Recoleta Cemetery

Recoleta Cemetery is an overrated tourist attraction. As cemeteries go, Chacarita is far more interesting. Tourists go to Recoleta because guidebooks tell them to and in a city without major tourist attractions [it has to be said] people need something to do. Still, I like all the art nouveau tombs.

Constitucion

The Consitucion train station serves Buenos Aires' southern suburbs and is also the departure point for longer distance services such as they still exist. While less impressive than it's uptown twin Retiro from the outside, on the inside the station is a gem.

Calle Lanin in Barracas

Calle Lanin in Barracas. The houses on the street are tiled in colorful patterns. The project was the brain child of artist Marino Santa Maria who launched the project in 2001. The street has become a nucleus of a burgeoning art scene in the neighborhood, a mostly industrial, warehouse district in the southern part of the city.

Here's a couple more photos:

Chorizo!

Bundles of chorizo sausages in the La Rural fair.

Puerto Madero under Construction

Buenos Aires' own little mini-Dubai, Puerto Madero. A lot of these apartments are being bought for speculative reasons. The mortgage crisis in the US and Europe along with Christina's own political problems have resulted in a slowdown of construction starts recently.

Mudanzas

Moving trucks tend to be old and have these massive forecompartments above the drivers that remind me of beluga whales. They strike me as imposing and badass. I also like the graffiti tags on this one.

Linea B

Interior of the cars on Line B of the subway. I like the cushy seats and the color with the florescent lighting.

San Jose on Linea E

This is the San Jose stop on Line E of the subte. I like the signage for personal reasons; I grew up near San Jose, CA. Altho, as they'd say here nada que ver.

La Boca

How can I have a blog about photos of Buenos Aires without a picture of El Caminito in La Boca?

Che Marilyn

This iconic image of Che Guevara using Marilyn Monroe's face is a clever commentary on Che's posthumous celebrity and glamor.

I don't plan on making this blog only about Stencils but as I see clever ones I'll post and attempt to explain them.

Say No Moria

You really have to be clued in to popular culture in Argentina to get the joke of this stencil. Moria Casan is a former vedette who's had Joan Rivers level plastic surgery such that she now resembles a drag queen version of herself. She's all over the media these days with her recent wedding and hosting duties on Bailando por un Sueño. The say no more part is a reference to Argentine Rock God, Charly Garcia's 1996 album of the same name and iconography. Funny right?

Stencil is Over

The sign the squirrel is holding says 'Stenciling is over guys'. Indeed, I took this photo in 2005 and since then I see a lot less stenciling around Buenos Aires. Most of the stencils that do get put up are advertisements.

Bife de Chorizo

Just a bife de chorizo [sirloin] I had for lunch one day.

Empanadas

Empanadas Tucumanas from La Querencia. I've tried empanadas all over Buenos Aires and I still haven't found any I like better than the ones at La Querencia, altho I'm also a fan of Cumen-Cumen. At both places I'd recommend the carne cortado a cuchillo, which is an empanada filled with little hunks of steak. mmmmm.

Medialunas

Medialunas are smallish croissants that come in two varieties; grasa and mateca [ie. fat and butter]. What great choices, no? The ones pictured above are de grasa and have a little bit of caramel on top. They're from Delicity, a franchise chain of bakeries. They're sort of like the McDonalds or Starbucks of medialunas. Of course both McDonalds and Starbucks also serve Medialunas here in Argentina.

Subte - Linea A

Line A of the subway has wooden cars dating back to the 1920s still in operation. I've read that these are the oldest subway cars in the world still in use.

Jurassic Gark

Stencil featuring former president Carlos Menem. It's a clever play on words because "Gark" roughly translates as "screwed over". It's a critique of Menem's presidency which was widely seen as corrupt and responsible for the 2001 economic crisis.

Fruteria on the corner of Guemes and Araoz

Fruteria

Fruteria on the corner of Mansilla and Billinghurst in Barrio Norte. I love the way the straw highlights the pinapple and gives it this shimmering effect. I can only think of the pride and effort that does into maintaining displays like this everyday.