for directions. We were not disappointed; a couple of elderly ladies waiting for a bus indicated that the museum was on the other side of Avenida Presidente Figueroa Alcorta (which we had mistaken for Avenida del Libertador from which Figueroa Alcorta forks out). We needed to go back to where we had come from. At about this time, we noted a large shining sculpture on the other side of the Law School building. It had the shape of a stylized flower and it was resting on a fountain in the middle of a large green plaza. Before resuming our search for the museum, we decided to check out the sculpture at close range.
We discovered that the green plaza is named “United Nations Plaza” and the sculpture and its fountain give the place a very futuristic feel. Since no tall trees were in the immediate area, the giant metallic flower provided a great contrast against Buenos Aires’ skyline. This was a good photo opportunity for the Estrada’s.
After satisfying our photographic needs at United Nations Plaza, we crossed Avenida Presidente Figueroa Alcorta and found that the first building that we found on that side of the avenue was indeed Bellas Artes Museum. The façade of the building is actually facing Avenida del Libertador, so it it was very hard to identify it from where we were. Not wasting any time we entered the museum’s lobby and were surprised to learn that unlike many other museums of this class, we did not have to pay for admission and we were allowed to take photos and capture video inside. All we needed to do is to check our bags (a couple of backpacks) for the duration of our visit and avoid using flash.
We were very impressed by the quality and variety of the museum’s various collections, from classic Greek sculpture to great
European paintings and sculpture from the 17th Century through present time. Prominently showcased were the works of famous Argentinean artists. We could have spent much more time at Bellas Artes; the museum deserved a minimum of half a day or a full day visit, but we only had a couple of hours if we wanted to see some of the other points of interest in our list.
After claiming our backpacks, we left Bellas Artes and returned to the Design Center.
Realizing that being in the area was a worthy travel experience, we decided to go up to the large terrace and have some coffee and dessert. We enjoyed the atmosphere there for about ½ hour while sipping Irish coffee and cappuccinos and having a taste of the local desserts. When the sun went behind the trees, the air turned colder, giving us the sign that it was time for us to move on. We went down to one of the sides of Design Center were we had seen a taxi stall when we were exploring the area early in the day. From there, it was easy to catch a taxi to take us to our next destination: the
Japanese Gardens. The ride there from Recoleta was very short and soon we were at the garden’s entry gate. We proceeded to purchase our tickets and go in.
Since our family lived in Japan during two years, we all had a special interest in the gardens. Perhaps it was just a matter of slight homesickness what compelled us to visit them in Buenos Aires. Whatever the motive was, we all experienced an immediate anticlimax once we were inside. There was nothing wrong with the gardens themselves; I guess they were as authentic as they could be outside Japan. But somehow Japan and Argentina did not combine very well for us.
We walked around the periphery and through the pond where large schools of colorful carp fish demanded food from the visitors. Several parents and their children crowded every vantage point so that the small kids could safely feed the hungry fish without falling in the water. The carp eagerly opened their large mouths anticipating the handfuls of food thrown towards them. Once we had taken a couple of photos and shot some video, Sergio and Joaquin were ready to move on. We found the garden’s back gate that appeared to be facing in the direction of the Zoo, our next destination of the day.
As we exited the gardens, we crossed Avenida del Libertador, walked towards the Monument to the Spaniards and then turned left on Sarmiento Avenue, looking for the zoo’s entry gate. When we eventually reached it, we discovered that we had arrived just ten minutes before closing time and no one was being allowed to go in anymore. This was the set back of the day for us, made worse when we realized that we were running out of time to return to the zoo on this trip (Buenos Aires’ zoo is closed on Mondays).
As the daylight started to dissipate, our growing appetites for some extraordinary Argentinean steaks and wine helped us decide about our next destination for the day. Though the options for dining in Buenos Aires are rich and varied, we were very impressed by the incredible Spanish-style cuisine that we found at “El Establo” Restaurant during our first evening in Buenos Aires. I particularly remembered Sergio’s selection of “Butterfly” steak that he raved about even days later. We decided to go for an encore.
Our second visit to El Establo, was even better than the first. Sergio and I went for Butterfly steaks, while Joaquín decided to go for another cut. Courtesy of the house, we also enjoyed small glasses of Argentinean Limoncello to end our great meals. After dinner, we took advantage of the restaurant’s proximity to our hotel, and enjoyed a leisure walk back.
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Pierre Dufour
non-member comment
flowe
the funny thing about that flower in bs as is that it opens and closes according to the sun. Pierre