Urbane & accessible: culture, shopping and on-foot exploring make a trip to Buenos Aires a classic vacation

South Florida CEO, July, 2004 by Rochelle Broder-Singer

Buenos Aires sits stubbornly between two worlds: one foot in Latin America's past, and one foot in a global future.

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Argentina's capital is a place where you can spend the day touring a cemetery that is as large as some cities, and the night strolling along the waterfront, eating from your choice of new restaurants and capping your night off with a gelato.

While economic and political turmoil here made life more difficult for many Argentines, the devaluation of the peso has made the country more accessible to people who have, in the past, only dreamed of visiting. With other industries floundering, Buenos Aires is experiencing a tourism renaissance, and every-one from taxicab drivers to hotel managers is onboard.

A favorable exchange rate and a drop off in business travel means that accommodations that once catered to executives are now hosting mainly tourists. For instance, we stayed at the charming Hotel Intercontinental Buenos Aires, in the city's historic Monserrat neihborhood. Like the city itself, the hotel is a contrast of past and present. Inside, it boasts amenities such as a fully stocked computer business center and a stainless steel- and hardwood-decorated spa and fitness center (complete with lap pool). Outside, two historic churches back up to the hotel's leafy terrace, where you can enjoy afternoon tea in a climate-controlled solarium.

While our hotel was lovely, Buenos Aires is a city best experienced on foot. Its neighborhoods are each well worth at least a half-day excursion. Perhaps most colorful of them is La Boca, which surrounds the Boca Juniors' soccer stadium. The team's yellow and blue colors cover about half of the neighborhood buildings; pastel pinks, blues and greens cover the rest. La Boca's famous Caminito Street has artists hawking paintings and sculptures, and street performers presenting everything from mime acts to tango. The sea of music, people talking, colorful artwork and costumed performers stops just short of sensory overload.

Caminito Street is a purely touristic indulgence, but no less enjoyable for it.

For a slightly less tourist-oriented street fair, head to the San Telmo neighborhood on a Sunday, when the historic streets come alive with vendors, shoppers and, of course, street performers. Throngs of locals and tourists can be found combing the antique shops, boutiques and crowded vendor booths for bargains both new and old.

If San Telmo's antique furniture and watches put you in a mood to look at the past, head to La Recoleta cemetery: Buenos Aires' legendary city of the dead. Be careful not to wander too aimlessly in the cemetery, lest you find yourself lost amid the mausoleums of the city's famous, infamous and entirely unknown dearly departed. You can almost feel the ghosts whistling through the stones and grass.

For another glimpse into Argentina's past, ask your hotel to arrange a tour of the Casa Rosada presidential palace. After marveling at the national treasures in its visitors center, you can tour the ornate mansion (where the president works, but does not live). The mansion is a wonder of art and craftsmanship: The floors are made of exotic woods that form an ornate pattern; one room is gilded in bronze and gold; another's ceiling is covered by an oil painting on linen, with a 192-bulb, 24-carat-gold-coated chandelier.

The palace, facing the Plaza de Mayo, provides an excellent starting point for a walking tour of the nearby Microcentro business district. There, you can explore modern Argentina: the multinational banks and corporations, the Argentine conglomerates, the central bank, and all of their skyscraper glory. And, of course, there is the shopping. While Buenos Aires and its surrounding suburbs boast beautiful modern indoor malls, the most enjoyable shopping can be found just next to Microcentro, at the shady outdoor Avenida Florida pedestrian mall. There, the best of European and Latin American fashion, music and leather goods converge, in shops ranging from inexpensive to haute couture. If retail doesn't interest you, the people-watching is world-class.

Buenos Aires is an urban experience, with all of the glories (world-class theater, art museums and food), and all of the pit-falls (traffic, congestion, smog). If you find that you need a break from the city, head into the surrounding countryside, where a variety of former farms and cattle ranches have been turned into tourist destinations. We spent a day at Estancia Candelaria, riding a couple of ancient, slow horses (well, waiting for the horses to move, really), touring the estancia's 1840's-era "castle" and eating barbecue outside.

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If you need a break without leaving the city, head to the historic Cafe Tortoni. Founded in the 1850's, this subdued restaurant and bar features classic decor and live tango music.

At the end of a long day spent walking the city, and an evening spent eating a well-seasoned piece of fire-grilled steak, drinks at Cafe Tortoni are the perfect way to finish off the night. But be warned--everything is in generous proportion. A cocktail comes double-sized, with an innocent-sounding accompaniment of "snacks." The snacks, which your always-polite server will bring, include a mammoth plate of cheeses, meats, crackers and olives--far more than you might be able to finish. As an alternative to a cocktail, try a more uniquely Argentine drink--a hot chocolate. The chocolate, thick and extremely sweet, comes with hot milk and yet more sugar on the side. Poured into a demitasse cup, it is a potion best sipped slowly, while munching on snacks with your dining companion. It is a satisfying way to wrap up a day in this urbane locale.