This splendid specimen, one of the most famous trees in Buenos Aires is popularly known as the "Lapacho de Ezcurra". It is a "lapacho rosado" (Tabebuia impetiginosa), a tree native from the North-West of Argentina, that was planted many years ago by landscape artist Martin Ezcurra on the corner of Ave. Figueroa Alcorta and Mariscal Castilla, in Palermo Chico, and by the end of September every year punctually announces the arrival of Spring with an explosion of pink flowers:




This wonderful spectacle only lasts for a few days, so those who are in Buenos Aires at the end of September / beginning of October are very lucky to witness it.

Malba - Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Latin American Art Museum) is one of the newest museums in Buenos Aires. It opened its doors in September 2001. Malba is a non-profit institution featuring the private art collection of Argentine entrepreneur Eduardo Costantini. Since 1990, his collection was open for the consideration of local and international specialists, and lent for Latin American art exhibitions around Latin America and Europe.

In 1998 the construction of a new building to hold the collection began, after the selection of a project by Argentine architects Gastón Atelman, Martín Fourcade and Alfredo Tapia from an international call by the International Union of Architects.

The Costantini Collection consists of a selection of more than two hundred works, including drawings, paintings, sculptures and objects by 78 artists from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela. Some of the featured artists are: Frida Kahlo, Wifredo Lam, Roberto Matta, Diego Rivera, Joaquín Torres-García, Antonio Berni, Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, Jorge de la Vega, Tarsila do Amaral, Pedro Figari, Lygia Clark, Helio Oiticica, Liliana Porter, Guillermo Kuitca and José Bedia Valdés, among others.

Besides the permanent collection, the museum features temporary exhibitions throughout the year, a movie theater with a daily program, a film library, an educational program with workshops and conferences for adults and children, and guided visits to the permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Location: Avda. Figueroa Alcorta 3415, Buenos Aires.

Opening times:
Thursday to Monday: 12 noon - 8 pm

Wednesday: 11 am - 8 pm

Tuesdays closed.

Entry fees:
General: AR $ 8000.-
Teachers, students and pensioners: AR $ 4000.-
Children under 5/disabled people: free.
Wednesdays:
General: AR $ 4000.-
Teachers, students and pensioners: Free.-

For more information on present and future exhibitions, visit MALBA official website.

The Rose Garden (El Rosedal), surrounded by Infanta Isabel, Iraola and Pres. P. Montt avenues, and protected all around by an iron gate, is the heart of the Tres de Febrero park. It was created in 1914 by the landscaper Carlos Thays.








The main attractions inside the park are:

° The Andalusian Patio: built in 1929 and given away by the city of Seville, Spain.
° The Arbor (La Pergola), covered with climbing rose bushes:
° The White Bridge, a magnificent construction of wood built over the lake after a design by architect Benito Carrasco in 1914
° The Poet's Garden, with busts in honor to poets from different countries, like William Shakespeare, Alfonsina Storni, Dante Alighieri, Federico García Lorca, Antonio Machado and Jorge Luis Borges, among others.

° The Rose Garden itself, in the heart of the park, with its many flower beds which are home to over 12,000 rose bushes of different kinds.

The area around the Rose Garden and its lake is one of the preferred places in the city for open air activities, especially on weekends when it's also possible to enjoy live music, free gym classes, street performers. At the lake, you can hire boats with paddles or pedals. Around the lake, the pedestrian streets are perfect for roller blading, cycling, jogging, or just walking for taking in some fresh air and enjoying nature:

Opening times:
Summer: Tuesday to Sundays, from 8 am to 8 pm
Winter: 9 am to 6 pm
MONDAYS CLOSED

All the materials, like wood panelings, mirrors, moldings, were brought from Europe. The rooms in the main floor were decorated in different French styles from the XVII and XVIII century, except for the Grand Hall, inspired in the large rooms typical of XVI century England in the time of the Tudor dynasty.


In the apartments of the first floor we can also see the taste for French decoration in Louis XV, Louis XVI, Directory and Imperium style. The only exception is the Art Decó room decorated by Catalonian artist José María Sert.

