Trenes de Buenos Aires or shortly TBA is a privately held railroad company. A lot has changed since its privatization in the mid 90's, not all to the better. There are a lot of delays and the track bed could be in a better condition. The train in the picture goes to Bartolomé Mitre, an important transfer station in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.
What do Eva Perón (Evita), Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Diego Maradona and Carlos Gardel have in common? Not much, indeed, but they all belong to the beloved and venerated Argentine icons. Pictures of these idols became virtually devotional objects and can be bought everywhere in Buenos Aires. They belong to Argentina's identity as tango, beef and gauchos.
The National Park and Ecological Reserve Costanera Sur is a very young recreation area in close proximity to downtown Buenos Aires. This small little hut is located at a lagoon separated by a dam from the Río de la Plata (River Plate). It invites to rest in a peaceful atmosphere, watch birds or go fishing and forget about the rush of the Argentine Capital.
This metal beauty is called Floralis Generica, standing proudly in a water basin at the United Nations Plaza in Palermo, Buenos Aires. The sculpture created by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano is made of tons of stainless steel and aluminum. A nifty mechanism opens the six pedals of this huge flower in the morning and closes them at night. Very eye catching!
Doing the laundry yourself? Not in Buenos Aires. There are plenty of these small wash salons where you bring in your dirty laundry in the morning and collect it in the evening. Just say how you want it done. The stuff in this little wash salon located at Avenida Independencía is ever so lovely. Getting your laundry done is kind of cheap in Buenos Aires.
The railroad tracks in the picture serve as a dividing line between Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, both part of Palermo Viejo. In the background you can see the still evolving skyline of Palermo Hollywood. Porteños began to call this area Palermo Hollywood because of the vast presence of film, television and radio production companies which produce content not only for the domestic market.
Tagging is indeed a worldwide phenomenon, so in Buenos Aires. Opponents of graffiti may argue that tagging is just vandalism. In this case there is no reason to be upset because this tagged wall is in a youth culture related shopping mall in the Barrio Norte. Even though this may not initially appear as a work of art to everyone, the tags are forming an interesting structure. I would go along with Marcel Duchamp who once brought up the very valid question, "Can one make works of art which are not 'of art'?"
This is a close-up view on one of Puerto Madero's yellow landmarks. There are several harbor cranes along the docks, some historical shipyard cranes and those more modern cranes from the former GDR (Ex-East Germany). They give this rather new spot in Buenos Aires a special atmosphere. If somebody knows how they got there and why, please let me know.
I have a strong passion for documentary photography. The Centro Cultural Borges in downtown Buenos Aires is always a great place to go. The bygone exhibition "Vidas Sitiadas" (Spanish for Life under Siege) was about life and permanent pain, both mental and physical. The exposition showed pictures taken by the members of the FotoDoc 2008 workshop for documentary photography coordinated by Daniel Merle. All photographies were somewhat sad but graceful.
The four sunny umbrellas belong to a café in the lovely Pasaje de la Defensa upstairs in the second patio. You'll find the colonial building at 1179 Calle Defensa in San Telmo. Whether it is a coffee break or shopping break, enjoy the historic building.
Buenos Aires is awash with rooftop bars and lounges. They are indicative of the city's vibrant nightlife scene. This rooftop in the creative Palermo Soho neighborhood is still asleep, the chairs are stacked. But wait for the night to fall, then the entire rooftop turns into one of these fancy outdoor lounges.
In many parts of Buenos Aires you can find these slightly ramshackle buildings that I personally really love. This colorful house I have found in La Boca near the famous Caminito Street. The folks standing on this lovely balcony are staring down at the massive tourist crowds in La Boca.
The picture demonstrates that the interior of this tomb is in a condition of rampant decay. It is one of the many half-open mausoleums in the Recoleta Cemetery. The number of these untended graves and tombs is growing since years. Looks pretty scary, doesn't it?
Where do you want to go to in Buenos Aires? How about Palermo and a visit to the zoo? Getting around by bus is cheap and reliable. The Colectivo busses do come often and will bring you even to the remotest parts of the Greater Buenos Aires Area. Oh, don't forget to hop-off at the Plaza Italia for the Jardín Zoológico.
The heavy traffic makes Buenos Aires one of the noisiest cities on earth. The 25 de Mayo Highway in the picture goes straight through some residential districts like San Telmo. The sound of the roaring traffic can really become a nightmare. It's constantly present, day and night. So if you live close to the city center or along a highway get yourself some ear plugs for a good night's sleep!
I found these charming huggers in downtown Buenos Aires holding up their Spanish-language Free Hugs signs lately. They were giving hugs selflessly to anyone who wanted. What a fun! The Free Hug Campaign is just a nice idea and furthermore a growing social movement for a better together. So remember, a hug a day keeps the shrink away!
Calling Buenos Aires a City of Green is kind of daring. Nonetheless, it is a fairly green city with many urban green spaces and public parks within its city boundaries. One of the smaller ones is the Parque Lezama in San Telmo. Porteños relaxing under some shady trees is a quite common city picture.
Tigre is a city, far flung over the bigger and smaller islands in the Río Parana Delta close to Buenos Aires. The people who live on these islands rely on supply boats like this in the picture. These floating convenient stores crossing the river branches day by day supply the inhabitants with well-assorted goods.
