Introduction

 Colegiales is located in the north-central part of Buenos Aires and is next to Palermo and Belgrano.  It lies between Av. Cabildo and Av. Alvarez Thomas on the north and south and Av. De Los Incas and Av. Dorrego on the east and west.

Colegiales is well-known as it is the setting place for one of Argentina’s most popular comic books, Mafalda, written by the humorist Quino.  There is a park in Colegiales named after the comic.

History

Lying just west of Palermo across Av. Dorrego, Colegiales  was originally owned by  Jesuits who founded small farms (charcas) there until 1767 at which time the land became expropriated by the Crown.  The area was then turned into a summer retreat for students and academics and became known as Chacarita de los Colegiales, thus giving the area its name.

Around the turn of the century immigrants began moving into the area in vast numbers and the barrio was subsequently split into Colegiales to the north and Chacarita to the south.

Colegiales Today

Today, Colegiales remains primarily a residential neighborhood although several upscale clubs and restaurants have begun finding their way into the barrio due, in part, to its proximity to the trendy neighborhood ofPalermo.

In 1920 the Minetti y Cia Ltd. Industrial and Commercial Society began construction of a windmill on Av. Dorrego and in 1928 massive silos were added to the development.  Recently, those large cylinders were remodeled into elegant and modern loft apartments and have become wildly popular with the local “yuppies”.

Colegiales also has a rich religious heritage being home to the Holiest Corpus Christi Monastery (Amenabar 450) which has served as a home to the Order of Barefoot Carmelites for centuries.  Additionally, the Church of St. Paul the Apostle (Av. Alvarez Thomas 795) and the Parish of Our Lord of the Miracle of Salta (Moldes 1157) continue to draw large crowds today.

Local Attractions

The neighborhood’s favorite social venue is probably the Colegiales Athletic and Social Club, located Teodoro Garcia 2860.  The club was made famous in past decades for being home to frequent tango recitals by Roberto “Polaco” Goyeneche.

Colegiales is also home to many cafes which are often not unlike pool halls and are frequented by night owls and “ne’er do wells”.  The best know of these is the Argos Café at Federico Lacroze and Alvarez Thomas and still boasts its period décor and pool tables.

Colegiales is one of the greenest areas of Buenos Aires being home to many parks such as Colegiales Plaza, Juan Jose Paso Plaza, Portugal Plaza, San Miguel de Garicoits Plaza and Malfalda Plaza known for its art which was donated by renowned local cartoonist Joaquin  “Quino” Lavado.

The Pasaje General Paz (an alleyway only for pedestrians) attracts visitors with its many pathways and bridges, mature trees and ornate balconied Andalusian style patio.

olegiales is also home to a Lions Club on Teodora Garcia 2964 and a Rotary Club on Arribenos and Jose Hernandez streets.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Colegiales has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy.  Here are a few to get you started:

Pipi-Cucu (Ciudad de la Paz 557) Pipi-Cucu, which means “flawless”, serves French influenced cuisine in a quirky setting that attracts sophisticated hipsters.

The Roxy Club (Federico Lacroze 3455, www.theroxybsas.com.ar) one of the most renowned clubs in Buenos Aires known for hosting some of the cities greatest parties.  During the week it offers a stage where local and international acts perform.  There is an additional room that plays commercial tunes well into the night. Late night on weekends the mood shifts more into hard core techno.

Misc. Fact(s)

The 21^st of September is the day of Colegiales.

Pros and Cons

If you plan to stay in Colegiales, one of its strongest points is its affordability.

On the down side, it is a ways from the “hotter” parts of town.

Introduction

Chacarita is located in the north-central part of Buenos Aires and is next to Villa and Colegiales with one corner bordering Palermo.  It lies between Av. Elcano and Av. San Dorrego and straddles  Av. Corrientes. 

Chacarita is a quiet neighborhood (barrio) best known for its 175 acres (70 hectare) Chacarita Cemetery, also known as the National Cemetery, and the final resting place of such greats as Carlos Gardel, famous tango dancer and actor.  Chacarita is also the namesake for both a well-known tango, Encuentro obligado.