The Dining Room and the Ball Room are copies in a smaller scale of similar rooms at the Versailles Palace.




The permanent collection of the museum includes more tan 4000 objects, from roman sculptures to contemporary hand made silver creations. The biggest interest in the collection is focused on the European and Oriental decorative pieces, sculptures and paintings from the XVI to XIX century, many of which belonged to the Errázuriz-Alvear family.

There are also temporary exhibitions throughout the year, focused mainly in decorative arts, fashion, tapestry, jewelry, and small objects.

There is a beautiful small caffe-restaurant in the courtyard with a lovely atmosphere.





Location: Av. del Libertador 1902
Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday, 1.00 PM to 7:00 PM. 

Guided visits: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, at 4:00 pm, without previous reservation.
Entrance to the Museum is FREE every day.
For more information on present and future exhibitions, visit National Museum of Decorative Arts official website.

The history of the Botanical Garden of Buenos Aires dates back to 1898, when the then Director of Public Parks of Buenos Aires, the French landscaper Charles Thays, proposed the creation of a Botanical Garden in the terrains it occupies today, bounded by Santa Fe Ave., Las Heras Ave. and Republica Arabe Siria St., for educational and conservation purposes.

The red brick English style building that already existed in those terrains was occupied by Charles Thays and his family. Today this building, that was declared National Monument, is the main building of the complex and serves as an art gallery and exhibition hall. There is also a Gardening School, a Library, and several greenhouses. The main greenhouse in Art Nouveau style, received a prize in the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889.

There are more than five thousand species of plants and trees from all over the world, from Asia to Africa to America. There are small examples of three different styles of gardens: a French Garden, a Roman Garden, and a Japanese Garden.

As you walk the trails of the garden, you will find some beautiful marble sculptures, such as “Spring”, “Mercury”, “Venus”, and the group representing the movements of the VI Symphony of Beethoven, called “La Pastoral”. There is also a monument entitled “Weather Indicator”, designed by José Markovich, and presented by the Austro-Hungarian Empire community.

This garden is so peaceful that once you cross the gates and get inside, you instantly forget that you are in the middle of the city and surrounded by two of the noisiest streets in Buenos Aires.

Address: Santa Fe and Las Heras Ave., Plaza Italia. Subte station: Plaza Italia, Line D.

Opening Times: 

Summer (September 22nd to April 21st): Tuesday to Friday, 8 am to 6.45 pm - Saturday, Sunday and National Holidays: 9.30 a m to 6.45 pm.

Winter (April 22nd to September 21st): Tuesday to Friday, 8 am to 5.45 pm - Saturday, Sunday and National Holidays: 9.30 a m to 5.45 pm.

MONDAYS CLOSED

January 1st, Good Friday, May 1st, September 21st, and December 25th: CLOSED

On days of extremely bad weather (intense winds, persistent rain) the garden will remain closed for safety reasons.

FREE ENTRANCE

For more pictures of the Botanical Garden, visit my Botanical Garden Photo Gallery on Facebook.

This monument, located in the intersection of Mariscal Castilla and Aguado streets, in Palermo Chico, depicts the Argentine hero, General Jose de San Martin, at his old age, sitting and accompanied by his granddaughters. This is the only monument which represents San Martin in a civil status and as an elderly man. It was made in 1951 by the Argentine sculptor and engineer Ángel Ibarra García, who wanted to give San Martin a human dimension, representing him as a man of "flesh ans blood".


Three bas-reliefs on the base represent his life in France: "Cultivando sus dalias" (Cultivating his dahlias); "En la ribera del Sena" (In the bank of the Seine); "Limpiando sus armas" (Wiping his arms).

The monument faces the "Instituto Nacional Sanmartiniano", an institution devoted to preserve the memory of San Martin, founded in 1933 by José Pacífico Otero. It is a scale replica of his house in Grand Bourg, France, made by architect Julio Salas and inaugurated in 1946.

This is in my opinion one of the most beautiful monuments in Buenos Aires, not only for its magnificence, but also for its location, in the intersection of two wide boulevards: Avenue del Libertador and Avenue Sarmiento in Palermo.