I found this little cutie in a shop window in one of these luxury stores along the uber-rich Avenida Alvear in the neighborhood of Recoleta. The shopping street, even though it is running just a few blocks, is fully packed with all kind of noble brands and classy stores of international designers like Christian Dior, Versace or Polo Ralph Lauren. This upper class street is most comparable to the Fifth Avenue in New York or the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Some say it is even better. Be that as it may, it is shopper's paradise for luxury goods. Even if you don't like Haute Couture by Emporio Armani, Louis Vuitton and the like you can perfectly go window shopping here. Happy Easter everyone!
Everyone seems to be constantly waiting for something or someone in Buenos Aires. Queues can be found everywhere in Argentina. Porteños always wait so patiently in supermarkets, post offices and banks to do their business. Waiting to get things done at public authorities can be a time consuming mess, too. But apparently, nobody cares. This is part of the Argentine no-rush, go-slow attitude. What you see here in the picture is just the tip of the iceberg. There are even more people waiting around the corner. Unbelievable!
This political graffiti, also referred to as mural, was painted on a wall somewhere in Palermo. Graffiti and murals conveying political messages can be found all over in Buenos Aires. This mural painting is supporting six Paraguayan farmers who claimed political asylum in Argentina. The campaign wasn't successful and the Argentine government rejected the asylum claims. Unfortunately, I do not know much more about this incident but I'd like to. So, feel free to clarify.
And ... Action! Recently, I was watching the filming of some scenes for an Argentine motion picture. I really like the Latin American Cinema for all its imperfection and lack of special effects. The Argentine film tends often to be sentimental and mostly political and it is primarily concerned with the social aspects of the Argentine society and culture. One of the most depressing movies I've ever seen was "Garage Olimpio" (1999) which is about the brutal Dirty War of the military Junta against the Argentine people between 1976 and 1983. Another and, by the way, Academy Award (Oscar®) winning movie about what happened in that era is "The Official Story" (1985) by Luis Puenzo. However, there is a broad variety of movies from drama to comedy. Nowadays, movies such as "XXY" by Lucía Puenzo and "Encarnación" by Anahí Berneri arouse international attention. Of course, there are plenty of other movies that were shot in Buenos Aires.
And, yes, the camerawoman is pregnant.
Several crosses and stone sculptures form a densely packed religious skyline overlooking the famous cemetery "La Recoleta". The cemetery in the heart of the city is one of the most popular and most visited places in Buenos Aires and has a world of exciting things to see.
These two guys seem to be completely absorbed by Graciela Hasper's colorful work of art at the Borges cultural center. I found this glass discs very interesting, too. Graciela Haspers is a well-known Argentine artist who lives and works in Buenos Aires. The "Centro Cultural Borges" offers a bunch of temporary exhibitions and you'll find it inside the shopping mall "Galerías Pacifico" in downtown Buenos Aires. I would highly recommend the visit to anyone who's interested in contemporary art. Check out their present and upcoming programs.
No, it's not the real Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on that balcony having a speech to his followers in Buenos Aires. It is just the promotional mascot of the Cuban restaurant called "Rey Castro". If you like Cuban and Latin food, go check it out. It's located at 342 Peru Street. There are also performances and entertainment in the evenings.
Well, hanging from large heights with barely anything but safety ropes is not to everybody's taste. However, professional window washing is a more needed job in Buenos Aires than ever. The formula is easy: More sophisticated architecture with ample transparent structures involve more window cleaning needs.
"I've often seen what goes inside when I'm cleanin' windows..." is George Formby singing in his song "The Window Cleaner". Who knows what these guys are seeing in this office tower in Puerto Madero?
The most significant monument in Buenos Aires is probably "El Obelisco". The obelisk was built on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the first city founding. Since its inauguration on May 23, 1936 it is proudly standing at the intersection of Nueve de Julio and Corrientes avenues.
What a peaceful place! I found these police officers relaxing at the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve. The National Park is the perfect chill out place and hideaway of such a crowded, demanding city like Buenos Aires. It is only a stone's throw away from the busy city center.
This was pretty much the view out the window that I had on the approaching storm the other day in Buenos Aires. I just made it into a restaurant before the thunderstorm hit. Gradually it became dark and the rain started. I watched with awe.
La Boca has many of these brightly colored buildings. The area around "El Caminito" Street is one of the most colorful in Buenos Aires. If you wonder, the female doll in the window (locally called Muñeca) is feeding the bird in the cage.
It's Theme Day on City Daily Photo. The theme, chosen by vote of the CDP participants is "Yellow". Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
March 01, 2010
Dear friends and followers! My apologies for my long abscence. The blog is currently suspended due to a high work load. I'll be back, promise!
December 01, 2009
Buenos Aires Perception is on holiday. Till January, I will only post when I feel inspired and have a stable internet connection. (; Thanks for the visit, hope you will stop by again soon and check out the new photos. Stay tuned!
August 24, 2009
Buenos Aires Perception turns 6 months old. This seems a good occasion to say thank you to all visitors for stopping by and leaving comments.
June 08, 2009
Buenos Aires Perception is featured on Monday's Photo Essay at:
