Buenos Aires Everyday

Chan Chan Peruvian Food

2012-01-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

I have decided that Chan Chan is my new favourite restaurant because it ticks all the boxes; great food, great price, great atmosphere, casual, and the decor is uber-kitsch and fun. I honestly don't know how they keep their prices so low. Dinner for two last night cost 75 pesos and you are hard pressed these days to get dinner for 1 at that price. The place always has a healthy number of tourists gracing the tables too, which usually drives prices up.

It's this type of place that keeps me happy and stops me from losing faith in the ever-crazy world of inflation in Buenos Aires. Thank you Chan Chan!

The Winery

2012-01-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

I just got back from visiting the winery of the new company I work for. The wine label is called Graffigna and they are located in the province of San Juan. I love these oak barrels that are imported from France and that they use to age the wine in for more or less 12 months, depending on the variety.

The Entrance, Niceto Vega

2012-01-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

La Señorita

2012-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

SUTERH - The Union for the Doormen of Buenos Aires

2012-01-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

This building on the corner of Venezuela and Balcarce in San Telmo is a sports and leisure centre for the doormen of Buenos Aires and their families. The porteros as they are called, have a union that was founded in 1942 by the government of Peron, who established many rights and unions for the working-class in Argentina.

I always passed by this old building and thought it was a factory with those huge windows and high ceilings. Perhaps it was before being converted into the sports centre. Now when I pass by I imagine all the little porteros with their families being sporty and recreational.

Mural, Parque Centenario

2012-01-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

This mural surrounds Parque Centenario and is just next to the Museum of Natural Science. There used to be dinosaurs painted here, but the other day I passed by on the bus and noticed that they had redone it. The colours and the faces are amazing! I think this is my favourite street art discovery since I´ve been living in Buenos Aires.

The President and Patio del Liceo

2011-12-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

My favourite new discovery in the city is Patio del Liceo and the little design, art and book stores within. I went to this place in search of the new store The President (photo above is the outside of the shop, the two photos below are from the inside and taken from their facebook page because they were not open when I went back for a second visit!).

The President is a tiny store that stocks basically a cool range of the owner´s favourite things from their native South Africa as well as Europe, including magazines, perfumes, fabrics and clothing. The interior of the store is entirely covered in paper leaves hanging from the ceiling and walls and printed paper covers the rest and the floor. I was rather excited because they stock some English language magazines like The Gentlewoman, my personal favourite that is not available anywhere else in Buenos Aires. You can read more about The President on this great write up by a local journalist here.

I also found an uber-cool little art bookstore called Purr that stocks lots of indie publications and I finally got my hands on the beautiful little locally made but internationally sold Correspondencia magazin e . It is hand-bound and published in both Spanish and English (finally a local mag with an international voice!) and features some great photography and artists.

It´s refreshing to find some independent boutiques that I can actually afford to shop at and that are not only for the USD-carrying tourists, yipee!

Balcarce Street, San Telmo

2011-12-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

Blue guys on a wall in San Telmo.

The Fluro Palace

2011-12-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

The Casa Rosada, fluro style, just before dark.

Women´s Help Line

2011-12-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

After an exhausting stint of Christmas shopping around the Plaza Serrano market in Palermo, I found this advertisement for a women´s help line run by the government. Brilliant.

Street Arte BA

2011-11-30T13:24:00.000-08:00

Street Arte BA is an independent graffiti event in Buenos Aires. This year the focus is on "the art in the street vs the street in the art". They have decked out a huge space in the neighbourhood of Once where many artists have come together to make their art both on the walls and/or on a canvas for sale. This picture is from the artist DOTZ who has an awesome Flickr that shows off his work. He credits graffitimundo with the photo who work with local artists and run graffiti tours in Buenos Aires. More details on the Street Arte BA Facebook!

A Wall in the Suburbs

2011-11-23T07:29:00.000-08:00

There´s nothing like a freshly sprayed wall in the suburbs! This mural came to life last Sunday after 12 hours of creative goodness in the neighbourhood of Nuñez. One of the guys involved is a friend who goes by the name of COF, check out some of his other work here. He said the locals really got into it and one neighbour even brought them snacks and refreshments :)

Street Corner - Palermo

2011-11-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today I had brunch at Oui Oui in Palermo Hollywood, delicious! Scrambled eggs, pancetta, green salad, chunky cut potatoes and limonada, mmmmm. Just a block away on the corner of Arenal and Amenabar I had previously spotted this little long-nosed creature and loved his style. Great colours too!

Asian Boy

2011-11-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

This little guy lives on a building in Palermo Soho.

Bikes and Birds

2011-11-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

There is a small bicycle revolution happening in BA. The government are building bike lanes all over the city and providing many stations where you can use them for free and then drop them off at another location. And aside from that, more and more people are buying and riding their own bikes as a clean, healthy and more enjoyable alternative to the chaos of public transport.

However, I think you need to be almost bat-sh%$ crazy to take to these congested streets on a bike, where the bus drivers basically use you as target practice and wouldn´t give way to you if their lives depended on it. And aside from this, nobody wears a helmut! But anyway, nice bike art... and some birds too.

For the Love of Architecture

2011-11-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

This first building is actually in Santa Fe but it got me thinking that one of the things I love most about Argentina, or more specifically Buenos Aires, is the complete mish-mash of architectural styles. You have a beautiful old building from the 1800´s, and next to it there´s a strange 1970´s thing that was made as a cheap office building. So these are some buildings that held my attention because they are interesting, beautiful, ugly and unique.

Puerto Madero Part 2

2011-11-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to the HUGE natural reserve in Puerto Madero for the first time ever! I actually cannot believe that I had not been before, and I can also not believe that it is so big and refreshing and so close to crazy downtime Buenos Aires.

We walked all the way to the edge where the park becomes the Rio de La Plata river and like everybody else, sat on the grass and drank mate. It was like we had gone on a day-trip out of the capital, so quiet and natural. I think it´s going to be the perfect escape from the mid summer heat in January.

Puerto Madero

2011-10-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have been to Puerto Madero more times in the past few days than in the past three and a half years. I never really had a reason to go there before and I never really liked it much; it´s hard to access (which is not accidental), it´s expensive, touristy and there isn´t really anything there. But I just started a new job that is based there, which has forced me to spend more time getting to know the neighbourhood.

In the space of one working week I have decided that infact I rather like Puerto Madero and it could possibly be the perfect place to work. This is due to the following reasons:

There is so much space, giving you a break from the noise and the hustle and bustle of the city.
It is an easy bus ride straight down Avenida Belgrano and I have the choice of two buses to take.
My workplace provides a catered lunch for their employees, so the fact that it is an expensive neighbourhood becomes irrelevant.
Following on from #3, there are no shops around to spend your money in! (referring to mainly clothing stores, which was dangerous in my old office in the heart of Palermo).
For a neighbourhood that is seemingly empty there are a suprising number of facilites, such as banks and kiosks.

The thing that I still find strange about the place is this kind of feeling that you are walking around in an architectural model that has somehow been built on a human-sized scale. These photos are from a park just behind my office that has been built in between two groups of huge skyscraper builidngs. It´s such a surreal feeling standing in the middle of the park and looking at these futuristic buildings towering above you. Even more so because the typical architecture of Buenos Aires is a mix of 18th, 19th and 20th Century buildings, but here its just these new super buildings.

Now I´m not saying that I want to live in Puerto Madero, or that I agree with the idea behind the neighbourhood and it´s inherent exclusivity, but I don´t mind having it as my 9 to 5 home from Monday to Friday.

What Colour are the Walls in Your Office?

2011-10-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

Mine are all the colours of the rainbow...