Its real name is "Magna Carta and the Four Argentine Regions", but everybody knows it as "El monumento de los Españoles" (The Monument to the Spaniards). It was donated in 1910 by the Spanish community for the centenary of the May Revolution. But the construction suffered several problems. The first sculptor and winner of the design contest, Agustin Querol, died in 1909, and his creation had to be continued by another artist, Cipriano Folgueras, who also died shortly after. The work was even more delayed when the Spanish ship which brought the bronze pieces sunk on March, 1916 in the Brazilian coast, and replicas had to be ordered to Spain, which were finished in 1918. The monument was finally inaugurated on May 25, 1927.


The monument is made on a 24.5 meters high Carrara marble column, and symbolizes those things Argentina has in common with Spain (language, religion, work and lineaje). It is crowned by an enormous statue that represents the Republic or the Constitution, and raised over a fountain surrounded by groups of sculptures that represent Labour, and the regions of The Andes, The Plata, The Pampa, and Chaco.

At the beginning of the XIXth century, Palermo was a site with farms and country estates. During the decade of 1830, the governor of Buenos Aires, Juan Manuel de Rosas, buys extensive plots of land and builds a colonial house and a religious chapel, in the intersection of the present avenues del Libertador Gral. San Martín and Av. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. When Rosas is defeated in the Caseros battle in 1852 by Justo José de Urquiza, governor of Entre Ríos, the zone is completely abandoned and neglected. The colonial house is destroyed at the end of the century.

During the presidency of Domingo F. Sarmiento, in the year 1874, the "Parque Tres de Febrero" is created on those lands, in commemoration of the anniversary of the Caseros battle. At the same time, the Zoo and the Botanical Garden are also created. Some plots of lands are handed over to Argentine Rural Society for its annual cattle farming exhibitions, which take place every year up to these days; to the Argentine Racetrack, and to the Polo Association for the practice of these sports. In the XXth century, the construction of the Golf Course is permitted, as well as many sports clubs in the area, the Planetarium, the Islamic Mosque, the Velodrome, among others, which made the original "Bosques de Palermo" be reduced to less than half its original size.

Palermo neighborhood is so big, that it is divided into several quarters, all of them with their own features, which will require a separate description each. They are called:

Palermo Viejo/Soho
Alto Palermo
Las Cańitas
Palermo Chico
Palermo Hollywood
La Imprenta
Bosques de Palermo
Plaza Italia

Decorative Arts Museum
Evita´s Museum
Latin American Art Museum (MALBA)
Eduardo Sivori Museum

Parks:
Rose Garden
Japanese Garden
Botanical Garden
Eco Parque Buenos Aires
Las Heras Park
Plaza Alemania

Monuments:
Spaniard´s Monument
Garibaldi´s Monument
Urquiza´s Monument
Jose de San Martin Monument

Other attractions in Palermo:
Palermo Racetrack
Argentina Polo Field
King Fahd Islamic Center
Argentine Rural Society
Paseo Alcorta Shopping Mall
Alto Palermo Shopping Mall
Planetarium

Paza Alemania is sorrounded by Avenida Del Libertador, Avenida Casares, Castex and Cavia. The designer of this park was French landscape-architect Charles Thays, who is also the author of the plans for the Botanical Garden of Buenos Aires, among other parks in Buenos Aires. It was inaugurated in 1914, with its flower beds and a European-style garden.



The imposing monument-fountain located in the center of the park, called “Riqueza Agropecuaria Argentina” (Argentinian Agricultural Wealth), was donated by the German community in 1910 as an acknowledgment of Argentina´s hospitality. It was created by sculptor Gustav Adolf Bredow in Rome´s lava (soft rock), Carrara marble and bronze.



In 2004, the city's Government decided to recover the original layout and splendor of the park, which had been abandoned throughout the years. One of the main works was the renovation and recovery of the fountain which wasn´t functioning for many years. The playground for children was also renovated with new equipment.

This area of Buenos Aires used to be a working class neighborhood, with old houses and narrow streets. It was originally called “Palermo Viejo”, or “Old Palermo”, since this was one of the oldest quarters in Buenos Aires. It is comprised by the streets of Costa Rica, Godoy Cruz, Malabia and Gorriti. It is a part of the large Palermo Neighborhood.


