Santa Should be Wearing Shorts
Christmas traditions in Argentina - and in many parts of the world - are based more in American/European ideas of the holiday, rather than in practical local reality. For instance, Santa would probably pass out if he had to deliver presents wearing that suit in the 100 degree Buenos Aires heat.
Heed the Sign
There is a little girl in this neighborhood who likes to skip across the street while carrying a briefcase.
Bellas Artes
In an attempt to give some culture and class to our time in Buenos Aires - we'd seen far too many dive bars and cheap restaurants - our group of English, Irish, and American travelers took a trip to the modestly named Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes ("National Museum of Beautiful Art").
Though I can’t claim classic works of art are of particular interest to me, this museum is an interesting portal into that world. A good mix of the big names (Monet, Van Gough, Degas) and retrospectives highlighting the evolution of local Argentinian painting, it’s not a museum you’ll get bored in. However, I won’t pretend to know enough about art to give a lengthy discourse on what I saw, rather I’ll give out three totally subjective awards!
Creepiest
Yes, I know it's a biblical story but baby-with-severed-head is just creepy no matter how you look at it.
Most Unflattering to the Subject
There were a lot of competitors for this award but, in the end, that overbite gave this portrait the win.
My 2 Favorites
Large, beautiful, uncomplicated.
This is from the Argentinian artist exhibit - a clear, colorful painting of a beautiful scene.
The Burger Joint
I've had some excellent meals in South America - grubbily delicious street food, perfectly cooked slabs of high quality steak, flavorful soups and fluffy pancakes and a few fantastic pesto chicken sandwiches - but burgers simply haven't been among them. Down here, burgers are one of those things everybody does but nobody does well. It's rare to see a menu without a burger on it but it's equally rare to enjoy that ubiquitous burger. Thick, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth buns, thin, flavorless meat, wilted lettuce, over-salted cheese, a sorry looking tomato - this is the standard hamberguesa in South America. They try to cover their mistakes with a mass of mayo and ketchup, which of course only makes things worse. No, no, no. You quickly learn to look elsewhere on a menu but do find yourself yearning for a good example of that old American standby. Well a few days ago that craving was satisfied.
A friend raved about the Burger Joint, a restaurant in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, as a place worth traveling to. High praise, as Palermo is a subway ride and a long walk from where we were staying, but it was a neighborhood worth checking out anyway.
I thought I knew burgers. I've been to the Texas greasy spoons. I've experienced the East Coast gourmet burger revolution. I certainly didn't think I could be so surprised by a burger in a little graffitied hole in the wall in Buenos Aires. But that's exactly what happened when I ordered La Bleu.
Sun dried tomatoes, Bleu cheese, caramelized onions, portabella mushrooms, and a little bit of arugula. Fresh baked bun, lightly toasted. Quality meat, cooked until it's slightly pink on the inside and not a second longer. Crispy fries, honey mustard and cilantro mayo on the side. Perfection.
The Burger Joint is a place that bets on itself. Small menu, no substitutions, no gimmicks. They do very little but they do it very well. There are only 5 burgers to choose from (La Bleu, The Original, The Mexican, The Jamaican, and, of course, the bacon-and-cheese-filled L' Americain) and I hope to have them all before I leave this city. A true treat in an unexpected place. Hard to believe with amount of signatures on the wall, but the owner says they've only been open 9 months. In that time, they've already appeared on a few international "best of" lists. I have a feeling they'll be appearing on a lot more.
Walker-less Dogs
Buenos Aires is a very loud place - South Americans in general love to honk their horns, music blares from cafes and apartments windows, people happily greet/yell at each other in the street, vendors hawk their wares in repetitive screams - but this cacophony of immobile dogs drowned them all out. Their walker was nowhere in sight - off for a coffee maybe - and they were not happy, to say the least.
"City of the Dead"
Visiting the famous Recoleta Cemetery is one of those macabre travel experiences. It's a place of death and beauty, a place where you're not quite sure how to act. It's undeniably impressive, rows upon rows of the most intricate tombs you've ever seen, and there's a layer of creepiness that colors the whole experience.
It eternally houses many of Argentina's most famous citizens - presidents, generals, Nobel prize winners - but by far the most famous tomb is that of Evita, famed champion of the Argentinian people. Her place in the cemetery is actually surprisingly small and understated, given her incredible popularity. One of the most visible skyscrapers in Buenos Aires is covered, on 2 sides, by permanent murals of Evita, but in the cemetery she rests in her family's tomb, in a discreet location, her presence only indicated by a few small plaques (and the hordes of tourists surrounding them).
More interesting than seeking out the famous citizens in the cemetery is finding the weird, creepy tombs, of which there are many. Here are two of the creepiest we came across.
As we walked around, we wondered what the criteria for being buried in a place like Recoleta is. Is there some committee in place to determine if a citizen had sufficiently served Argentina? Is it a familial legacy situation? Coming across this small sign, our question was answered. With enough money, you can buy your way into a famous final resting place.
Arte Moderno
I'm not sure that I've ever been able to fully appreciate a lot of the modern art I've come across. It always seemed like too much abstraction, supported by pretentious people desperate to claim they "get it", so as not to seem unenlightened. Wandering into an exhibit on the other side of Buenos Aires the other day, many of the pieces raised those old questions - "Why is this considered 'good'? What's the point? This doesn't look like it requires any talent, only randomness sold as 'breakthrough'." There were however a few that I liked - the shark above, plus this bursting book sculpture and funky portrait.
Street Show
A few more street performers, these kids could jam. The guitarist was good, the drummer was excellent.
Trees
Some impressively old trees seen in a park in Buenos Aires
American Burger
A fairly common sight seen on restaurant menus down here, almost like a defined naming convention. If something is extremely unhealthy and features bacon and/or cheese, include “American” in the name.
Old Man Jammin'
One of the cooler street musicians I've ever seen.
Hippie Protest Leader
Seen from the balcony – a hippie leading a group of protesters down the street.
Tango
People tangoing in the square. A touching, romantic scene – in stark contrast to the soccer hooligans across the plaza.
Cordoba Wins
From afar, it looked disconcertingly like yet another protest. Luckily this raucous group was in good spirits – Cordoba had just won the Argentinian soccer league and the citizens were celebrating.
Loki Loki Loki
The hostel bar - a place where many backpackers spend entirely too much time. This is Loki, a famous party hostel, as you might assume from the weekly schedule of events....