Apartment #7 - Saavedra

2011-10-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Nacho has lived in Saavedra his whole life, right on the edge of where Buenos Aires the capital becomes the province. And because it is so close to the border it has a real sense of space and tranquility, a nice break from the hustle and bustle of downtown BsAs. The suburb is also home to a huge park, just a couple of blocks from where he lives.

Nacho has been living in his apartment here for about a year, which he shares with his brother and two cats, one belonging to each of them. It is the perfect house for two adventurous cats, as the back balcony opens up to a mish-mash of neighbouring walls and gardens ready to be explored. The 1960s brown sofa and matching armchairs belonged to Nacho´s grandfather and go rather nicely with the peach coloured walls and patterned floor tiles. Some concertina doors keep the 60s/70s vibe going and provide the option of separating the bedrooms from the living area and the kitchen.

Being so far away from the action makes for long bus and train trips every day, but Nacho wouldn´t have it any other way. The journey makes arriving home to the neighbourhood of his childhood even better.

Street Art Inside

2011-10-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a mixed-media event combining music and art, and it included a kind of performance art where a guy known as Cof (Marcos) did his stencils on a wall of the interior patio. It was great to see and share the art process from beginning to end, and bring the sort of art that is usually done on the street, inside.

Sexy Serpent

2011-10-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

This lady and her snake keep me company while I wait for the bus after work in Palermo...

Apartment #6 - La Boca

2011-10-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Gabriela has been living in her apartment in La Boca for about two years. It is huge by Buenos Aires standards and quite a luxury that she only shares it with her boyfriend and not three or four other people as well (and this luxury was achieved by some serious Swiss planning).

La Boca meaning the mouth, is a port-side suburb home to Boca football stadium (la bombonera), the colorful Caminito tourist precinct and a whole lot of history. The suburb has a reputation for being on the poorer and dodgier side of town, but it is a big neighbourhood and as always it depends on where you are and who you know. Gabi lives close to the bottom of Parque Lezama and the neighbourhood of San Telmo, in a traditional and commercial area away from the tourists. Her apartment is at the end of a long passage and up one flight of stairs.

Opening the apartment door, light fills the corrider that leads down one complete side of the building. Along with light it is spacious, has a view from the living room to an immense garden next door, there is an exposed-brick wall in the dining area and most importantly, a rooftop terrace.

The apartment is her oasis in the city.

Gabriela´s favourite thing about the apartment is the rooftop terrace, complete with a parilla or bbq and views of nearby Boca Stadium.

Casa FOA Design Market

2011-09-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Casa FOA is, in their own words, "a space for the development of creativity; a meeting place where designers, architects, decorators and landscape artists, who are selected for their talent and prestige, share their journey and discoveries with the public." This year the location is an old industrial market-style warehouse in Barracas, the exhibition runs for just over a month and raises money for the Fundación Oftalmológica Argentina Jorge Malbran, who work in the medical field of Ophthalmology.

The exhibition is reminiscent of the Milan Design festival in Italy, with the idea of showcasing all things cutting-edge and the local trendsetters of the design industry. There were some interesting things going on, but overall my expectations were a lot higher. When I first arrived in Argentina I thought there was quite an innovative design industry and there were many things that impressed me, such as the clothing and textile designer Juana de Arco or some of the designers represented in the museum shop Tienda Malba.

But rather than a lot of innovative installations I found it to be a showcase for these designers to find new customers, basically where people with a lot of money go to comission furniture for their apartments. There were some aesthetically pleasing things going on, and of course the idea is to showcase Argentina´s creative talent and raise money for a charity. However for me the standout feature was the location in Barracas, an old industrial suburb of Buenos Aires. When everything design related usually happens in Palermo, it´s nice to have a change of scenery.

Bond Street

2011-09-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

Bond Street is where the kids go to get tattooed in Buenos Aires; an arcade full of tattoo parlours, piercing stores and the clothing and onda that goes with it. It´s a huge subculture right in the middle of the shopping strip on Avenida Santa Fe, in the suburb of Barrio Norte. Three floors buzz with the sound of needles and neon signs, a little creepy and a little bit cool...

Barracas Street Art

2011-09-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Way down south in the industrial suburb of Barracas was this warehouse painted in all shapes and shades of blue.

Apartment #5 - Almagro

2011-09-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Jonathan has been living in Buenos Aires for over three years and has only been in his new apartment in Almagro for a week, but it already feels like home for him. The apartment is right at the back of the group, in a property that originally housed many families and people together in a kind of communal living. These buildings were known as conventillos, where rooms in each apartment were rented by different people and existed predominant in the southern neighbourhoods of San Telmo and La Boca, close to the port around the early 1900s. This style of living was common for recently arrived immigrants and people that were from the lower classes. Today some of these buildings remain and are divided into separate apartments.

The entrance and internal courtyard space is vast for Buenos Aires standards and there is a huge palm tree that greets people when they enter the complex. When you enter Jonathan´s apartment you find a hallway with windows on one side looking out onto the courtyard entrance, and the three bedrooms one after the other, each with access from the hallway. At the end of the hall around the corner is a common area with a dining table, and an attached kitchen with a breakfast bar. Light fills the hallway and dining areas and the old windows reflect their patterns and shapes in shadows.

The apartment is a glimpse into the history of Buenos Aires and it´s inhabitants.

This last photo is of the footpath in front of the building, and is a plaque in remembrance of someone who lived in the building and was kidnapped and killed by the military government that took control of the country during the 1970s and 80s. Many of these plaques exist around the city as a way to rememeber some of the more than 30,000 people that "disappered" and were killed during this time, and a constant reminder of their presence and the recent dark history that belongs to Argentina. The plaque says:

"Alicia Pardo lived here and was kidnapped, political activist, detained and disappered by the terrorism of the state, 02.06.76. Neighbourhoods for the memory and justice."

Recoleta, the Neighbourhood

2011-09-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

Walking around Recoleta today my Argentine other-half remarked that it felt like we were in Europe. And it did, what with all the spotlessly clean streets and beautiful old European buildings. It´s a different side to Argentina, a side that the tourists like to see and I think the way many people still like to think of this Paris of South America: with romance, history and beauty.

Some of the buildings are stunning, from their roof-top details to the vast entrances and imposing doorways. The suburb is home to the luxury shopping mall Patio Bullrich, originally owned by the Bullrich family and used as an auction house for collections, livestock and thoroughbreds. And there is my newest favourite French bakery L´épi that has the best almond croissants and pain au chocolat that I have tasted in this city, or anywhere outside of France.

Perhaps it was due to the obvious beauty of the neighbourhood that I found it difficult photograph, or it could have just been that my little digital camera just wasn´t up to the task, but anyway, you get the idea...

Apartments 3&4 - Recoleta

2011-08-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Recoleta is where the old money is, and along with the money it´s full of beautiful old buildings. The residents are mostly older too, lending a sophisticated air to the neighbourhood and it´s stores and coffee shops.

My Colombian friend Camila rents a room in the first apartment, which is owned by a young Argentine doctor who rents two of the three bedrooms to foreigners. Her bedroom is the room that a mucama or live-in maid would have usually occupied, a small space with an even smaller bathroom, where the washing is hung to dry. But despite the size Camila loves where she lives for the location and the friendly atmosphere of the shared apartment. It can be quite difficult and expensive for foreigners to rent in Buenos Aires, as real estate agents require another property owner in the capital to sign your contract incase you default on the rent. There are many share houses for foreigners but they are usually expensive, and there are often more people than bedrooms.

One of the apartment´s best features is the long balcony that runs along one side and has room for some chairs, some plants, and even a hammock. In a city where outdoor space is premium, the balcony is a great summertime oasis. The apartment has three toilets, quite a nice luxury when you are sharing with strangers, and a good sized living/dining room that is defined by two green walls and a speckled mirror above a chesterfield-esque couch.

