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ARGENTINA | Buenos Aires, Argentina Travel Guide
Friday, May 17, 2024
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Plaza de Mayo, Puerto Madero, Avenida de Mayo
Plaza de Mayo
The city’s oldest square, dates back to the second founding of Buenos Aires in 1580 when it was designated the Plaza Mayor, the city’s principal square. It has served as a large marketplace and a hangman’s gallows. This lovely green oasis, surrounded by important government buildings, has been the site of nearly all of the important political and social events in Argentina’s history. Surrounding the plaza are the Casa Rosada, the seat of the executive branch of the Argentine government; the Cabildo, the colonial town hall; and the Metropolitan Cathedral, where Argentina’s national hero General San Martín is buried.
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero is one of the city’s most important and most successful urban renewal programs to date. Just as New York did with the South Street Seaport, Boston with Faneuil Hall and Baltimore with the Inner Harbor, Buenos Aires has taken the empty warehouses and docks of Puerto Madero and transformed them into a thriving social and commercial center. Sidewalk cafés and restaurant terraces line the beautifully landscaped riverfront promenade to provide a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown Buenos Aires. Its central location, spanning the waterfront directly behind the Plaza de Mayo, has made Puerto Madero a mecca for the politicians, executives and others who work in the area. Lawyers, financiers and other empresarios are snatching up office space just as quickly as yuppies are moving into luxury lofts in the refurbished warehouses. Many of Buenos Aires’ best known restaurateurs have moved in, turning Puerto Madero into a gastronomic center that caters to the power lunch set by day and social climbers at night.
Avenida de Mayo
The first official street in the city, Avenida de Mayo links the two plazas above. Take note of the various architectural styles of the buildings lining the street. Some were considered skyscrapers in the late 18th century when they soared to five stories.
At 450 feet across, 9 de Julio is the world’s widest street, created by knocking down the buildings that ran through its center. It is actually composed of three streets. The outer streets are Cerrito/Lima on the west and Carlos Pellegrini/Bernardo de Irigoyen on the east. The central strip, 9 de Julio, does not change its name for its entire length. Occupying center stage is the towering Obelisco (obelisk) at the Plaza de la República, which commemorates the country’s 400th anniversary.
Last updated June 13, 2008
Posted in Argentina | Buenos Aires
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