A few years ago some designers started to renovate these old houses and abandoned factories to set their businesses and shops. That´s how this neighborhood started to transform, to become the new trendy fashion area of Buenos Aires. It changed its name to Palermo Soho, for its resemblance to the Soho in New York and London. It has also some resemblance with the new trendy Marais district in Paris.

This is a lively area, with many bars, restaurants, sushi clubs, coffee shops, wineries, and “parrillas”. There are also many art galleries, antiques, furniture and decoration shops. You will find many small shops with original designs, as well as big national and international brands in originally decorated houses. Beware that international brands are expensive. Try to find the smaller shops that offer original creations.

Pick up the free maps that you will find in any of those shops with all the information about the area.There are two artisan´s and artist´s fairs on weekends: one in Plaza Cortázar (Serrano & Honduras), around which there are also many shops where independent designers offer their creations, and the other one on Plaza Palermo Viejo (Costa Rica & Armenia).

Many new hotels have opened their doors in this area, specially boutique hotels, bed & breakfasts, and youth hostels. There is also an increasing offer of apartments for rent. Despite all this movement, it is still a quiet neighborhood, with tree lined streets, little traffic, and a tranquil atmosphere.

Limited by Del Libertador, Luis Maria Campos, Federico Lacroze, and Chenaut avenues, and only 20 minutes from the center of the city by Line D of the subway, "Las Cañitas" has always been a very quiet, safe area, where people can still enjoy birds singing in its tree-lined streets. Las Cañitas is not an official “neighborhood” of Buenos Aires, but it is truly one of the many sectors in which Palermo is divided. For over 100 years, it was only a quiet space surrounded by open lands, mostly used to prepare horses for the nearby Palermo Hippodrome Racecourse, and where many horse stables where established.

This changed a little since the decade of the 1990's, when many bars, restaurants and discos opened their doors and made this a newly renovated, trendy area of Buenos Aires, considered as a fashionable gastronomic zone. Which started with only some restaurants and bars, became one of the most visited areas by young people and lovers of good cooking. With two or three per block, there are restaurants, bars, pubs and discos with a variety of choices for every taste and every age, from Mediterranean to Asian, to some of the best "Parrillas" where to enjoy the traditional Argentine meats.

Las Cañitas has also become a fashionable district, with exclusive fashion boutiques, outlet shops, wineries, leather and horseback riding equipment shops, bookstores and art galleries. There's also a small shopping center, "El Solar de la Abadia" (photo below), on Av. Luis Maria Campos and Maure, built on a recycled old ice factory. A spot worth of a visit in Las Cañitas is the old Abbey of San Benito, facing the shopping center.





Another commercial area near Las Cañitas, in the limit between Palermo and Belgrano, is called La Imprenta, after the old Press where the programs for the Racetrack where printed, in Maure and Migueletes, an area where you can find some nice trendy boutiques, restaurants, ice cream parlors, design shops, jewelries and cafes.

One of the most important spots in Las Cañitas is the Campo Argentino de Polo, the official Polo field where the world famous Argentine Open Polo Championship takes place every year from November to December. Music shows, military exhibitions and festivals also take place in the Polo Field throughout the year.

There are many apartments for rent in the area, especially newly built lofts and high rise apartment buildings. Those apartments facing the Polo field have one of the best views in Buenos Aires. Some of the old houses have been renovated to be converted into trendy boutique hotels and Bed and Breakfasts.

In a corner of the large Parque Tres de Febrero, on Av Casares and Av Figueroa Alcorta, lays the Japanese Garden of Buenos Aires, an oasis in the middle of the city. In 1967, the city government lent this piece of land to the Japanese immigrants in Buenos Aires, who in return made this beautiful garden for all the inhabitants of the city.

Its ponds are filled with large koi fish, which can be fed with the koi food sold at the kiosks, making this a perfect place to visit with small children.

The park is beautiful all year round, but the best time to visit is in early spring (September-October), when the multicolored azaleas are in full bloom.