This last shot is a view from the roof of the building and shows the typical Buenos Aires skyline.

Apartment number two is where Daniel lives, another Colombian residing in Buenos Aires. He has been living in his studio apartment for a few months, after previously renting a room with an Argentine family.

The distribution of space in the apartment makes it seems bigger than it is, and the strategic placement of a low bookshelf divides the space in two, providing a living and bedroom area. The apartment is full of light and he rents it with the furniture included. The space is uncluttered, and while the atmosphere is a little less bachelor than perhaps he would choose for himself, it´s practical and functional.

Two of Daniel´s favourite things are the location and convenience of the supermarket below his building, as well as finally having a space to himself.

Daniel´s apartment building has a roof-top space with the all important Argentine parilla or BBQ that can be reserved to use for parties and general good bbq-ing times. The view is great, and directly in front is the national library, a very iconic piece of architecture.

Cowboys

2011-08-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

Technicolour cowboys in Palermo...

Apartment #2 - Monserrat, the Neighbourhood

2011-07-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

The neighbourhood of Monserrat is a mixed bag, featuring European architecture, 1970s scary architecture, a bit of dirt and grime and a slightly bigger bit of attitude. This emanates just as much from the streets themselves as from the very old and traditional bars on the street corners and the old characters (mostly men) that frequent them. Things were very quiet on the Sunday these pictures were taken, allowing a different perspective to be observed of this otherwise busy down-town location.

There was some interesting text and lettering around, as well as stencils and pictures on windows and garage doors. Some buildings were abandoned and boarded up, while others, through an open door, allowed a glimpse into a secret world of apartments and gardens.

Monserrat has a charm reminiscent of the more touristy San Telmo, but it´s a little more grungy and lacking in fancy bars in comparison. The feature here are several large and traditional Spanish restaurants and cultural clubs that are home to the Spanish community, and many important buildings, such as the Buenos Aires Police Headquarters (see photo below).

Overall, it seems like an interesting place to live...

Apartment #2 - part 1

2011-07-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Ceylan lives in the barrio of Monserrat, which is often referred to as Congreso due to the nearby congress building. It´s close to the centre of the city, but at the same time has a very traditional and distinctive neighbourhood-feel about it and avoids being just another chaotic part of downtown Buenos Aires. Things do get a little crazier when there are protests and parades filling the large plaza and surrounding streets, but Ceylan says this is a small price to pay for the location and affection she feels for the place.

She has been in her apartment for almost a year and shares it with Camilla, a friend from Brazil who is studying in Argentina. Ceylan originally came from Turkey to Buenos Aires two and a half years ago to work for a company who were starting a website in Turkish, and she has recently decided to leave Argentina and return to her native country next month.

The apartment she rents comes furnished and is a very comfortable size for two. It´s internal, so away from the noisy street but still full of light from the shaft that is left between the buildings. One of the nice features of apartments in Buenos Aires are the wooden floorboards; they really do create a sense of nostalgia and quality in the spaces they fill, and that´s definitely the case in this apartment. The layout makes it a really functional and inviting space to visit and the decoration makes the experience complete.

One of the walls in the living room is completely covered in mirrors, giving extra depth and interest to a room in an apartment with few windows and no real view to the outside. The wooden floorboards and antique furniture work with the mirrors in making the space cosy and sophisticated, aided by the combination of the dark wood and the golden couches. The perfect place to enjoy a Turkish or Brazilian coffee...

Apartment #1

2011-07-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

My friend Murphy has been living in Buenos Aires for about 4 years, originally coming to practice the Spanish he learnt while studying back in the US where he is from, and like most people who come for "a while", he has not yet managed to leave. (If you have never been to Buenos Aires, it has this addictive attitude that is hard to shake).

He currently lives in a studio apartment in Barrio Norte, located between the neighbourhoods of Recoleta and Palermo. There are actually two separate buildings that make up his address; the second and smaller building is home to his apartment and was originally where the servant´s quarters were located for the apartments in the front building.

There are some decorative and stylistic features that seem to place the architecture from the 1930s or 40s, such as the stairwell, the light switches, the wall motifs and the lettering on the doors. The entrance to the building is quite open and grand, and a long way for Murphy to come to have to open the door for his visitors!

His apartment is a good size for one person, full of light and nice and quiet, thanks to its location at the back and away from the street. There is even a shared rooftop terrace that he never uses but is a lovely place to dry washing or enjoy a sunny afternoon reading the paper and drinking the Argentinian tea mate.

Murphy´s favourite thing about his neighbourhood is that you can conveniently access almost anywhere in the city, with the D-line subway nearby as well as many buses. Walking is always a nice alternative when the subway is packed and sweaty during the summer. There is a Starbucks a few blocks away that is situated in a lovely old building they have maintained in its original state, and a trip there once in a while for a coffee is a nice reminder of home.

While Barrio Norte can be pretty busy on weekdays, the weekends are a different story. Children gather to play soccer in the many small plazas and the streets are empty of the traffic that usually congests them. There is some cool street art that can be found around the place too.

Finally, the Colon!

2011-07-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to the Teatro Colon and it was AMAZING and totally worth the three year wait. I heard that Mikhail Baryshnikov said it was the most beautiful theatre in the world that he had danced in, and while I have not danced in every theatre myself I think I would have to agree with him. When I arrived in Buenos Aires the theatre was closed for restoration and remained closed for years because of a fallout with the unions and the workers and the government. Last year it opened briefly but then closed again, and it recently opened once more, so I snatched some tickets to see the ballet Sleeping Beauty with a full orchestra playing Tchaikovsky´s music. It was like a three hour dream. The theatre is unbelievable. My next trip will be to see an opera...

Jesus is the man

2011-06-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

According to this "church", Jesus Christ is the man. This is such a strange, big white monument that takes up half a block and has about 10 security guards standing around it at all times (and I have no idea why). I find the contrast with the abandonded building next door quite interesting. People used to live in the old building but it was recently vacated, presumably by force, and now sits boarded up and empty. I get a strange feeling everytime I walk past the big white building, standing like a beacon in the night.

Worms

2011-06-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Worms

Santa Fe-Paris...

The name of this department store in Santa Fe (also in Paris apparantly, as it tells us on the front of the building) is an interesting choice. But aside from the name, it is in a great old building and has a fabulous sign and a big clock on the front of the building. It makes me think of shopping in the 1950s, when people dressed up and made an occassion out of it.

Weddings

2011-06-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended my first Argentine wedding (as a guest). It was non-stop party action and more like being at a very up-scale club, although the 500 guests probably had something to do with that vibe. There are lots of similarities to a wedding in Australia: the church service was first, followed by the reception, there was food and alcohol in copious amounts, and people dress up because it is a formal occasion. The differences however are that the church service begins at 7.30pm, and the whole evening ends about 12 hours later, at 7.30am. They bring out a HUGE dessert bar at 3am, which is actually the second serving of dessert as you have already eaten sweets after the main meal.

The bride and groom make their big entrance just as everyone has been seated at their table, and they charge onto the dance floor where they are mobbed and thrown up into the air, such as at a Jewish wedding (minus the chair) or a rock concert. Everyone dances to a couple of songs, and then they take their seats again. I did get stepped on and thrown around more than when I went to see Jamiroquai a few weeks ago.

At about 3am when everyone has had enough booze, they bring out costumes that are a mix between clothing from the Moulin Rouge and a Brazilian carnaval. And if you make it that far and keep on until dawn they serve you breakfast before you stumble home the next day. All in all, it´s one hell of a fiesta.

