Local Expert
Pablo Juan Augustinowicz
Pablo Juan Augustinowicz was born in Toronto. He is an avid traveller as well as an amateur photographer. He backpacked most of Europe and ventured across Costa Rica’s jungle. Nowadays he has…
Pablo Juan Augustinowicz was born in Toronto. He is an avid traveller as well as an amateur photographer. He backpacked most of Europe and ventured across Costa Rica’s jungle. Nowadays he has established in Buenos Aires. He describes Buenos Aires as “a cosmopolitan city that resembles Paris but lives like New York”.
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Continuing with my celebrated series of articles about the 100 barrios porteños (neighborhoods), this time I am going to write about one of the most typical barrios of Buenos Aires: el barrio del Abasto. Cradle of tango and witness of the history of Buenos Aires, is one of the most popular destination chosen by porteños as well as tourist to breath and feel tango in the place of its birth, visiting the street named after the legendary singer, Carlos Gardel, and the corner on which "El Morocho del Abasto" sang his first "milongas". El Abasto was basically born with the old "Mercado Central de frutas y verduras" (Central Market of fruits and vegetables). The Market was inaugurated in 1893, causing the growth of a new area, mainly populated by immigrants. The result was the proliferation of many "conventillos" (large houses with one family/group of people living in each room and sharing bathrooms, kitchen, etc.), canteens, and theatres. A barrio with a strong character and rich with culture. But in 1984, almost a century later, the fruit and vegetable market was moved to another part of Buenos Aires, leaving a large part of the areas' population unemployed. This caused the beginning of a phenomenon known as the "casas tomadas," or "taken houses," where the people illegally occupied abandoned properties. The building that had once been the Central Market was kept closed and abandoned until 1998, when it was re-opened as a large shopping mall know as the Abasto de Buenos Aires. This is when everything came back to life. The entire exterior of the building was kept intact to maintain its historical value. The interior, on the other hand, was completely gutted out and reconstructed using the latest technology available at the time, also incorporating surrounding areas. Huge apartment building were constructed as well as hotels, a supermarket, and many restaurants. If you haven't been to a Tango show in Buenos Aires I recommend "La Esquina de Carlos Gardel" dinner show. The theatre is located where Carlos Gardel used to hang out and dine at with his friends. When you enter the theatre you will see a statue of him. The theatre has the ambience and the sophistication of the thirties. The pedestrian street Carlos Gardel was also inaugurated with a monument to the famous singer. These were some of the first measures taken to turn el Abasto into one of Buenos Aires' tourist attractions, a dedication to Tango.
If you are either traveling to Buenos Aires or you are already here, and looking for a Starbucks quick fix? Well, look no further. After a long anticipated wait, Starbucks has opened its first location in Argentina at the Alto Palermo Shopping Mall. The menu might look just a bit different than the US version as they have thought about local preferences and customs to make some additions, such as a dulce de leche Frappacino and also a mate latte drink. They are also using local businesses to supply some of their accompaniments to their beverages, for example the amazing cookies and brownies are coming from the expat owned local bakery Sugar and Spice. But somehow I cannot stop thinking it is such a shame, since one of the great things about Buenos Aires is the limited number of bland US and other imported brands. Part of the character of the city lies in its independent vibe and local flavour. Adding dulce de leche to a Starbucks coffee doesn't quite do it. I am sure the generic Starbucks styling and questionable sources of their coffee will remain intact. Unfortunately we live in a globalized little world. Enough said, you be the judge...