History

Lying just west of Palermo across Av. Dorrego, Chacarita originally belonged to Jesuits who founded chacaras (small farms) from which the barrio got its name.  In 1767 as part of the overall suppression of the Jesuits, the land was expropriated by the Crown and turned into a summer retreat for students which became known as Chacarita de los Colegiales.

Later, around the turn of the century immigrants began to flood the area and the neighborhood was split in two with Chacarita in the southern area and Colegiales in the north.

Chacarita Today

Today, Chacarita is a quiet neighborhood identified by the sprawling NationalCemeterywhich takes up most of the barrio.  Primarily a residential neighborhood, Chacarita is an area with many corridor apartments (departamentos pasillo), which are apartments built side-by-side along an long corridor leading from the street and its streets are lined with trees, old houses and newer apartment buildings.

Chacarita is home to a large park called Parque Los Andes which was founded in 1941 and the Federico Lacroze commuter rail station which handles both local and long-distance services and a large farmer’s market.   The neighborhood also supports a small but booming flower industry, well suited to neighborhood defined by a cemetery.

Although the area remains primarily residential, upscale restaurants and clubs have started finding their way into the neighborhood due to its proximity to the popular Palermo neighborhood.

Local Attractions 

La Chacarita Cemeterio (cemetery) is less touristic than its conterpart in Recoleta but is clearly distinquished by its large size – 175 acres, covering most of the barrio itself.  It was first opened in 1871 to hold victims of the yellow fever epidemic that swept through southern Buenos Aires and San Telmo.  Today it is known as the people’s cemetery (cementario popular) where everyone from the homeless beggar on the street to legendary tango dancer and actor Carlos Gardel ends up.

Spanning along Av. Corrientes from Chacarita Cemetery to the Av. Dorrego subway station is the barrio’s largest park, Parque Los Andes, home to the Chacarita Weekend Fair (Feria Chacarita).  This is a real flea market where shoppers can find anything from cell phone chargers to genuine antiques, artisan items to food stalls and more.

El Galpon (Federico Lacroze 4172) is a well-known farmers’ market and one of the few places in all of Buenos Aires where one can find a large amount of organic and natural products available under one roof.  Located in a bright yellow warehouse surrounded by twisted train tracks and rusty old train cars, the market strives to offer good products for a reasonable price.

One of the few and most important remaining residences from the era is that of the Comastri family, which currently houses a public school: Escuela Nacional de Educación Técnica N° 34.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Chacarita has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy.  Here are a few to get you started:

Le Ble (Av. Alvarez Thomas 899, www.leble.com.ar) Former old timey grocery store finally gives in to the inexorable march of gentrification – bring on the gourmet, organic treats! Exposed beams, high ceilings, rustic shelving, faux-tique tin bins and excellent Balthazar-style bread would all be right at home in Tribeca.

La Mezzetta (Alvarez Thomas 1311)  a great place for an inexpensive lunch and – unlike many Buenos Aires pizzerias – the pizza does not sit in a glass case or on the counter waiting to be reheated. They serve everything fresh from the oven.

Misc. Fact(s)

The 28th of June is the day of Chacarita.

Pros and Cons

If you plan to stay in Chacarita, one of its strongest points is its affordability.  Although it is a bit far from the center of town and the more touristic areas, thanks to its cemetery, park and weekend fair Chacarita is a great place to consider.

On the down side, it is a ways  from the “hotter” parts of town.

Caballito

Caballito is one of the most traditional barrios (neighborhoods) of Buenos Aires city enjoying a rich history and beautiful architecture. It is located close to shopping centers, parks, museums, hospitals, schools and banks.

History

The name Caballito means “little horse” in Spanish and the barrio name is said to have come from a horse shaped weather vane from a local pulperia (bar). In 1921 an Italian, Nicolas Vila, became the owner of a block of land that today would be located next to Av. Rivadavia. He opened a pulperia there and at the entrance he placed a weather vane in the shape of a horse. As a result the bar started to be known as the “pulperia del caballito” (the Little Horse Saloon).

The original weather vane can be seen at the Lujan Museum and there is a replica you can see at Plaza Primera Junta. At the site of the original bar there is a plaque memorializing its memory.

