Walking around Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is huge and I’ve only seen a small fraction of it. So far, I’ve just been walking around. According to my phone I’ve been averaging about 15km a day, but the furthest I’ve been from my hotel is about 10km. There is so much to see within that 10km radius. So many people, dog walkers, fruit stands, cafes, restaurants, shops, museums, cultural centers, parades, protests, parties, banks, businesses, and more. But perhaps the best thing about walking around is the many parks and plazas. You don’t have to walk more than 5 minutes to find yourself in a green space surrounded by ancient trees and fragrant flowers. That said, there are 15.6 million people in the city, making the green spaces seem small and in adequate for the population.
The parks are popular. On Friday afternoon, I counted 4 birthday parties in one of the parks. They had tables, balloons, banners, cakes. One party had a clown doing magic tricks. I’m not sure if hosting parties in the parks is a normal thing or something that happened due to Covid, but it looked like everyone was having a good time.
The parks are popular. On Friday afternoon, I counted 4 birthday parties in one of the parks. They had tables, balloons, banners, cakes. One party had a clown doing magic tricks. I’m not sure if hosting parties in the parks is a normal thing or something that happened due to Covid, but it looked like everyone was having a good time.
Speaking of Covid, everyone wears a mask, many wear them outdoors. When entering buildings, it’s not uncommon for security or staff to stop you and spray your hands with sanitizer. Infection rates are way down (4% of peak). They have fully vaccinated almost 60% of the population now, and I’ve seen mobile vaccination centers around town. I don’t know if the vaccination rate is any higher in Buenos Aires.
It’s a pretty safe city to wander about on foot. First off, there are people everywhere at all hours of the day. But I was also elated to see that little backpacks are very popular among people of all ages. I’ve even seen designer backpacks that remind me of expensive handbags, but with shoulder straps. So, me and my little backpack have been blending in quite well.
While walking, I've stumbled across some interesting places. The Japanese Garden and the Eva Peron Museum were both worth the price of the visit. The Recoleta Cemetery (final resting place of Eva Peron) is temporarily closed to tourists, but it is huge and would be an interesting thing to see. There is also an ecological preserve on the edge of the city where I watched a crane catch a snake and fly away with it. Oh, and it's Pride week, so I've also seen some fabulous costumes.
It’s a pretty safe city to wander about on foot. First off, there are people everywhere at all hours of the day. But I was also elated to see that little backpacks are very popular among people of all ages. I’ve even seen designer backpacks that remind me of expensive handbags, but with shoulder straps. So, me and my little backpack have been blending in quite well.
While walking, I've stumbled across some interesting places. The Japanese Garden and the Eva Peron Museum were both worth the price of the visit. The Recoleta Cemetery (final resting place of Eva Peron) is temporarily closed to tourists, but it is huge and would be an interesting thing to see. There is also an ecological preserve on the edge of the city where I watched a crane catch a snake and fly away with it. Oh, and it's Pride week, so I've also seen some fabulous costumes.
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And I do blend in. Most of the people here are of European descent. Several times a day I’ve had people stop me on the street to ask a question or seek directions. And that brings me to my Spanish skills. They’re pretty bad. And there is also a different dialect of Spanish in this city that sometimes throws me off. But the really nice thing is that people are very patient and encouraging when it comes to my Spanish skills. One person told me I was doing pretty good and to just keep trying. He was either being kind or patronizing, but I definitely feel a little more confident with each conversation.
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One of the best things about walking around the city is that nearly every intersection has traffic lights. Most also have crosswalks and pedestrian signals. It’s overkill really, because most streets are single lane and one-way and the cars move rather slowly. Crossing against the light seems totally acceptable if the street is clear, so I don’t spend too much time waiting for lights.
But there is one thing about walking that isn’t so great: dog poop on the sidewalks. It’s not uncommon to see, so I’ve always got my eyes open. I haven’t seen a single stray dog, and every dog owner I’ve seen has picked up after their pet, but there are just so many dogs that I guess it’s bound to happen. I haven’t actually stepped in anything yet, but I know there is poop everywhere on the sidewalks because it gets tracked around on the bottoms of people’s shoes. So I treat my shoes as the most filthy things on the planet – leaving them at the door of my room. A couple of times I’ve gone out with my rubber shoes (no socks) and, ew… my feet and shoes have been scrubbed mercilessly a few times.
I have more to write about, but I’ll leave it for another post and just toss up some pictures for now.
But there is one thing about walking that isn’t so great: dog poop on the sidewalks. It’s not uncommon to see, so I’ve always got my eyes open. I haven’t seen a single stray dog, and every dog owner I’ve seen has picked up after their pet, but there are just so many dogs that I guess it’s bound to happen. I haven’t actually stepped in anything yet, but I know there is poop everywhere on the sidewalks because it gets tracked around on the bottoms of people’s shoes. So I treat my shoes as the most filthy things on the planet – leaving them at the door of my room. A couple of times I’ve gone out with my rubber shoes (no socks) and, ew… my feet and shoes have been scrubbed mercilessly a few times.
I have more to write about, but I’ll leave it for another post and just toss up some pictures for now.