Lanin 1 - 200 (between Brandsen and Suarez), Barracas

A more colorful Caminito, without the hordes of tourists

Calle Lanin is beautiful little street in the barrio of Barracas, in the south of Buenos Aires. If you are going to La Boca to see the colorful and historical Caminito street, then you might also consider taking the time to explore some of the neighboring barrio of Barracas, where you will find the quieter, shady, yet extremely colorful Lanin. (Don’t try this at night, it’s not really a safe place for tourists to be after dark). The murals there, created in the year 2000 by local artist Marino Santa Maria (who actually lives on this street), are definitely worth the trip to take a look.

Unfortunately I’m still pretty tight for time at the moment, so probably the most efficient way to give you an idea of what Lanin street is like, and to spare you my boring waffle, is through posting up a few more photos. Click below to see them!

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Av. Tristán A Rodríguez 1550 (near Padre M Migone), Puerto Madero

[Photo Credit: jmpznz, under this CC licence]

Costanera Sur - a quiet nature reserve just a stone’s throw from the city

The hustle and bustle of the Microcentro are lost in the cooling mood of the only ecological reserve in the city, the Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur. A stone’s throw away from the trendy, modern Puerto Madero and you find yourself walking along the park’s boardwalk littered with nuzzling couples, parrillas, and more pigeons than you can throw a stick at.

The Costanera Sur’s walkway borders the front of the reserve and from there you can see the greater landscape that opens up into the park. The boardwalk itself is entertaining, with beautiful architecture and sculptures, casual eateries and dozens of pickup games of futbol. Your initial examination of the swampy marshland is only an introduction to the many more birds and interesting views that await you upon entering.

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Abandoned buildings in Buenos Aires, and the past stories they hold

Jeff Barry, over at at Buenos Aires, City of Faded Elegance, one of my favorite blogs about my adopted city, recently started what should be a very interesting series of posts about deteriorating and abandoned buildings in Buenos Aires.

He started the series with a post about an abandoned building on calle Bolivar in the barrio of Barracas, and tells an interesting story about the lives that would have once been led in crumbling buildings like these. It really is this type of deteriorating building and the stories within that gives a city like Buenos Aires authenticity and an interesting edge - we would be far worse off without these reminders of days gone by.

Jeff then invited other bloggers to join in the series by posting their own pictures of abandoned or deteriorating buildings in Buenos Aires, or indeed anywhere else. So far, Tango Cherie is the only Buenos Aires blogger to step up to the plate, with her post on run-down buildings in Havana, Cuba, that are in fact still very much lived in, despite their state of disrepair.

I decided to join in with the series, so here is my photo entry:

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Av. de Mayo 1370 (between San Jose & Santiago del Estero), City Center

As I have almost certainly mentioned before, the Palacio Barolo is one of my favorite buildings in Buenos Aires. It is a simply magnificent mish-mash of architectural styles, held together by some amazing numeric symbolism that acts as a tribute to Dante Alighieri, and his epic poem “The Divine Comedy”. I will write a full post about the building and the fascinating stories behind it very soon, when I get the chance to take some more pictures that will fully do it justice.

For now however, this post is a review of the cafe that recently opened on its ground floor, Cafe Palacio Barolo, which is pretty darn good on its own merits, and also acts as an additional excellent excuse to spend some time inside this fantastic building. This is also my first post on the theme of Buenos Aires Cafes, and believe me it will be the first of many, because Buenos Aires is a city full of places to get your caffeine fix, and cafe culture also plays an important part in everyday life here.

[The Palacio Barolo building and cafe are featured on my suggested walking tour of Buenos Aires City Center, which can also by booked as a private walking tour of Buenos Aires, personally guided by me]

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Buenos Aires City History Tour: Plaza de Mayo, Avenida de Mayo, Plaza Congreso

As I am currently offering private guided walking tours around Buenos Aires, I decided to try and come up with some innovative ideas to promote my services. All the feedback I get is that I am a very good tour guide, which is all well and good, but no use if not many people find out about my tours!

The first idea that came to mind was to post up here some edited-down versions of the walking tours I offer, along with some pictures, directions and maps, to firstly prove that I know what I am talking about, and secondly to give you a brief idea of what my tours cover. If you want to book a guided walking tour like the one shown below, please go here: Buenos Aires Tours OR If you want to book another one of our tours or trips, go here: Buenos Aires Private Tours for more information.

There is also the added benefit that anybody thinking about doing some DIY walking tours during their visit to Buenos Aires can print and use my suggested routes, completely free!

The first tour route is what I call the ‘Buenos Aires City History Tour‘ - covering the historical heart of the city and many of it’s most important buildings, in addition to a lot of fantastic architecture, and some great cafes. It starts in Plaza de Mayo, home to the executive arm of the Argentine government (the Casa Rosada), ends in Plaza Congreso outside the legislative arm (the Congress building) and walks down Avenida de Mayo in between, the ‘grand boulevard’ of Buenos Aires that connects these two most important of Buenos Aires structures.

So, if this sounds like the kind of tour you’ll be looking for during your visit to Buenos Aires, then either print out this blog post to do a self-guided walking tour, or contact me to book this as a private guided walking tour - something that I can assure you will be far more enjoyable and hassle-free than struggling round the busy city center with an upside down map clasped in your hands!
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