As with every west neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Caballito saw considerable demographic and commercial growth with the arrival of the streetcar in 1857. Shortly thereafter, the arrival of a large number of immigrants to build the subway, the area was transformed and divided into two distinct parts one being elegant, expensive and quiet and the other louder and much more commercial.

Historically, Caballito was where wealthy portenos would go at the weekend to relax in their colonial style mansions. Many of those mansions are still standing today on Av. Rivadavia, such as the home of Wine baron Ambrosio Placido Lezica whose house is considered one of the most important of those old colonial style homes. It was later and featured in the creation of Rivadavia Park in 1928.

Caballito Today

In many regards, the Caballito of today is very similar to the residential district of Belgrano which is located in the central eastern part of the City of Buenos Aires. As in Belgrano, Caballito lacks nothing and has nothing to envy in any other part of the city when it comes to services. For this reason, Caballito is an attractive place to visit or to live for tourists and locals alike.

Its many tree shaded avenues and streets form the perfect frame for its well preserved patrician apartment buildings, most of which have been completely renovated in order to offer all the modern amenities to its current residents.

Av. Pedro Goyena and its surrounding area makes up the heart of the best residential area in Caballito. Emilio Mitre, Miro, Puan and Victor Martinez make up but a few of the neighboring streets known for their beauty. Av. Rivadavia offers views of many of the older and more important colonial homes in the area and serves as a great connection to the central parts of the city and is one of the main commercial streets in Buenos Aires.

Local Attractions

In Caballito one can find numerous points of interest. There are large green spaces to enjoy including two of the most important in the City of Buenos Aires: Parque Rivadavia on Av. Rivadavia and Parque Centenario (shared with the barrios of Almagro and Villa Crespo).

Opened in 1910, Parque Centerario was given its name to commemorate Argentina´s hundredth anniversary on May 25th, 1810. Parque Centenario was designed by the renowned French-Argentine urbanist Charles Thays, who also created the Jardins Botanico (Botanical Gardens) and many of the other important parks of Buenos Aires. The park is park is one of the largest in Buenos Aires and surrounding it is a host of public facilities to include a mile long jogging route, the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum, the Leloir Research Institute and local observatory, and the Marie Curie Hospital. In 2006 the park underwent and extensive refurbishment to include the replacement of two small ponds with a larger swan lake.

In Caballito there are numerous other points of interest to include the Cid Campeador Monument, giving homage to the Spanish soldier, one of the greatest myths of Spanish culture. There is the Caballito Shopping Mall, the “English District” with its beautiful British style Fin de Siecle architecture, the Ferro Carril Oeste Football Club, the Historic Tramway Museum of Buenos Aires, the old Mercado del Progreso, the Italian Club and the Portuguese Club just to name a few highlights.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Caballito has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy. Here are a few to get you started:

Locos por el Futbol (Av. Rivadavia 4751): a sports theme bar and restaurant!

The Oldest (Juan B. Ambrosetti 31 by Av. Rivadavia): probably not the oldest pub in Buenos Aires but it has beer on tap, cocktails, good food and great atmosphere.

Misc. Fact(s)

Caballito day is February 15th.

Pros and Cons

If you plan to stay in Caballito, one of its strongest points is its affordability. Although it is a bit far from the center of town and the more touristic areas, thanks to its many attractions, beautiful building and overall character Caballito is a great place to consider.

On the down side, it is far from the “hotter” parts of town, particularly when it comes to nightlife.

Introduction

Boedo is located west of Buenos Aires´ business district (Microcentro) just past Balvanera (which is more typically known by its three districts Abasto, Congreso and Once) and next to Almagro.  It lies between Av. Independencia and Av. Caseros and straddles  Autopisto 25 de Mayo..

Boedo is one of those Buenos Aires neighborhoods often overlooked by tourist guides and tourists alike.  However, the barrio has experienced a cultural rebirth in recent years bringing more locals and tourists to the area.

The San Lorenzo de Almagro football club has its home in Boeda.

