Luna Park—Buenos Aires’ Historic Downtown Stadium

Luna Park, that art deco building downtown with the neon sign is Argentina’s answer to Madison Square Gardens and on any given Saturday night in Buenos Aires the 80-year old stadium still might be the place putting on the best show in town. The Palacio de los Deportes, or ‘Sports Palace’, as it’s called is [...]

Money Exchange & Other Hustles on Florida St.

Walking along Florida Street near LaValle on downtown Buenos Aires’ pedestrian mall, it’s inevitable to come across some shady-looking characters yelling out or whispering, ‘cambio, cambio!’ These ‘unofficial’ (read: illegal) money changers, known in Lunfardo as arbolitos, do offer dollar and euro exchange rates that are lower than the banks, but it’s not recommended to [...]

Florida St.—Galería Güemes Through the Years

← continued from: Florida Street—The Gath and Chavez Building Galería Güemes is another art nouveau jewel on downtown’s Florida Street, but you wouldn’t know it from glancing at it street side. After a 1971 fire caused serious damage to the exterior of the 1915 building it was modernized and rebuilt with a rather unfortunate glass [...]

La Cantina Francesa — Gourmet Fast Food

La Cantina Francesa is a buffet-style eatery in Microcentro which manages to serve up fast and easy lunches without compromising on quality. Many restaurants, bars and cafes downtown struggle to find the right balance between serving up decent food, and getting it out quickly for busy office types and travelers on the go. Argentina’s dining [...]

The World’s Most Elegant Burger King

All along Buenos Aires downtown Florida Street visitors will find beautiful historic buildings occupied by multinational corporate chains—it’s an unfortunate reality for traditionalists but these buildings, unlike the Naval Center and Argentine Rural Society, are some of the most accessible for viewing. The most notable example is found on the corner of Corrientes and Florida [...]

The Obelisk: Yesterday and Today

Buenos Aires’ most famous monument, El Obelisco (The Obelisk) extends out from the city’s midriff like a giant pencil – standing proudly erect as the unofficial center, symbol and rallying point of this sprawling metropolis. Since its construction in 1936, it has suffered its fair share of figurative ups and downs, yet has remained a [...]

Verde Verde – Cheap Vegetarian Takeaway Downtown

Just because you are downtown doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money on lunch. Verde Verde is a vegetarian takeaway joint just half a block from Florida Street that serves up dishes that are both healthy and cheap. It’s also convenient if you’re on the run; you can be in an out [...]

Tanguero Hotel — Elegance Beyond the Usual Clichés

The Tanguero Hotel in downtown Buenos Aires manages to avoid the gaudiness and accentuate the elegance associated with that most ubiquitous Buenos Aires’ pastime — tango. All the usual references do appear in this boutique hotel – the tango hat, black and white checkered floors and the images of the most famous tango singer of [...]

Filo – Colorful Italian Restaurant in Microcentro

Filo is a restaurant that serves up a bit of sensory overload to diners along with real Italian food. Bright colors, modern artwork and hip music are the hallmarks of bar and restaurant designer Mario Salcedo (creator of Buenos Aires hotspots such as Pizza Piola, Dada and El Unico), and Filo is one of his most [...]

Milhouse—BA’s Party Hostel

As one of Buenos Aires’ most popular and largest youth hostels, the infamous Milhouse Hostel deserves a mention if only to confirm that, yes, what you heard is true. Milhouse’s fame as the number one hostel for debauchery continues even though it’s a HI-approved hostel and a few years ago the family that runs the [...]

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