Sometimes when visiting a big city like Buenos Aires (population 12 million) you get a better sense of everything by taking a tour such as the Buenos Aires Bus Tour. We were familiar with a similar tour in Dubai but the Argentine buses seemed even newer and cleaner. A day ticket costs 70 pesos ($17 US) which allows you to get off at any of the twelve designated stops and then get back on again at any point. The B.A. Bus Tour is a good example of how far the Argentines have come in becoming better organized for tourism. The bus was full and the majority of tourists all over B.A. seem to be Brazilians.
Each seat on the bus has a set of headphones and a choice of listening to the "tour" in any of 10 languages including Japanese, Hebrew, Chinese, and even Arabic! In spite of the hot sunny day, we climbed to the second level where there was a breeze as we rode taking in the aerial view that allows you to see much more than when walking the city streets. Throughout the route that the bus follows you are continually aware of the very large, old trees such as the palo borrachos which now have pink blooms, the jacarandas with their purple flowers, the sauces (weeping willows), the eucalyptus trees, and the enormous gomeros (rubber trees), that line the streets of Buenos Aires. In some areas when going down narrow streets the trees formed an archway of shade and we had to duck underneath tree branches.
You quickly become aware that Buenos Aires is a planned city and each part of it was developed differently. The elegant suburbs of Palermo have charming streets that wind around in semi circles while the downtown area is laid out in a straight north and south plan somewhat like Washington D.C. The Rio de la Plata is a way to orient yourself to the eastern side where the big port areas are. From a double decker bus you notice that Buenos Aires has narrow streets as well as some of the widest avenues in the world. Traveling down Avenida Libertador in Palermo which goes for 30 km out to the northern suburbs, I counted nine lanes in one direction while Avenida 9 de Julio (named after Argentine independence day) is even wider with at least fifteen to twenty lanes. I learned that there are 23 small squares along Avenida 9 de Julio which represent each of the 23 Argentine provinces. In addition the species of trees planted along the length of this wide avenue were chosen for the time of year that they bloom such as the palo borrachos that are in blossom right now.
The city is full of lush green parks and smaller plazas in every neighborhood Whether large or small, every parque or plaza has magnificent statues commemorating Argentine war heroes or famous people who were important in Argentine history. B.A. is truly a city of unique statuary designed by well known European sculptors from the early twentieth century. The streets in the downtown area around Avenida 9 de Julio are named after Latin American countries, cities, towns and rivers for example Calle Uruguay, Calle Mexico, or Calle Parana. The main avenues are named after historical heroes, politicians, and generals. So that when you begin exploring Buenos Aires you feel very much like you are living in geography and history book.
Riding through the city you can't miss the political grafitti which is evident on every wall and on most public buildings. Such slogans as La ciudad elige Cristina - orgullosamente peronista. (The city elects Cristina - proudly a member of the Peronista party) or Aumento, Salario Hoy, Libre Hambre (Raise salaries today and bring freedom from hunger). Politics is very much a part of people's lives here and always has been. Right now there is a Peronista government in power that supports the workers and evokes the image and name of Evita Peron constantly. Other empty outdoor wall space is covered with posters advertising cultural events or supporting politicians.
The European facades of many buildings make this city unique in South America. Our apartment building (see photo) in Recoleta is a perfect example of this. The rod iron decorative detail on windows and balconies and the French doors and sculptured exteriors are reminiscent of the finest European architecture. In the early twentieth century there was a "golden age" of great wealth in Argentina and portenos (as B.A. residents are called because they live in a port city) went to Europe frequently. Buenos Aires was just being developed at the time and the Argentines wanted to create their own Paris. Much of the architecture and building materials were brought by ship from France and the city took on the European look which is evident today. B.A. is not a city of skyscrapers and most buildings do not exceed ten floors with the exception of the very new modern glass buildings that have been built recently along the very upscale Puerto Madera area in what used to be the old port.
The downtown city streets are full of traffic including many newer city buses now in bright blue, green, or red and clearly marked with their destination which replaced the old colectivos that used to belch black smoke. Downtown city streets abound with black and yellow radio taxis, and the smaller new automobiles that the middle and upper classes now afford. However, surprisingly the traffic seems organized as people stay in designated lanes, stop for traffic lights, and do not drive as aggressively honking their horns the way they used to. Certainly Buenos Aires is much more orderly than it used to be in the 1950's even with more traffic and there is no comparison to the congested cities of Southeast Asia that we are familiar with or the wild reckless driving we experienced in Dubai. Buenos Aires even has a metro system called the Subte but we have yet to try it out preferring to stay above ground for the moment.
For me, Buenos Aires is still a charming city after many years. I love the beautiful trees, the parks, the distinctive Argentine accent, the European architecture, the tango music, and the sophisticated style of living. Yes, it has grown and changed. However an aspect that never changes is a strong sense of Argentine nationalism. Argentines still remain committed to their European heritage and do not aspire to be anything else.
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