History

Boedo is one of Buenos Aires´ newest barrios having been formed in 1972 at the same time Balvanera was separated from Almagro.

Originally, the area was full of warehouses, flour mills, brick ovens and milk drums.  Full of pulperias (bars) and cafetines (small coffee houses) the Boedo section of Buenos Aires was an artistic hotbed in the beginning of the 20th century and home to cultural giants such as lyricist Homero Manzi and writer Roberto Arlt.

Its original buildings were low and laid out in a repeated monotonous pattern, one after the other in what is sometimes referred to as “chorizo” cottages (like sausage links) and the area drifted into relative anonymity after World War II becoming a predominantly middle-class neighborhood.

Boedo is the only barrio in Buenos Aires named after its main street, Av. Boedo.  The street in turn was named after Dr. Mariano Joaquin Boedo, an independence advocate and signer of the National Act of Independence.

Boeda Today

Today, Boeda has become a quiet residential neighborhood with its low houses contrasting the many new building that have emerged the last few years.  However, as has happened with other bohemian neighborhoods such as San Telmo and Palermo, Boedo has experienced a cultural rebirth in recent years.

Independent theaters, underground restaurants and trendy bars have sprung up amid the century old “chorizo” cottages that still define Boedo today.  The city has erected several semi-figurative sculptures in the neighborhood and today artist mingle with longtime residents, many of which were only teenagers during Boedo´s last boom.

Much of the revitalization of the area is attributable to an arts-minded family, the Marins, who moved to Buenos Aires from the city of Mendoza and opened several cultural centers and restaurants in the area.

Local Attractions

Boedo has many well known theaters such as Timbre 4 (Av. Boedo 640) a 50 seat playhouse opened by the playwright Claudio Tolcachir.  Since 2004 it has been home to Tolcachir´s award winning comedy “La Omision de la Familia Coleman” which has attracted such celebrities as Francis Ford Coppola.

The barrio´s bohemian past has been rediscovered through places such as Cafe Margo (Av. Boedo 857) an old French-style cafe complete with bow-tied waiters and black-and-white floor tiles that attracts a new generation of artists and writers.

At the Monte de Piedad Museum (Av. Boedo 870, 2nd floor), visitors can view a recreation of the Cafe Biarritz, a famous leftist hangout that was located below the museum at one time. The museum also traces the history of the Banco Ciudad from its origins as a pawnshop to becoming a modern bank.  The exhibit includes fascinating artifacts such as a set of brass banisters that was attacked by angry customers in the aftermath of Argentina’s 2001 economic crisis.

Boedo also has an interesting record store, Almacen Porteno (Av. San Juan 3625) is home to an extensive collection of tango CDs, photos and sheet music and the owner, Juan Carlos Bellini, also sells old tango LPs online at www.tangoalmacen.com.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Boeda has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy.  Here are a few to get you started:

Kensho (www.kensho.com.ar): a puertas cerradas (restaurant in a private home) serving organic vegetarian dishes such as ceviche made from tofu and oyster mushrooms by chef Maximo Cabrera.

Teatro Boedo XXI (Av. Boedo 853, www.teatroboedoxxi.blogspot.com): a popular theater with plays created specifically for kids, adolescents, and adults as well as choreography and yoga classes on the premises.

Pan y Arte (Av. Boedo 878, www.panyarte.com.ar): a hybrid between a cafe and an art gallery which was the creation of the Marín family from Mendoza whose subsequent openings of eateries and art centers help spark the cultural rebirth of Boeda.

Misc. Fact(s)

The corner of San Juan and Boedo is mentioned in the opening verse of the tango Sur, one of the best-loved songs about Buenos Aires. The corner is now known as Esquina Homero Manzi named for the author of the lyrics.  The location is also the venue for several tango festivals.

Pros and Cons

If you want to feel authentic porteno Buenos Aires, Boedo is a great place to go.  With its recent cultural rebirth, Boedo offers many attractions such as museums, restaurants and bars.

On the other hand Boedo is primarily a middle-class residential neighborhood lacking many of the attractions of areas such as Palermo or Recoleta.

