Saturday, November 18, 2023
For lack of planning, I let chance decide my first stop in Buenos Aires. Normally, I would have looked for safe neighborhoods, as I do in every major city I visit for the first time. But given Argentina’s relative safety, I allowed myself a few surprises. Chance chose Avellaneda, a former industrial district now popular, far from the well-trodden paths of the tourist circuit. Despite the puzzled looks from airport staff, I loved my experience in this urban left-over, excluded from the limits of the theatrical city.
Out of all the neighborhoods I’ve stayed in — Avellaneda, San Cristóbal, San Telmo, Belgrano, Pueyrredón, Parque Chas, La Boca — Avellaneda and its neighbour La Boca remain my favorites. History clings to the façades and sidewalks here, like a ghost attached to the old, gloomy houses.
I arrived by plane from the spectacular Florianópolis Airport in southern Brazil, landing at the far less spectacular Ezeiza Airport. Rushed by my Airbnb host, I left the airport without equipping myself with Argentine essentials — mobile data, bus card, adapter — a mistake not to repeat. Given the distance to the city center, I had no choice but to take an Uber. On my second arrival, I would opt for a long series of bus connections across the sprawling city: a two-hour journey.
Unknowingly, my first landing in this legendary city coincided with the eve of equally legendary elections: a clash between two opposing visions, the status quo or disruption, in which Javier Milo would be elected for the first time on November 19, 2023. It was then that I discovered the veda electoral, a uniquely Argentine tradition: 48 hours before the vote, alcohol sales are prohibited, political news is suspended, sports matches are canceled, and even theater performances are forbidden. Supermarkets, bars, and restaurants seal their alcohol shelves, leaving the country in a collective pause — a moment to reflect and deliberate rather than drown one’s worries in a drink. For my part, I would have to wait until the following Monday to taste my long-awaited first Argentine wine.
Fortunately, the unbalanced economic context allowed me to extend my stay in Argentina without putting too much strain on my budget.
Buenos Aires, the museum-city, a splendor of a lost era, overloaded with visual cues. Like the Grand Splendid, a former theater transformed into a literary temple, floor after floor of books. You can’t absorb it all, and you no longer know where to look.
November 28, 2023. A visit to the Dentist in Avallenada
I broke my front tooth on a glass door. It was a door pristine like air, so clean I thought it wasn’t there. But it was. I became aware of this fact from the loud bang and the uncomfortable sensation of my nose suddenly inverting into my head. Everything around me shattered…except the glass. I felt targeted. I saw my broken tooth in the elevator mirror on my way to my floor.
I checked online for the nearest dentist. No official professional registry here: you have to rely on Google reviews, like picking a fried chicken joint. The clinic was a small building with homey vibes. The dentist kissed and hugged all her patients goodbye – I heard later that it was common practice in Latin America.
The dentist was overbooked. it was late afternoon, and the waiting room was packed. Patients keep arriving. She was running over 45 minutes behind schedule. I offered to come back at a better time, but she ignored me.
She was alone with her secretary — no dental assistant. Patients had to hold the suction tube themselves. Midway through, the pressure machine stopped working. She checked the cables, opened the top cart, called the technician on her cellphone, gave it a little kick. Okay, all good.
The tooth reparation was quick: a bit of sandblasting on the broken part (it smelled like burnt hair), some glue, whatever material she used as a filler, and a blue light to harden it. Then a little polishing. Done. All fixed.
The Highlights
Buenos Aires is a metropolis blending European influences with a Latin American identity. Its neighborhoods are very distinct, almost like small towns within the city:
- San Telmo: Bohemian and historic, cobblestone streets, antique shops, and street tango.
- La Boca: Colorful and popular, famous for Caminito and its Italian immigrant heritage.
- Recoleta: Elegant and bourgeois, with Parisian-inspired buildings and its iconic cemetery.
- Palermo: Modern and creative, full of bars, restaurants, designers, and expansive parks.
- Microcentro & Avenida de Mayo: Monumental architecture, Spanish heritage, and Art Deco.
