Buenos Aires-- Comfortably Overwhelming

por Jim

We're here in the capital of Argentina, a metropolis of 14 million people.  Comparisons abound.  Its got the parks and street life of Paris.  The density of Hong Kong.  The dynamism of New York City.  That seems like a winning combination.   Don't know what the local zoning laws are here, but there seems to be a pattern of simply inserting very modern buildings into a block otherwise comprised of ancient ones -- and it generally seems to work.

From my perspective the resulting chaos makes things more interesting, but that's probably a personal predisposition.  In any event, we're not talking about the consistent design of a place like Brasilia -- or even Georgetown.

We opted to stay in the center city and the result, at least during the day, is busy bordering on frenzied with more than a few big streets turned into traffic-free pedestrian malls, adjoined by big buildings containing mini-malls that seem a modern and more sophisticated version of the souk.

Our adventure today, described by Leslie in an adjacent post, included an introduction to the subway system and farecard use.  The system is a big one, with varied equipment depending on when the line was built.  The first train we took featured cars with plush seats and open windows.  Then we transferred to a cool, modern train with animated maps that was built in China.

The food is good.  The opportunities to hang out in cafes are ample and the habit of waiters of trying to rush customers away by quickly presenting a check is apparently as yet unlearned.  There are musicians performing on the streets and homeless people camping in doorways.  A reminder of New York.

It is big and there's still much to see.  But so far, all seems pretty good.