Villa Crespo is located in the north-central part of Buenos Aires and is in-between Palermo and Caballito.  It lies between Av. Cordoba  and Av. San Martin  and straddles  Av. Corrientes and borders on Parque del Centenario.

An up-and-coming barrio, Villa Crespo is often referred to now as Palermo Queens, due in part to its industrial heritage.

History

Villa Crespo originally grew around the National Shoe Factory (Fabriza Nacional de Calzado) in 1888 and was named for a mayor of Buenos Aires, Antonio F. Crespo.

Villa Crespo has long been associated with the Jewish community as it is home to many synagogues, Hebrew schools and youth movements.  As the same time, it is actually populated by a variety of different people and cultures as is the rest of Buenos Aires.  On April 11, 1894 the San Bernardo church and parochial school was first opened, known for its clock tower and statue of Cristo de la Mano Rota (Christ of the Broken Hand).

Until the 1980’s Villa Crespo was home to a large commercial clothing center on Av. Scalabrini Ortiz, formally named Canning, but it lost its importance over the years. Villa Crespo also held several conventillos (boarding houses) at one time, including the most famous one, the Conventillo de la Paloma.

Villa Crespo Today

Today, Villa Crespo is a middle class residential neighborhood.  While it still maintains its identity as a barrio for families and young couples, being located next to the hip neighborhood of Palermo, the spread of new restaurants and chic boutiques has been impossible to resist as expats and young Argentine professionals are filling the apartments there in ever increasing numbers.

Along with this new wave of residents, a new social scene is being forged.  The hippest bars, dancehalls and restaurants have no signs outside, instead their addresses are passed by way of word of mouth.  Discovering one of these hidden wonders is part of what makes Villa Crespo so unique today.  It is almost like stepping into a secret society.

Change is already coming to Villa Crespo and its boundary with Palermo will continue to blur, but for now Villa Crespo remains a barrio with a distinct personality and one of Buenos Aires’ most captivating areas.

Local Attractions

Villa Crespo is most known for being a great place to find a bargain.  One of its main attractions is a strip of leather goods stores located on Calle Murillo.  One of the biggest and best of those is Murillo 666 (yes, located at Murillo 666) and offers everything from jackets and accessories to leather furniture.

Beginning in 2008 many of the local factories in the neighborhood started opening up outlet stores to the publick.  Around Calles Aguirre and Gurruchaga one can find a string of outlet stores such as Armani Exchange, Cacharel, Lacoste, Puma, Timberland, Wrangler and more.  One can also find many more outlets lined up along Av. Cordoba only 5 blocks away and Av. Warnes there are numerous auto parts stores.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Villa Crespo has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy.  Here are a few to get you started:

Sarkis (Thames 1101) a family style restaurant offering satisfying Middle Easter food.

Ocho7Ocho (Thames 878) beginning at 8pm every night a doorman appears here outside an unmarked door.  Those in the know can step inside to find themselves in a stylish but deliberately rough around the edges lounge created in a former carpentry workshop.

From 8pm every night a doorman appears outside an unmarked door. Those in the know step inside to find a former carpentry workshop, converted into a stylish, but deliberately rough-around-the-edges, lounge bar

Scannapieco (Av. Cordoba 4826) founded in 1938 by an Italian immigrant, Scannapieco is simply the very best ice cream to be found in Buenos Aires and is still family owned.

Club Silencio (call +5411 4775-7330 or email sheduende@hotmail.com to make a reservation and get the address) inspired by David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, Club Silencio was created by Argentinian musician Shoni Shed.  At 11pm every Friday he performs in his apartment for an audience of 20, all of whom are blindfolded upon arrival to stimulate their other senses.  The show lasts about an hour and a half and afterwards a bar menu appears and the place turns into a house party.

Misc. Fact(s)

The 3rd of June is the day of Villa Crespo.

Pros and Cons

Villa Crespo offers great prices and being located next to Palermo there are plenty of hip places to eat and drink.

There really is no downside to Villa Crespo although one might look to seeing more foreigners in the future leading to higher prices.