I was going through some photos from my own recent wedding (which incidentally was not at all like a typical Argentine wedding) and found a few that are rather abstract and not wedding-like at all, but rather just interesting photos

The Blue House, The Green House

2011-06-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

I came across these cute and colourful houses yesterday while walking between apartment viewings in Boedo. Boedo is a very old, traditional neighbourhood that is known for its Tango bars and cafes. I like it because it´s quiet, not overly expensive, has some lovely streets and is still reasonably central.

Apartments

2011-06-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Apartment hunting in Buenos Aires is tough, just as I imagine it is in any other big city. And there are all kinds of apartments out there, from dark and scary to tiny and sun-filled, old with character and an amazing entrance, and even cheap-looking but still expensive. The winners in the property stakes here are the real estate agents, who upon signing or renewing a 2 year lease demand up to 3 MONTHS OF THE RENT AS THEIR COMMISSION. I don´t know who first thought up this brilliant scheme or how it caught on, but it has to be one of the biggest scams in the country.

So the biggest tip when it comes to searching for your own place is to rent directly from the owner of the property, thus cutting out the middle-man who takes the commission. Finding the perfect apartment from an owner is a delicate process which involves scouring the weekend papers and the internet. Here are a couple that tickled my fancy on the soloduenos.com.ar website, but unfortunately were a little out of the budget...

This apartment is a big loft in an old factory, on the edge of the San Telmo and La Boca neighbourhoods. It´s pretty old and industrial with a big wall of windows, faded carpet and unpainted walls, and just the sort of hip dwelling you want to live in for a year or two to cross it off the to-do list.

This lovely little 2 storey apartment in Colegiales has a balcony AND a terrace (a luxury) and is only 2 years old. I love the exposed brick wall mixed with the modern interior. It also looks full of light or luminoso in Spanish.

And the hunt continues...

The Men´s Store

2011-05-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

The windows of this men´s store in the centre of Buenos Aires always catch my attention. The shop has a 1970s feel to it but somehow retains an elegant edge. The pictures of the gentlemen, the gold lettering on the windows and the extensiveness of the window displays remind me of a department store where quality, service and style are what it´s all about. These three factors are not exactly how I would describe shopping in Argentina, so perhaps the idea of these things is what is so appealing. Now if only I needed some men´s clothes I could shop here and test my theory...

Locro

2011-05-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

Locro is a thick soupy-stew that is considered to be probably the national dish of Argentina (if we can discount the Argentine asado for a minute). It typically consists of ingredients such as corn, meat, chorizo, beans and pumpkin, but can include anything and everything in between. Locro has been eaten in some form or other since Incan times in many South American countries, with different varieties of the stew to be found across the continent.

Today is the 25th of May, a public holiday for the May Revolution of 1810 that celebrates the country´s first national government, and locro is the traditional food that is eaten on this day. The photo here is from a website called Planeta Joy, which features great food, drink and style roundups in Buenos Aires, and this particular article talks about the best places in the city to eat locro. Prices and quality vary markedly so it´s often a good idea to go by someone´s recommendation to get the best locro experience. When I was recently in the north of the country I had a ripper locro as it is a traditional dish in this area. In fact all this talk of locro is making me hungry, I may just pop over to Planeta Joy to check out where I can get my hands on some...

The Rocket Window

2011-05-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

It is common to see abandonded houses in Buenos Aires with the windows and doors cemented up, to stop people occupying the buildings when they are vacant. It has always slightly disturbed me and I always wonder when I see one for sale, how do you inspect it? Do they wait until people are interested in the property and then smash in the doors and windows? Anyway, this rocket-ship street art is a pretty cool way to make the non-window less creepy and much more colourful.

The coolest hotel in the mountain

2011-05-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

When travelling I like to do a little bit of research before leaving, and perusing the Lonely Planet website I came across this hotel-in-the-mountain that they described as decidedly sci-fi and very nice indeed. So when we visited Pumamarca I couldn´t help but take that advice and stay in the pod as I came to call it. The great thing about the pod, is that it is made of adobe, which keeps it cool in the day under the strong sunshine, and at night, the massively thick walls release the heat to keep it warm and toasty. A little bit of luxury in the heart of the mountain.

Architecture/Street Shots up North

2011-05-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

Colonial streets with mountains in the background are probably my favourite things about Jujuy. Every dusty or cobbled street you walk down is a trip into the past, and every door gives you a hint as to just how long the building has been there. The building style is simple and resourceful, utilising local materials such as cardon, the inside of the cactus, and walls made of adobe that keep the buildings cool during the hot day, and warm at night, when the temperature really drops. Functional, historic, basic and charming...

Way up North

2011-05-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to recently travel around the north of Argentina and get to know some of the small towns in the provinces of Jujuy and Salta. As you can see in this picture that is taken just outside the town of Tilcara, the landscape is all cactus and mountains, very dry and hot during the day and chilly at night. I was constantly amazed by the colours of the mountains, as they are not only brown but also red, pink, blue, green and even violet in some places. The small towns are all colonial with buildings that date back to the 1800´s and streets made of stones or dust. I kept expecting to see a tumbleweed roll down the main street, as the imagery from American westerns was close to mind.

The link to the past is much more apparent up here, with many people of Native decent living quite the same as their ancestors in simple houses and working with materials that surrond them. For example, inside the cactus is a type of wood called Cardon and it is used widely as a building material for gates, roofs, tables etc. The link to the Incan past is also prevalent and there are many ruins and museums with artefacts from that time, over 500 years ago.

These are some of my favourite shots of the landscapes...

Ladies Lunch

2011-04-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

My last single-lady lunch at Social Paraiso was lovely. Simple, intimate and tasty, we ended up with the place to ourselves just sipping our wine and contemplating tomorrow...

Gauchito Gil

2011-03-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Gauchito Gil is an unofficial saint in Argentina. Images of him appear all over the place; in small shrines on the side of the highway, on little cards in the sainterias where they sell religious imagery and objects, and even painted on the side of a bridge like in this photo, close to my apartment. If you want something, you pray to Gauchito Gil.

Upon further investigation into this semi-religious Argentine symbol, popular legend is that Gil lived between the years 1840 and 1878 (more or less). He was a gaucho on a farm, a very good worker, and he had an affair with a beautiful widow. The widow´s brothers and the head of police, who was also in love with her, found out about it and tried to kill Gil, so he fled and joined the army, fighting in the war against Paraguay. He returned to his village as a hero, and was then sent to fight in the Argentine Civil War. Tired of the senseless war he escaped and was eventually caught and strung up by his feet by the police. Before he was killed, he told the policeman his son (the policeman´s) was very ill, and if his life was spared Gil would heal the boy and he would live. The policeman ignored him and cut his throat anyway, but when he returned to his village his son was indeed very sick. The policeman prayed to Gauchito Gil to make his son better, and the boy was cured. Gauchito Gil it seemed, had healed his murderer´s son. After this, the policeman gave Gil a proper burial and set up a shrine, spreading word of the miracle.

These days Gil is a popular saint that people pray to when they want or need something, and you often see "gracias Gauchito Gil!" written around the place.

Wedding bells

2011-03-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

With three weeks to go we have found the place to celebrate our wedding. More photos of this amazing old estate to come!

BA Fashion Week

2011-03-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to the opening night of fashion week here, where the label AY Not Dead took the opening honours in the carpark of the Paseo Alcorta Shopping Centre. Apart from the opening, which is by invitation only, you can buy general admission tickets and line up to see your favourite labels and be part of all the action. The dark, industrial space of the carpark was a superb setting, the free cigarettes they were giving out was however, not cool, and the people, well, some were cool, some were trying for cool and some were just trying to use the free cigarettes to be cool.

