PlanetEye

While visiting Buenos Aires, if you ever get the urge to walk among the rich but not so famous there is a street that I reckon you might like to cover. Avenida Alvear is one of the most upper class streets to be found in the city. Beginning at the barrio de la Recoleta at the memorial of Alvear, just one block north of the Basilica del Pilar, the avenue runs for only seven blocks, ending at the Plazoleta Carlos Pellegrini,near the north end of the Avenida 9 de Julio. Huge palaces can be found along the street, many of the most ostentatious being used today as embassies such as Brazil, France, Vatican City... You will also find very exclusive shops, with the presence of big international designers such as Versace, Armani, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Ermenegildo Zegna, Prada, Cartier, Ralph Laurent, and more. Also, there are fine jewellery shops, antique dealers and home decor designers. Visit Galería Alvear, attached to the Alvear Palace Hotel, very trendy. Along the way you will find both the National House of Culture (Casa Nacional de la Cultura) and the National Academy (Casa de las Academias Nacionales). The Alvear Palace Hotel is at the corner of calle Ayacucho. It is one of the most magnificent and expensive hotels in Buenos Aires. The Park Hyatt is today what used to be the notorious Palacio Duhau, just off the eastern end. Also very impressive.

There are certain customs in Buenos Aires that prevail over years. One thing you can still find is popcorn vendors. This is a tradition that fortunately has not disappeared. In many corners of Buenos Aires it is typical to see men pushing funny little carts and selling warm sweet popcorn (known as pochoclo here), as well as toffee apples (the twist here is that they have popcorn on top of the melted sugar), toffee figs (with popcorn on top too) and sticky cotton candy. Another typical scene (and smell) you will find all over the city, specially at train and subway stations, is the garrapiñada vendors. Garrapiñada consists of peanuts cooked in melted sugar, so once they are cold, they have a sweet crust around them. You can usually get almonds cooked this way too. Even if you don't buy any, it is a pleasure to go past them and enjoy the sweet fragance. Here is another popular tradition that did not go to rest. During the summer months, if you are very lucky, you might get to see a part of Buenos Aires´ history alive and well in the 21st century. A number of horse drawn carts full of watermelons that wander the city, going right down the streets with cars, taxis, and buses... their antique loudspeakers announcing juicy and delicious watermelons, just like back in colonial times. Quite a view if you ask me...

While in Buenos Aires, there are a number of local newspapers you can get at any newstand. Each one has its own personality and ideological bias, so I thought I would go over some of them in case you are looking to read any. I start with the Buenos Aires Herald, the only newspaper in town written in English. It features general coverage, international news, though it is a bit slim on the national happenings. Rather old fashioned coverage style. Not available everywhere. Then there is Clarín, the major newspaper, it has been around since the 1940's and has more populist overtones. It stands center-left in political issues. A bit more middle of the road on social matters. Its best features are the show business and young readers sections (Suplemento Si and classifieds are the most comprehensive around). Totally free website. Also, PDF electronic print edition is available for a subscription fee.  La Nación is the oldest successful newspaper in town. Tends towards the conservative (center right towards right), heavily aligned with the Roman Catholic Church in matters of social and public policy. Its cultural and travel sections (both published on Sunday) are probably the best around. It features a comprehensive website. Again, PDF electronic print edition is available for a subscription fee. On the other hand you will find Pagina 12, a more realistic and critic newspaper, with a socialist incline ideology. Many bright minds write articles and expose their ideas here. It is very politically oriented. Similar contents but even more critical to the social and political situation of the country is Crítica de la Argentina, the lastest newspaper released in the market. La Razón is a free evening newspaper you will find on week days, geared towards commuters, so it can be easily found on the subway stations. It is owned by Clarín, so the editorial line is similar. Ámbito Financiero is the most popular economist oriented paper around. It features in depth coverage of all economic activity. Very far right stance on social and political issues. Its website only provides headlines for free, the rest is only upon subscription. There are several other newspapers, such as Crónica or Popular, but these are way too sensationalist, definitely not recommended...

Buenos Aires is a literary city, with lots of bookstores and well organized book fairs, although unfortunately you will not find many public libraries. Still, in keeping with its literary tradition, Buenos Aires is one of the best places on the continent to buy books. It has a flourishing book industry, one of the most competitive in Latin America. During the 20th century many important bookstores and publishing houses were open, such as Librería de la Ciudad, frequently visited by the late Jorge Luis Borges (one of the most renowned Argentine writer), or the one I like the most, librería El Atenéo. Bookstores in Buenos Aires are stylish and some possess special characteristics. The big and luxurious ones are located on the most important avenues, lots of them in historical buildings. The area where you can find most bookstores in Buenos Aires is definitely Avenida Corrientes. More so, most shopping centres hold important bookshops offering the latest editions and plenty of materials of interest. For rare volumes, first editions, antiquarian, sold-out books and foreign language books you should go to the bookstores on Avenida de Mayo, the new circuit of barrio de San Telmo and the old little bookstores on Avenida Corrientes, from Avenida Callao all the way to the Obelisco. For those who prefer to get low-cost, second-hand, and rare books, the book fairs, such as the ones on Parque Centenario, Parque Rivadavia, Plaza Lavalle, and Plaza Italia, are an excellent option to find interesting reads. Many important bookstores, such as El Atenéo on Avenida Santa Fé, offer spaces for reading with comfortable sofas and tables to have a coffee, as well as spaces where cultural events are performed. The readers can seat and enjoy, or read the book they have chosen from the shelves. Most bookshops are open until late at night.

Each country, each culture has a typical sauce to accompany a juicy piece of meat. From the bittersweet BBQ sauce to the delicious tzatsiki or the spicy salsa taquera and many more, they all are essencial at meal time. In Argentina, we´ve got the Chimichurri (sounds funny, doesn´t it?). Chimichurri is a rich and tasty sauce or marinade made of chopped parsley, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, laurel, dried oregano and paprika with olive oil. Some people add lemon juice or vinegar to kick it up a notch. Some call it the Argentine ketchup, but it is more like a steak sauce. Chimichurri is used all over the country to wake up the flavour of grilled meat or to spread on the bread of the choripan. It is fairly easy to make at home and it is now available in bottles at specialty stores, but I strongly recommend to stick to the home made. Once you put chimichurri on your steak you will never want Heinz 57 or A-1 ever again.

The latest economic crisis in Argentina which began on late november of 2001 left thousans without work and often without homes. Some people used all their energies and skills to make a living doing what ever they could find. One of the most popular ocupations that suddenly emerge was the recycling of useful garbage, such as glass or plastic bottles, cardboard, paper, different metals, and other commodities that could be sold. The city of Buenos Aires came to an agreement with the poor, where the garbage put out on the streets for removal could be sorted by the so called 'cartoneros' (the cardboard people). You will definitively see them roaming the streets, specially at dusk. They come around with carts as soon as the garbage is on the sidewalks and sift through it to collect anything recyclable. They can sell what they find to recycling companies. They have to work fast, to be done before the city garbage collectors drive by to pick up all the bags disseminated on sidewalks. Usually, the cartoneros work as family units, silently and avoiding the looks of passersby. Many young children work hard at this, alongside their parents. It is a very hard sight to see but at the same time, it brings home to the more fortunate and often indifferent the force of survival. This is also Buenos Aires...