Almagro

Almagro has always been a special district as so many different aspects of life in Buenos Aires come together in this neighborhood (barrio).  Country houses (quintas) boarding houses (conventillos), schools, factories, churches, clubs, tango, poetry, political figures and more all come together in peaceful coexistence in this unique area.

History

There has been some discussion regarding the origin of the name of this barrio.  Some say it was named for an 18^th century Spanish barrister who owned much of the area, Don Juan Maria Almagro y de la Torre, while others attribute the name to his son and inheritor of the lands, Don Juan M. Almagro.

The Almagro family purchased this land, originally part of the San Jose de Flores barrio, in 1839 and set up their quinta on the corner of Av. Rivadavia and Medrano.  Today at that very corner you can find Las Violetas, one of the most distinguished coffee houses in Buenos Aires.

The first people to live in Almagro were the Basoues (Indo-Europeans whose origins lie in the southwest of France and north of Spain) and were later followed by the Italians. Conventillos (boarding houses) quickly sprung up around the area to accommodate the influx of immigrants, many of which became famous such as La Cueva Negra, where colored people lived and Maria la Luna, noted for its fights amongst its many neighbors.

During the 18^th century, Juan Maria de Almagro and Carlos de los Santos Valente, a Portuguese merchant owned most of Almagro and were fiercely opposed to urban development and Almagro remained a center for dairy farming throughout that period.

With the development of the west line of the train system, over the course of the 19^th century, Almagro became and important industrial center and home to a series of hotels, warehouses and brick producing factories.

By the turn of the 20^th century, Almagro began to blossom into the barrio we know it as today with the introduction of a tramway.  By the 1930´s the neighborhood gained popularity for its proximity to the farmer market (the Abasto, now a modern shopping mall) where Carlos Gardel became famous (he even composed a tango entitled Almagro).

Almagro Today

These days Almagro is a sort of crossroads of Buenos Aires with cars, buses and a subway (subte) passing through this area on their way into (or out of) the center of town (Microcentro).  A busy commercial center with all the hustle and bustle of high-rise apartments, modern Almagro is more authentically porteno than other nearby neighborhoods such as Palermo and Recoleta.

This is the real Buenos Aires.

Local Attractions

Almagro shares  Parque Centenario along with the barrios of Caballito and Villa Crespo.  With its winding paths surrounding a large fountain and its weekend market, this park attracts many visitors, particularly on sunny afternoons.

As noted above, in Almagro you can find Las Violetas, one of the most distinguished coffee houses in Buenos Aires, located at the corner of Medrano and Av. Rivadavia.

Almagro is also home to one of the world´s largest flower markets located at Acuña de Figeroa street.

Plaza Almagro park, located on Sarmiento street features a book fair on Sundays and a popular children’s playground.

Located just outside Almagro in the Abasto district (which it shares with Balvanera) one can find a more touristy area with rich roots in tango.  Here you will find the Carlos Gardel Museum (located at Jean Jaures 735), plenty of tango shops and restaurants, and plenty of colorful houses with portraits of Gardel.

Just outside Almagro you will also find the Abasto Shopping Center, originally a farmers´market, which has been converted into a modern shopping mall with 4 floors of trendy shops, a large movie theater, a children´s museum and an indoor amusement park.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Almagro has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy.  Here are a few to get you started:

Los Sabios (Corrientes 3733):  an all-you-can-eat buffet of vegetarian cuisine run by a group of Buddhists.  It a rather plain looking establishment but a great deal for the budget conscious lover of food.

Bar de Roberto (Bulnes 331): a bohemian dive bar that features some great live music.

La Catedral (Sarmiento 4006): a very hip tango establishment catering mainly to the younger crowd.  Get there at 8pm and you can enjoy taking some tango classes.

Misc. Fact(s)

On the 28 of September falls the yearly Día del Barrio de Almagro or ” Almagro Neighborhood Day which is marked by celebrations across the main points of the barrio

Pros and Cons

If you want to feel authentic porteno Buenos Aires, Almagro is a great place to go.  Ideally located next to Palermo and just a few blocks from Recoleta, Almagro is a great location and very affordable.

On the other hand with its commercial nature Almagro does not offer as many entertainment options as places like Palermo, Recoleta and San Telmo do.