Buenos Aires has a really interesting fashion thing going on, but at the same time, it´s a little bit something that I cannot put my finger on. There are some super cool stores who mostly have boutiques around the Palermo Soho area and in some of the shopping centres like Paseo Alcorta where fashion week launched. Coming from Australia, I think I am spoiled for choice in terms of fashion that can be cheap or expensive, accessable, on sale (sales here are pretty useless), innovative, unique, available online, where the service is mostly very good, and the doors to the shops are not locked and you do not have to ring the bell to get in (security reasons here). But here the fashion is mostly very expensive, a bit repetitive, the quality is usually very average and the service less-than average.

So the best things about the shopping here are

The huge, spacious and chic boutiques themselves that are fitted out very expensively and are great to visit
If you find a store that is your style, you can generally keep shopping there season after season, as the designers tend to keep the same general shapes and silhouettes while varying the ideas and fabrics and picking up new season trends.

This season, the stores I am visiting the most are Paula Cahen Danvers, DELAOSTIA, Rhapsodia and Maria Cher.

Paula Cahen D´anvers makes clothes that are classic, basic, comfy, preppy and easy. Winter is her best work because she always rocks good shirts, knits, hoodies, boots, moccasins, tailored pants, blazers and good basic tshirts. When I first arrived in BA and had Australian dollars in my bank account rather than Argentinian pesos I think I bought about 9 pieces from her collection that winter. Now that I have pesos instead of dollars, I am limited more to sale time and the occasional purchase, but I always like at least a couple of pieces that she does. The downside is her knitwear is getting more and more pricey, and it really does not compare to the quality of Australian knitwear that I am used to, so paying 500 pesos for a knit is really not the best idea when it starts to look cheap after one season.

DELAOSTIA definitely have some similarities to Paula, but they are a little less preppy and a bit more risque perhaps you would say, with higher hemlines. They still have some pieces that are easy, classic and do a really good range of denim and basic silhouettes in black, white and charcoal. DELAOSTIA use their Facebook page really well, posting pictures of models and local celebs that come into the store and try on their clothes, along with prices, which I think works really well. Their collection is much smaller than the other designers I mention here, but very cohesive and succinct.

Rhapsodia are the hippie, eclectic, tribal print gurus, but this season I like their Native American influence and more structured military mixed with the prints that they are known for. Not being a girly dresser, their looks can be a little too feminine for me, but I like a printed dress with a structured jacket, and they have a HUGE range of scarves. Rhapsodia have just openend a new store a street away from their old one, and it is big, open, girly and full of draped fabrics and chandeliers. They have some beautiful bed throws which look like they are from India or possibly Morocco, but they are super expensive and unless you will never make it to these places to buy several for yourself, not quite worth the price.

Maria Cher has a kind of rock and roll glam thing going on, with 70´s and 80´s influences. She has lots of oversized clothing, and of all the designers I have mentioned her fabrics are probably the best quality. I have a couple of tshirts that have been worn and worn and retain their soft feel and shape. Sometimes her sizes are so big that I wonder how the uber-skinny Argentine chicks can wear them. If I am using a size 1, what are the size 1´s wearing? Her bags and shoes are $$$ but very nice indeed.

Roho

2011-03-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to the uber-cool, rock and roll hairdresser Roho in Palermo. The fitout is impressive, and features a lot of fluro/neon colour. It´s kind of 70´s in spirit and also feels like you are at a bar. They have a dj booth so I guess sometimes it really almost is a bar, although for it to be a bar they would have to offer you a drink (I will get to that later). All of the hairdressers are guys, not quite sure why as I think girls cut really well too... and they have a huge circular couch to hang out on while you are waiting for your turn. Luckily the couch is comfy because I was waiting a while.

The thing that I just cannot come to terms with in Argentina, is that "cool" places and things that are expensive are ruined by bad service. It costs 90AR pesos for a cut, no wash or blow dry, which is pretty pricey, but I have no problem paying this when the experience is enjoyable. I had an appointment at 6.30, so when it was 7.05pm I asked the receptionist if it would be much longer, and she said "yeah, about 20 minutes because we had a lot of people come in without appointments". And so why did I make the appointment if the people without them were able to be served anyway? So almost an hour after my scheduled appointment I got started, and my hairdresser excused himself twice to attend to other matters, for between 5 and 10 minutes each time. I actually really like the cut, it´s just what I was after, but something that should have been a nice experience left me with a cara de culo (let´s call it, an "angry face").

Here is a tip for hairdressing salons in Buenos Aires: If you want to charge a lot and be cool, be nice to your customers. Offer them something to drink (why is this not standard?), apologise if there is a delay, and don´t leave your customer alone during the haircut, boludo!

These first four photos are from the Palermo salon, the shots below are from the Caballito one , which I may try next time to see if they are a little more with my ideals of making the customer enjoy their experience. Here´s hoping.

The Barber Bridge

2011-02-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

On a bridge in Almagro near the bus stop for the 160 and 151 are these paintings of a barber shop. There are many male barber shops here, run by old men who have obviously had the business their whole lives. They spend their days talking to the people from the neighbourhood who pass by, and cutting the hair and beards of the regulars who frequent them. You don´t make an appointment, you simply show up and wait until it´s your turn. I love the colours and the formation of the figures in these paintings and the way they are done in a circle and are framed by the studs and steel of the bridge.

The Museum of Natural Science

2011-02-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

The Museum of Natural Science in Parque Centenario was opened in 1937, but it actually existed before that. In 1812 it was originally opened in another location, and moved around a couple of times until ending up here, next to the park. While the animal and plant life is fascinating, I found myself drawn to photographing the building itself and the many paintings inside depicting extinct species and natural landscapes. The place is a mix of A Night at the Museum meets Metropolis, and while the place could use a bit of funding thrown its way, the 3 peso entry fee is worth every centavo just to wander around for a couple of hours.

Hospital Naval

2011-01-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Hospital Naval in Parque Centenario was built between the years 1981 and 1987 and has sat blue and proud since then, now trapped in its own unique aesthetic. Chanelling an old ocean liner, a spaceship and even a fish with its gill-esque windows, it definitely adds to the diverse architecture you will find in this great city. The external white-rounded staircase reminds me of the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Summer in the city

2011-01-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I was walking through the very heart of the city, and while the weekends in the centre are quiet at the best of times, it really struck me how few people were around. At the same time I also realised how incredibly hot it was and wondered why exactly I was walking around myself. But the lack of people really gave me a chance to take my time strolling along the avenues without others rushing past and bumping into me. I could look up at the buildings, which is my favourite part about the centre, and really appreciate my surroundings in a quiet way. I like the buzz and chaos that the centre of the city usually embodies but I have to say that the contrast was rather nice as well.

I have recently been given a book about the way people in different cities and places around the world occupy public spaces, from homeless people sleeping in the subway stations in Tokyo, to the way people come into a metropolis every day and then leave it virtually empty until the next working day, such as in the microcentro (tiny centre) here in Buenos Aires. It really does change the way the space is both perceived and experienced, when the thing changing isn´t the space itself but the way it is used or occupied.

Casa Rosada

2011-01-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

The Pink Palace (no guesses why it goes by that name) is where the president carries out her duties during the week. On weekends they open the palace and give free tours of this beautiful old building, which I am happy to report is not pink on the inside as well. The guides are all dressed as soilders from the nutcracker, or in what I presume is traditional dress for the guards. My favourite parts were the floor and ceiling details, just lovely. There was so much design and decoration to take in, so much intricate work and money that has gone into this building.

It´s great that they open it up so that the public can experience this important part of Argentina´s history.

And last but not least... the pink exterior!

The beach

2011-01-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

I´m back in Argentina and back from my first beach holiday here in Mar de Ajó, about 5 hours from Buenos Aires. What a delight! I don´t think there are happier people than Argentinians on holidays. And why wouldn´t you be happy? Away from the hot, noisy city and into the cool, relaxing beach; passing the day with family and friends, drinking máte, sunbathing, swimming and playing beach games. And at night, the sea breeze gently carries you off to the best summer sleeps you will ever have.

Mar de Ajó is a 1960´s/70´s seaside town that attracts families and middle class porteños to it´s shores every summer. Some of the builidings reflect that fading 70´s beach vibe...

This is the apartment building where we stayed. It used to be a hotel back in the day, but now it´s just a lovely candy-coloured place to rent an apartment for the summer, one block from the beach...

Just as the buildings are full of character so is the beach. We rented a "tent" while we were there, which gives you shade, chairs, tables and the use of bathrooms and a cafe, and had some very friendly people around us in the neighbouring tents. There was so much people-watching to be done I had to sometimes choose between my book and the beach...

This last picture is of two beautiful girls that were from the tents either side of us, and they would spend all day, every day playing together. The one on the left is Anastasia and she looks just like a little Pocahontas, divina!!

The couch

2010-11-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest differences between the houses I know in Argentina and those in Australia is the absence of a comfortable couch (in Argentina that is). Maybe it's a question of space or money, or a difference in culture, but it is a rare luxury to find yourself lounging on a sofa when you visit a friend. I am much more likely to be positioned at the dining room table, my slouching posture begging to slump onto a couch. There is something warm and inviting about a room with a couch... it's there to be enjoyed with a book, or a cat on your lap.

Living without one for the last two and a half years has left me planning the perfect purchase. I spotted this beauty at my local second-hand store...

Belize

2010-10-31T05:01:00.000-07:00

Belize is an interesting place, with lots of conflicting ideas. It's in the Carribean, but was settled by the British, so everyone speaks English. Arriving by boat, it is picturesque with pastel, weatherboard houses, but as soon as you step outside the port it looks like a typical third-world country and kinda like Guatemala. The people all want to sell you something or take you on a tour, but if you say no and that you are not interested, they politely let you go by and wish you a nice day.

We took a tour of the city with a local guy called Bernard who seemed passionate about education as he pointed out every local school (and there were a LOT) and explained that they each have a different coloured uniform. We went past a parade that some school kids were doing for red ribbon day, which promotes saying no to drugs.

To escape from the insane heat, we went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered a local beer from a Spanish-speaking employee and drank it while listening to a remix of songs that included Gloria Estefan and Reggaton. I quite like Belize...

Adelaide House

2010-10-11T02:28:00.000-07:00

The house of my friend in Adelaide is full of light, art and colour, and the backyard is an oasis of trees. The house itself is a lovely old building with lots of space, quite distinct to the places in Buenos Aires and it's interesting to see how people share a house with a lot of space or just a little. Here there is so much room to move that you could sit on the front porch, in the living room, the kitchen space, or venture into the enormous backyard, which means there is always the opportunity to be alone. For me this is the deal maker.

Everyday Adelaide

2010-10-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

Quilts, magazines and peacock feathers are just a few of my everyday things back home.

Melbourne vs Buenos Aires

2010-09-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

I realised that no matter where I am, I'm attracted to the same things: buildings, tiles, art, graphics, and I saw a lot of similarities between Melbourne and Buenos Aires, which both scares and amazes me.

Strange days

2010-08-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

The weather is moody today and seems to be affecting people strangely, myself included...

Blue House

2010-08-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Walking back from paying the rent one saturday morning recently, I stumbled upon this lovely blue house in the barrio of Boedo.

El Cuartito

2010-08-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Another of Buenos Aires´ legendary pizzerias, El Cuartito is a mix of sports bar meets traditional eatery. Typically eating two slices of pizza will be enough, and along with the cerveza that you are drinking, you once again wonder how Argentinians are not mordibly obese. Things that I love about this place include the old-fashioned decor, sports memorabilia posters, the interesting mix of clientele, the greasy and delicious pizza, the strange, sometimes cheerful, often moody waiters and the neon sign outside...

Missing the beach

2010-08-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

I never used to miss the beach, but I also used to have it in front of my house for most of my life. I have been living away from the beach for two and a half years now, and sometimes I miss the air, the sand, the smell and the noise, in summer and in winter. This image is from Ultra Bar in the centre near calle Florida, and sits behind the stage where the band plays.

Pale blue house/pink bathroom

2010-08-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

There is a cute pale blue house on a street corner near my work. It has some great features, like the cut-out shape around the door, the feature above the garage door, and the contrast of the blue and white.

A friend has just moved into a new place that has a crazy pink bathroom.

Yes I like colour and I like it in unusual ways...

Barzon Magazine

2010-07-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

I love magazines. Mainly interior design and decoration, but also fashion, culture, travel, food... and I am quite an expert when it comes to magazines both Australian and international, and now, Argentinian. The magazine scene in Argentina is quite shameful, and you really need to know your stuff to be able to choose a good one. They have some sort of secret if you touch a magazine you WILL buy it code amongst the newspapers stands, which makes flipping through various mags impossible. It is inevitable that you commit several purchasing errors... lured in by the seemingly edgy and well-designed cover, but sadly, inside there is rarely more than 10 minutes worth of entertainment. Barzon is not one of these magazines.

My favourite magazine by far, Barzon is a mix of culture, style, fashion, interiors, architecture and art, and it focuses on Argentina, and stretches sometimes to other parts of Latin America. The photography is amazing, the houses they feature are too, and you can actually spend hours leafing through the content and learning about the life of a local artist or the history of a city in the north of the country that contributes to the culture of Argentina. If you are looking for THE best mag, Barzon is it! The text is all in Spanish, but if you don´t speak it, you can at least enjoy the photography and great design.

Images from Barzon, issue 14

White Houses

2010-07-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Following a complete lack of photo-taking, I found these pics I took a while back of different houses that happen to be white (ish). I really like the effect that the light has in the images. The first two are from Santa Fe, and the last three are the house of a friend who lives in Villa Urquiza in Buenos Aires, and always has huge parties. I love the art deco facade of his place! The wall actually looks like marcasite and sparkles!!

I love to drink coffee here

2010-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

This cafe is on Avenida de Mayo, one of my favourite avenues in Buenos Aires, and near the building of Congress. This is a really old and traditional area of the city, where there are such gems as Cafe Tortoni, lovely old buildings, odd-characters in the street, the hotel Castelar (which looks super old-world cool) and many other old bars and pizza places. In this particular cafe I love the wall texture and colour, the painting, the big mirror near the door and the smartly dressed old waiters (always men. Actually, these placese are usually full of old men too, not sure where the women are...)

I love to drink coffee here too

2010-06-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

This coffee shop is on Avenida Corrientes, amoung the theatres, trash, noise and chaos of this area of the city. The neon sign is at the back of the store, and highlights their house specialities: churros (fried spanish doghnuts) and submarinos (hot chocolates!). Full of characters from oldies, to theatre goers and everyone in between, it´s a great place to people watch.

I love to drink coffee here

2010-06-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Las Violetas is probably my favourite coffee shop. It is traditional, swanky, beautiful and one of the busiest places to be at 4pm on a saturday or sunday when there is a line up of old ladies to get in. Several years ago it was restored to it´s original glory, and the building-fit out, lights and windows are amazing. The indulgence of choice is a gob-smacking platter of cakes and sandwiches (which comes with champagne!) far too grande and sweet to get through but definitely worth the experience. It´s open pretty much 24 hours, and I love stopping by late at night on my way home (circa 2am) and finding it full of people.

Cool shops #2

2010-06-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Shoe store Natacha is very nice indeed. Yesterday I bought some converse-inspired leather shoes; the quality is great and the colour is quite unique. They have a plethora of leather boots and lovely flats, as well as heels I would never wear but are equally enjoyable just to look at. Oh la la.