There are many images that represent Buenos Aires in terms of tourism. Among the most popular you can find the typical pics of el Obelisco, or el Cabildo, or el Congreso Nacional, or calle Caminito at La Boca, and more. But the city evolves and new landmarks are created from time to time. This is the case with Puerto Madero (the newest barrio and major attraction in the city) and its surroundings. One of those images that lately became somehow popular is the one from an elegant and modern bridge that crosses the narrow canal at Puerto madero. El Puente de la Mujer (The Woman's Bridge) is a pedestrian bridge located at Dock 3. It is a work of art designed by the Spaniard architect Santiago Calatrava, famed for his unusual approach to public architecture. Some of his major projects and most beautiful works of art are Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciencies in Valencia, Milwaukee Art Museum, Estaçao do Oriente in Lisbon, Montjuic Communications Tower in Barcelona, BCE Place Galleria in Toronto and Turning Torso in Malmo.The bridge is his only piece of work in Latin America. Calatrava is said to have listened to tango music while designing the bridge and intended it to be an abstraction of a couple dancing, where the white mast represents the man and the curved profile of the bridge is the woman. The name of the bridge also refers to the naming pattern of Puerto Madero, where all the streets are named after important women. The bridge is 160 meters long and 5 meters wide, divided in three sections: two fixed ones on both margins of the dock and a mobile one which rotates on a conical pillar made of white concrete and allows the passing of ships in less than two minutes. This central section is supported by a steel needle with a 39 meters high concrete core. The needle is arranged in a diagonal manner and from it, as a hanging bridge, the wires that support the rotating part are hanging. The cost of the work was around six million dollars donated by the entrepreneur Alberto González. It was made in Vitoria, Spain by the company Urssa. It was inaugurated on December 20th of 2001, at the peak of the Argentine economic and institutional crisis. For that reason, its inauguration was unnoticed for most of the porteños. It is very picturesque, specially at night.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the pace of Buenos Aires, there is one place you can go where you are guaranteed a day of relaxation. The Jardín Japonés (Japanese Garden) in the Bosques de Palermo (Palermo Woods) may be surrounded by a cluster of busy streets within the city, but you would never know it when inside the park gates. Zen is the peaceful state the Japanese strive to achieve, and in this quintessential Japanese Garden, Zen you will find. The sounds of water, friendly animals, and the well-manicured landscaping, block out the world outside and create the perfect environment to let loose and unwind. Ornate Japanese architecture is evident on various buildings placed within the park for additional interest and visual appeal. Tucked in a corner there is a small Japanese library that gives guests the option of checking out a book. There is a tea house and restaurant that has art work inside and even a Japanese conference room of sorts on the second floor that looks out over the beautiful garden. From the balcony, the park and its horticulture will amaze you with its meticulous structure. The only rowdy behavior found within the Japanese Garden is a big family of Koi Carp that swarm around and await their daily visitors. The fish practically jump out of their scales to get to any crumbs of food that you brought with you or dug out from the deep corner of your pocket. A community of ducks has also discovered this peaceful living environment and waddles around looking for food and making their presence known. Open from 10 am to 6 pm on a daily basis, the Jardín Japonés is a great place to visit. Whether you are looking for a place to catch your breath, a destination to bring a special friend, or even a delicious meal of sushi, the park will not let you down.
There are lots of details in Buenos Aires that go totally ignored. Buildings, churches, palaces, even castles remain overlooked by the general public. Hidden in the business district, among the bank buildings north of Plaza de Mayo, on calle Reconquista, there is a small church called La Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Merced. It is one of the older ones in Buenos Aires. Finished in 1779, it replaced an earlier convent which dated back to 1604. Recent restoration put a shine on the façade. The interior, however, remains broody and Baroque. The only windows are at the top of the dome, so not much light gets in. The wrought-iron gate is pretty fancy too. There are two things that really make this church stand out. The first is the set of decorative figures above the main entrance. They aren't exactly religious. The scene is that of Manuel Belgrano (one of the leaders of the May Revolution of 1810) offering the symbol of command to the Virgin of Mercy. It is an interesting story... Belgrano was in charge of the northern branch of independence forces. He had been sent to evacuate soldiers to Buenos Aires. Changing his mind and disobeying orders, Belgrano stayed put and won the 1812 Battle of Tucumán against all odds. Credit for victory naturally went to the Virgin of Mercy, who is officially recognized on September 24th... the same day as the battle. Just one more bit of Argentine history hidden downtown. The other treat is a marble plaque stuck high on an adjacent wall. It says, "Good Reading, a weekly family paper - sign up here". Media published by a specific church could be used to request donations for a particular project. Say a chapel had to be refurbished or cosmetic works done, then just ask for the funds. This was not the norm, but with a large and wealthy public this church had no hesitation about asking for cash. So, if you are around the Monserrat area why not discover this somehow hidden piece of history.
Today is Spring Day here in Buenos Aires, and what better way to start the season but writing about one of nature´s gifts, "trees". Located in the beautiful barrio de Palermo you will find the Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays (the city´s Botanical Garden). It opened in September of 1898 and was named after its designer and creator. It covers 15 acres of lush ground in Buenos Aires, not too far from the Zoo and the Palermo Woods. The entire site is enclosed by a high wrought-iron fence and there is no entrance fee, no doubt due to the on-going rehabilitation effort. In addition to its more than 7000 species of plants from all over the world, the garden offers a number of interesting statues (mostly of nudes) and fountains. Probably because it was neglegted for a period of time, the grounds were overrun with hundreds of feral cats. They are everywhere and seem quite contented on the whole. I really like trees, so every time I visit the garden I wander around randomly enjoying the Oriental Ginkgo biloba and especially the Acacias, Eucalyptus and Casuarinas trees which bring back great memories of my childhood. There are also Acers, Palms, Figs, Oaks and even huge Sequoia trees. But the one that I really like the most is the huge Araucaria Bidwillii (Australiana), also known as a Monkey Puzzle tree, whose massive trunk is covered with needle sharp thorns. The single large building in the garden is a beautiful Art Noveau style brick structure (undergoing repairs) which used to hold gardening lessons, a library, a museum and an adjoining greenhouse. El Botánico, as everyone calls it, is a great place to get away from it all. You can easily get there by train, colectivo, subte or taxi from downtown. Check the Guia T.