The gorgeous weather returned today, and The Four Corners was once again beating pavement in BA. Today was Palermo, another barrio north of CT. Palermo is primarily a residential neighborhood for BA's upper-middle class citizenry, and feels even more upscale than Recoleta. Virtually every street is lined with leafy trees on both sides, while the apartments seem to fit the bill of "upper-middle class", making the whole neighborhood aesthetically pleasing. But not pleasing on the nose. Dog-ownership is a big thing amongst wealthier Portenos, but picking up after them doesn't seem to be as big. If the size of a dog's "exhaust", if you will, is any indication of the dog's body size, than I would surmise most Palermo residents own large dogs.
Anyway, Palermo feels like one big public garden. The land not set aside for apartment blocks seems to have all been used for parks. There are about five large parks in this neighborhood alone, along with the city zoo. The largest park is known as the Jardin Botanica de Carlos Thays. There isn't much to see in the park aside from a few statues, but I enjoyed walking around in the shade of the trees, getting a look at how a number of Portenos spend their down time. Many bring their dogs for a stroll, or lay down in the sun with a book. As I ambled through the park, a stray cat (of which there were many in the park) for some odd reason decided to keep me company on my stroll. I would move about the paths and he would bump random things like tree trunks or bench legs the way that cats do. I have decided to name this cat FC and make him the Official Four Corners Mascot. Thanks for the company FC, your photo will be here soon.
I made my way through some of the adjacent parks still getting a look at middle-class Porteno life, then strolled through the residential areas a bit. If Recoleta reminded one of Europe, the feeling in Palermo is two-fold. There was a cafe on virtually every corner, and again the apartment buildings and tree-lined streets would fit in in Western Europe. I ate like a poor Porteno though, grabbing one of the delicious chorizo (sausage) sandwiches from a street vendor. Palermo didn't have much to offer for the tourist, but I didn't mind. It was nice to see a part of BA away from the hustle and bustle of the city center and the more tourist friendly areas.
Satisfied with what I saw in Palermo I moved further north to the adjacent barrio, known as Palermo Viejo. Very, very cool place. There are virtually no sites in this barrio, but it is so cool to walk around. According to my guide book it is supposed to be the premier shopping area of BA, which I couldn't care less about, but it was probably the highlight of the day. Palermo has a very bohemian feel to it, and there are no longer any skyscrapers or tall apartment blocks. All buildings are low lying-colonial style, and many have stylish designs or are colorfully painted. It actually reminded me a bit of Caminito, obviously lacking the history, but still having the colorfulness and sleek designs.The barrios cobbled-side streets also added to the experience. Palermo Viejo is a very colorful part of town filled with character, it is packed with unique boutiques, shops and cafes, definitely worth the time I spent strolling its streets. Today must have been my lucky day as well, for when I got to the center of the barrio, a plaza called the Plaza Serrano, artisans were beginning to set up their stalls. Later on I came across another plaza, this one more resembling a small park (Serrano was really just a ring surrounded by restaurants, boutiques and cafes) where still more booths had been set up selling arts and crafts. This plaza, appropriately the Plaza Palermo Viejo, is where I sat down and took some time to people watch (yes, and female watch, if you must know).
I was out for pretty much the entire day, I arrived back to my room after five. After a brief rest I did venture out again, this time only in search of grub. I settled on a pizza and an empanada (pastries filled with anything from beef, chicken, ham, cheese, etc.), which made for a good meal.
A very solid day away from the tourist activities but still in an attractive, colorful part of BA.
Cheers.
Anyway, Palermo feels like one big public garden. The land not set aside for apartment blocks seems to have all been used for parks. There are about five large parks in this neighborhood alone, along with the city zoo. The largest park is known as the Jardin Botanica de Carlos Thays. There isn't much to see in the park aside from a few statues, but I enjoyed walking around in the shade of the trees, getting a look at how a number of Portenos spend their down time. Many bring their dogs for a stroll, or lay down in the sun with a book. As I ambled through the park, a stray cat (of which there were many in the park) for some odd reason decided to keep me company on my stroll. I would move about the paths and he would bump random things like tree trunks or bench legs the way that cats do. I have decided to name this cat FC and make him the Official Four Corners Mascot. Thanks for the company FC, your photo will be here soon.
I made my way through some of the adjacent parks still getting a look at middle-class Porteno life, then strolled through the residential areas a bit. If Recoleta reminded one of Europe, the feeling in Palermo is two-fold. There was a cafe on virtually every corner, and again the apartment buildings and tree-lined streets would fit in in Western Europe. I ate like a poor Porteno though, grabbing one of the delicious chorizo (sausage) sandwiches from a street vendor. Palermo didn't have much to offer for the tourist, but I didn't mind. It was nice to see a part of BA away from the hustle and bustle of the city center and the more tourist friendly areas.
Satisfied with what I saw in Palermo I moved further north to the adjacent barrio, known as Palermo Viejo. Very, very cool place. There are virtually no sites in this barrio, but it is so cool to walk around. According to my guide book it is supposed to be the premier shopping area of BA, which I couldn't care less about, but it was probably the highlight of the day. Palermo has a very bohemian feel to it, and there are no longer any skyscrapers or tall apartment blocks. All buildings are low lying-colonial style, and many have stylish designs or are colorfully painted. It actually reminded me a bit of Caminito, obviously lacking the history, but still having the colorfulness and sleek designs.The barrios cobbled-side streets also added to the experience. Palermo Viejo is a very colorful part of town filled with character, it is packed with unique boutiques, shops and cafes, definitely worth the time I spent strolling its streets. Today must have been my lucky day as well, for when I got to the center of the barrio, a plaza called the Plaza Serrano, artisans were beginning to set up their stalls. Later on I came across another plaza, this one more resembling a small park (Serrano was really just a ring surrounded by restaurants, boutiques and cafes) where still more booths had been set up selling arts and crafts. This plaza, appropriately the Plaza Palermo Viejo, is where I sat down and took some time to people watch (yes, and female watch, if you must know).
I was out for pretty much the entire day, I arrived back to my room after five. After a brief rest I did venture out again, this time only in search of grub. I settled on a pizza and an empanada (pastries filled with anything from beef, chicken, ham, cheese, etc.), which made for a good meal.
A very solid day away from the tourist activities but still in an attractive, colorful part of BA.
Cheers.
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