Cool shops #1

2010-06-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

I love Papalera Palermo, a huge paper shop in Palermo Soho that sell well, paper (obviously), hand-bound books with scren printed covers, quirky origami animals and objects, beautiful albums, art prints, I could go on...
It is the perfect place to pick up a quick gift for a friend, and they even have printing and origami workshops that you can take which look like a lot of fun and you can pick up some new gift-making techniques in the process! I went there today to buy a small gift for a friend who recently looked after my lovely cats for a weekend, and now I want to buy this Eva Peron limited-edition print...

Sabado lluvioso

2010-06-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday it rained all day, which meant that the streets were practically empty (a rare treat!). I went shopping, eating and coffee-drinking in Palermo Soho and took some snaps as I went.

Cine Lorca

2010-06-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

I love old cinemas, and the quirkier, the better. This is the cinema Lorca located in avenue Corrientes, in the centre of Buenos Aires. The picture above is taken from my seat, which is almost in the middle of the longest and narrowest cinema I have ever seen! I doubt you could even see the screen if you were sitting in the back row, and from about where I am sitting, the cinema begins to slope upwards so if you are sitting any further forward you have to look up, and you can´t rest your head on the seat because they are too low. The walls are wood panelling from the 70s, the seats cream vinyl, the majority of people that go there are old ladies and odd characters. Fittingly, I saw the new Polanski film Ghostwriter, very Hitchcock-esque and the perfect setting for this film.

Windows

2010-06-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went to Santa Fe to visit the family of my boyfriend and also had time to catch up with friends. Some friends that used to live in Buenos Aires have moved back to the place that they grew up, very close to Santa Fe in a pueblo called Rincon, which in English means corner. It´s small, basic, very green and quiet, with dirt roads and a very calm vibe. These friends are about to have their first baby and are in the process of building a lovely house, next to the family home of one of them. I fell in love with the windows, the light, the glass and the garden (and the family pets which include four cats and four dogs!)

This cat is called Kiwi and has the biggest head I have ever seen!

The ugly-pretty

2010-05-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

My new thing is taking an interest in things that are not necessarily inherently attractive, and I have dubbed this the "ugly-pretty". This city is full of ugly alongside pretty; an 18th Century building next to a 1970s tower of apartments, an old abandoned building with doors and windows that have been cemented in to prevent people occupying the building.

These buildings for example; their form, colours and the architecture interests me, but not because it´s pretty, because it´s almost kind of ugly. I walk past here every day and I love the way the building looks at different times of the day, according to the light. Here it´s late afternoon, when the sky has a soft glow and you know that darkness is soon coming.

Another entrance

2010-05-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Another building entrance to a friend´s apartment. This time the entrance is enormous which makes you feel quite grand, walking down the deep green velvet carpet past the white fireplace. I love the letters on the doors, the detailing on the walls and the double door entrance.

Beauty in the doorway

2010-04-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

I love the old fashioned doors and entrances that the buildings here have. Some of them are grand entrances, with a marble hallway and art deco lighting, and some of them are not as fancy but they have a vintage onda just as they are. This is the entrance to a friends place in Abasto. I changed the images to black and white just for a little artistic change, and to give them an all-so-slight air of film noir-ness. In the un-touched light of day, the elevator door is emerald green and the entrance has a faded brown-goldie 50´s feel.

The Glow

2010-04-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

It has been raining non-stop for two days now, which I find somehow calming. It means that there are not as many people on the street; they are either indoors or in buses and taxis, and the city has this glow about it. It´s just a steady rainfall, that makes it pleasant to put on your boots, grab your umbrella and walk. In the afternoon when it gets a little darker, the sky just has this glow. Everything is wet, but the colours seems more vivid and the buildings contrast against the silver-white glow that envelops everything below.

Montevideo

2010-04-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

I love going back to a city that I know, revisiting places that are familiar but that have not been experienced for years. Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and just a ferry and bus ride away from Buenos Aires. There are many similarities between the two cities, but my favourite things are the differences. Montevideo has this kind of sinister gothic appeal to it, with a mix of different architectural styles, dirty building facades and the absense of people in the streets (which when you come from Buenos Aires is extremely obvious). It´s the 1800´s meets the 1960´s, French meets Gothic, pretty meets ugly. When added together, these elements create a mood that is difficult to put into words but the photos do enough by themselves.

The local beer is Pilsen and it´s very easy to throw one of these back in any of the old bars that are dotted around the city.

The Native North American Bus

2010-02-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

Catching the 103 bus the other day I was pleasantly suprised to find these images of native american indians filling the otherwise blank interior. The bus also had a blue light, the disco bus as I like to refer to it, so without a flash, the photos came out with a blue tone. Que bueno!

San Telmo, Centro Wandering

2010-02-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday is the perfect day to just wander around the centre of the city. It is as quiet as a mouse, with all of the nine-to five workers at home and only a handful of tourists to be seen, or rather, heard. Firstly a coffee at El Hipopotamo in San Telmo, then to visit an historic house in Parque Lezama, a walk to the 10 peso cine Tita Mirello near the obelisk and a beer at an old bar.

Night Shots

2010-01-30T08:38:00.000-08:00

On a night hotter than most, we ventured out to see a friend in a jazz quartet in Retiro, in the craziest bar i have ever been to. In amongst the train tracks in a huge warehouse shed, is the home and workspace of an artist who, on weekends, opens his space as a bar. From the mosquitos, to wiping my chair down with the toilet paper provided on the table, to the absence of a fan on a 30 degree evening, to seeing a huge turkey in the shed nextdoor, it was a very interesting experience. Afterwards we walked through the barrio of Recoleta where i took a couple of shots of a beautiful old light in a square on Alvear, and we went to a great old place for some pizza.

Stencil and Building

2010-01-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Nice Building

2010-01-27T04:37:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday i have Spanish classes about a 15 minute walk from my work, and i always pass by some lovely old buildings. This one is on Avenida Santa Fe, just in front of Alto Palermo Shopping, a fancy shopping centre that is home to such western beauties as Calvin Klein and Starbucks (it´s a big deal here!). These buildings often have beautiful entrances and those old cage-style elevators, which i hope to get some pictures of at some stage.

Camera Shame

2010-01-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

I hate to admit it but i suffer from camera shame. I never realised it before but since being in Argentina it has crept up on me, and when the time comes to whip out my little digital camera, i look around me and if there are a few people i usually just keep walking straight past my photo opportunity. In Buenos Aires people have a habit of staring, whether you are simply passing by or doing something peculiar. It is a city of gawkers and unless you are in a touristy area you will not see people taking photos anywhere.

So to help combat this little problem that i have, i am going to attempt to take one photo per day, of something interesting that i walk past on my travels. Let´s see how we go...

My first photo is of a tiled wall that i walk past most days, and i always think about how much i like the print. It´s the wall of someone´s apartment, and a very plain looking apartment at that, but nevertheless i like the texture and colour of the print.

Congreso

2010-01-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

The neighbourhood of Congreso takes it´s name from the building of Congress that is a focal point in this very old area of the city. The grand avenue Avenida de Mayo is the heart of Congreso and it´s design was inspired by the avenues of Madrid, Barcelona and Paris and was constucted in 1894. Walking it´s tree-lined streets today gives you a glimpse into the grand and splendid past that Buenos Aires once knew, and there are many buildings that will help to transport you back there. These are some architectural features that i just love.

These days Congreso is a neighbourhood with a lot of character, mixing these beautiful architectural details from the past with a grittier reality. There are many hotels, both upper and lower scale, and ofcourse many protests that occur infront of the congress building. Avenida de Mayo links the Casada Rosada (the presidential palace) with the building of Congress, and many protests begin at one of these points and fill the streets inbetween. I think the mix of all these elements gives you a great representation of what Buenos Aires is today: a rich past, a problematic present and a lot of attitude.

Pizzeria Kentucky

2010-01-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

You can´t get much more traditional with pizzerias in Buenos Aires than Kentucky, besides maybe Guerrin, but that´s another post. My preferred way to eat is sitting on the stools in the bar, where you can buy pizza by the slice and a tumbler of red wine costs you 4 pesos. The signature pizza here is the fugazzeta rellena, which is basically as much cheese and onion as you can fit both on top and inside the pizza. I know it sounds like a grease injection, and it is! But so good...

This type of pizza restaurant is by no means cheap, and to sit down in the restaurant and order and large pizza and a litre of cerveza will cost you. But ordering by the slice and sitting on a stool in the front bar, where you can watch the guys making the pizzas, is a great option. This is where you will find the taxistas (taxi drivers) taking a break from their 12 hour shifts and sharing some laughs, or a group of old men that have been regulars for the last 15 years. Pizza is a food group here all by itself.

Summer in the City

2010-01-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

Well it´s officially verano again. So far it has not been like the summer we had last year which was pretty much oh-my-god-i-am-going-to-die every day, but today someone certainly decided to crank up the intensity of the heat. Because Buenos Aires is a city without beaches, every summer the government constructs these kind of fake beaches on the river bank, where people can go to at least get a sense of what it is like to be at the beach in the summer. They also set up umbrellas and chairs in the parks where people go to tan (they love a good tanning session in the park here). In this park there was actually a tiny shower set up so that you could get all hot and sweaty and then at least feel the sensation of water against your body and cool off slightly. Something to do? Yes. Even better than the real thing? Not a chance.

Metropolis

2010-01-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

Right out of the 1927 German film Metropolis is this building in downtown Buenos Aires on the corner of Belgrano and Peru. The buidling is called Otto Wulf and was completed in 1914, 13 years before the film was made. On the third level there are 8 huge sculpted figures that stand between the windows and are 5 metres tall. These 8 figures each represent the different arts of blacksmithing, Carpentry, masonry, forjary, architecture, sculpture and the last two figures represent the head of the project and the architect himself, Morten F. Rönnow. Every time i walk past this building i find myself in awe of these powerful figures and am glad to able to witness some of the beautiful architecture that this city has to offer.

Santa Fe

2009-12-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

Ok, so technically it´s not Buenos Aires but it´s only 6 hours away, so i think i can still get away with a post about my trip there. My boyfriend´s family lives there and we went to spend Christmas with everyone and for a much needed break from the city. Santa Fe has a population of about 600,000 and there are at least that many mosquitos living there as well. Charles Darwin actually went there around 1833 and in his notes he wrote something like "the combination of humidity and heat during the siesta (afternoon) time and mosquitos make this place unliveable..." At two in the afternoon the city is like a ghost town for exactly this reason, and because the afternoon siesta here is a ritual. The people take a break from their work, close their shops, have lunch with their families and take a nap. Santa Fe is basically a mini version of Buenos Aires, there are some great buildings and a few things caught my eye...

This last photo is of a huge icecreamery or heladeria in Spanish. The decor is stainless steel, white and mint green and looks right out of the 1950s. They LOVE their icecream here in Argentina, there are almost as many heladerias as there are newspaper stands and i have to say, they give the Italians a run for their money in terms of the tastiest icecream around (icecream/gelati, it´s in the same family).

Street Art Almagro

2009-12-13T17:56:00.000-08:00

About five minutes walk from my apartment there are a series of bridges that cross above the train lines in the suburb of Almagro. Sometimes I take a different route walking home from work and recently i came upon these paintings on the walls of one of these bridges. Next to the paintings there is a sign that says that all of the art is done by people that are living on the street and please do not paint over it. The initiative is called Arte Sin Techo, or Art Without a Ceiling, and they work with the community and have a cultural centre a few blocks from where i took these photos. The images remind me a little bit of Australian artist David Bromley.

I love the moustache on this girl! It´s a bit of a Chinese style moustache in that simple-ink-drawing kind of way and i love the result.

This picture is done in the style of a child running, with child-like clothing, but the face and the hair really make it look like an old lady. I love the contrast of the two ideas. What a great initiative this project is.

Museo Metropolitano

2009-12-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Last night I had my work´s christmas party at the Museo Metropolitano in Palermo Chico. It´s a beautiful building with a lovely courtyard and gardens and was constructed in 1928. It was a private residence until the 1980´s and it now features art exhibitions, music recitals and you can book the bar and courtyard for private functions.

Post Street Bar

2009-12-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

After work last wednesday night we all headed to Post Street Bar in Palermo to celebrate Jonathan´s birthday. The whole place is completely covered in stencils, including the bathrooms (which can help to pass the time there) and we spent the evening with cerveza on the rooftop terrace. They say that the stencil art is done by the most important street artists in Buenos Aires, and you don´t have to walk far from the bar to see that Buenos Aires is full of great street art and many creative people that are contributing to the art and design scene in Argentina.

Juana Molina

2009-11-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to see Argentinian musician Juana Molina in the theatre ND Ateneo in the centre of Buenos Aires. She is one of a handful of Argentinian musicians that are, in my opinion, creating a different sound and bringing something new to the scene in Argentina. Her style of music is difficult to describe, but the terms indie, folk and electronica come to mind, or her myspace describes it as "Big beat, swing, minimalista". She creates her sound by using sound recording pedals and machines that play back instantly what she records, and she builds the sounds like layers of a cake, applying one on top of the other. After listening to her music for almost 2 years now it was great to see her live and see exactly how the sound comes together. Before becoming a musician she used to be an actor, which comes across in the way she interacts with the audience with small details and funny anecdotes. It was a great experience that allows her music to be appreciated in a new way so if you get the chance, check her out!

2009-11-14T16:32:00.000-08:00

When i first moved to Buenos Aires i lived in a neighbourhood called Flores. There was this lovely big park about 10 minutes walk from our house and it had these AMAZING gates on one side. There really was no point to the gates, at least nowadays, because there is no wall either side of them, and behind them is just a disused path. But i imagine 50 years ago that they led to a building on the edge of the park, a private residence or a type of government building that held events there. I have no idea if anyone looks upon these gates with such admiration as i do but i think it is fantastic that they are still there. Buenos Aires is full of beautiful iron work like this and many buildings feature doors, gates and windows with great patterns and details. It is these buildings that give Buenos Aires its character, history and life.

My apartment building

2009-10-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Owing to its history of more than 400 years, Buenos Aires has some amazing architecture. There are many buildings that utilise materials that you wont find in modern buildings. I love the entrance to my apartment building with its use of marble and old fashioned lights. And then after you enter there is a staircase with beautiful iron railing, etched windows and art deco light fixtures.

There is a film noir-esque feeling to stairs, depending on how the light changes. I have manipulated the light to help achieve this, but at night you get the feeling anyway.

From our back patio there is a view of the amazing stairwell window, that when lit up at night, is quite a sight. You dont get the full effect from the photos but you can begin to see the detail that has been put into the image.

2009-10-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

The other day i took a different turn on the way to work and walked past this amazing whale on the wall. It almost jumps out at you when you walk by. People often make political statements in public places in Buenos Aires and this one refers to the recent situation with the president of Honduras. For me the wall is 100 times better like this than if it were a wall without art.

There were some other great images in close proximity to the whale that i have included here too.

My Everyday Street Art

2009-10-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

Everyday as i walk to and from work, which is a sunny office in Palermo, i pass these street art images, and everytime i look at them i love the visual mix of old building-bright graphic. Buenos Aires is full of amazing street art, in places that you may not expect it.

These 4 images are on the side of a building that on street level is an antiques store. The building is on a corner and there is a brilliant mix of sunlight, windows, graphics and antique furniture.