Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port. It is located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata (also known as the River Plate), on the southeastern coast of the American continent.
After the internal conflicts of the 19th century, Buenos Aires was federalised and removed from Buenos Aires Province in 1880; its city limits were enlarged to include the former towns of Belgrano and Flores; both are now neighbourhoods in the city.
9 de Julio Avenue, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires (English: Fair Winds) was originally named after the Virgine de Bonaria of Cagliari, Sardinia.
Argentines sometimes refer to the city as Capital Federal to differentiate the city from the province of the same name. In the 1994 constitution, the city was given autonomy, hence its formal name: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
The abbreviations Bs. As., Baires and B.A. are sometimes used, the first one mostly in writing and the latter two in everyday speech. The city is sometimes called La Reina del Plata, that is, "The Queen of the Plata" (a reference to the Plata river basin).
Government and politics
In 1996, under the 1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution, the city gained autonomous status, and held its first mayoral elections (the mayor's title was changed to "Chief of Government"). The winner was Fernando de la Rúa, who would be President of Argentina in the period from 1999 to 2001.
De la Rúa's successor, Aníbal Ibarra, won two popular elections, but was impeached (and ultimately deposed on 6 March 2006) as a result of the fire at República Cromagnon. Jorge Telerman, who had been the acting mayor, was invested with the office.
In the mayoral election of June 3, 2007, Mauricio Macri obtained a plurality of the vote, forcing a ballotage against Daniel Filmus on June 24, which Macri won with over 60% of the vote. Macri will assume the office in December of 2007.
National representation
Buenos Aires is represented in the Argentine Senate by three senators (as of January 2007, Rodolfo Terragno, María Leguizamón and Vilma Ibarra). The people of Buenos Aires also elect 25 national deputies for the Argentine Chamber of Deputies.
Barrios
The city is divided into 48 barrios (neighbourhoods) for administrative purposes. The division was originally based on Catholic parroquias (parishes), but has undergone a series of changes since the 1940s. A newer scheme has divided the city into 15 comunas (communes)
Climate
Spring spans from September to November, and autumn begins in March and ends in May. The city has a temperate climate with average temperatures in the afternoon ranging from 86°F (30°C) in January to 50°F (10°C) in July. The heaviest rain falls during the winter months, though rain can be expected at any time of year. While snow is a very uncommon occurrence in Buenos Aires, the city did experience snowfall on July 9, 2007, the first since 1918. Hailstorms are a more common phenomenon, the most recent high-intensity storm having taken place on July 26, 2006.
Many locals leave Buenos Aires during the hot summer months (December, January and February) and head for the coastal resorts. All time recorded high is 45(113),the all time recorded low is -9(15).
Public transport
A majority of residents in Buenos Aires and its suburbs use public transportation. A Buenos Aires invention is the "colectivo", originally a small bus built out of a truck chassis and seating 21 to 27, today they have grown in size and carry up to 60 passengers. Numerous colectivos and larger public buses traverse the city continuously each hour providing access to virtually all neighborhoods.
The Buenos Aires Metro (locally known as el subte, from "subterráneo" meaning "underground") is an extensive system providing access to various parts of the city. Opened in 1913, it is the oldest subway system in the Southern Hemisphere and in the Spanish-speaking world.[2] The system has five lines, named A to E, 80 stations, and 46 km of track. An expansion program is underway to enlarge existing lines deeper into the outer neighborhoods and add a new north-south line. Track length is expected to reach 89 km by the year 2011.
Buenos Aires had an extensive tramway network with over 857 km (535 mi) of track, which was dismantled during the 1960s in favor of bus transportation. A new 2-km light rail tram "Tranvía del Este" in the Puerto Madero district is now operating, extensions planned will link the Retiro and Constitución terminal train stations.
Roadways
Buenos Aires used to be relatively congestion-free for a city of its size. Toll freeways opened in the late 1970s by then-mayor Osvaldo Cacciatore provided fast access to the downtown area, increasing the number of cars coming into the city. During Cacciatore's tenure, the streets of the downtown financial district (roughly one square kilometre in size) were declared off-limits to private cars during daytime. Main avenues of the city include the 140-m-wide 9 de Julio Avenue, the over-35-km-long Rivadavia Avenue,[9] and Corrientes Avenue, the main thoroughfare of culture and entertainment. Avenida General Paz is a motorway that surrounds Buenos Aires thus separating the city from Buenos Aires Province.
Following the economic mini-boom of the 1990s, more people started commuting by car, and congestion increased. Most major avenues are gridlocked at peak hours. Another source of congestion is the flight of many people to the country on weekends.
Black-and-yellow taxis roam the streets at all hours. Some of these are unlicensed (controls are not fully enforced), so visitors are advised to phone a reputable radio-link company. Low-fare limo services, known as remises, have become more popular in recent years.
Rail
Argentina's extensive railway network converges on Buenos Aires. The three principal stations for both long-distance passenger services and commuter trains are Estación Retiro, Estación Constitución, and Estación Once. Most lines use Diesel power; some commuter lines switched to electric power during the 1980s and 1990s.
There is a project to build a Buenos Aires-Rosario-Córdoba high-speed railway, which would join the three largest cities in Argentina. Bids were opened in mid-2006; the only proposal standing as of June 2007 is by French firm Alstom. Financing is a major stumbling block for the project, whose start has been delayed several times.
Airports
The Buenos Aires international airport, Ministro Pistarini International Airport, is located in the suburb of Ezeiza and is often called simply "Ezeiza". The Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport, located in the Palermo neighborhood next to the riverbank, serves mostly domestic traffic.
Tourism in Buenos Aires
Hilton Hotel to the right of River View Towers
The most popular tourist sites are found in the historic city core, comprising Montserrat and San Telmo. The city was originally constructed around the Plaza de Mayo, the administrative center of the Colony. To the east of the Square is the Casa Rosada, the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina. To the north, the Catedral Metropolitana which has stood in the same location since colonial times, and the Banco de la Nación Argentina building, a parcel of land originally owned by Juan de Garay. Other important colonial institutions were Cabildo, to the west, which was renovated during the construction of Avenida de Mayo and Julio A. Roca. To the south is the Congreso de la Nación (National Congress), which currently houses the Academia Nacional de la Historia (National Academy of History). Lastly, to the northwest, is City Hall.
Avenida de Mayo links the Casa Rosada with the Argentine National Congress. On this avenue there are several buildings of cultural, architectural and historical importance, such as Casa de la Cultura, the Palacio Barolo and Café Tortoni. Underneath the avenue, the first subte (metro) line (Línea) in South America, was opened in 1913. The avenue ends at Plaza de los Dos Congresos, which features a number of monuments and sculptures, including a signed copy of Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker".
The Manzana de las Luces area features the San Ignacio church, the Colegio Nacional Buenos Aires, and the old city council building (1894 to 1931). This area has hidden tunnels, which crossed the city during colonial times.
In the neighbourhood of San Telmo, Plaza Dorrego holds an antiques fair on Sundays, complete with tango shows. There are several religious shops formed by the church of Nuestra Señora de Bethlem, Parroquia de San Pedro Telmo and Museo Penitenciario "Antonio Ballve". To the south stands the Museo Histórico Nacional on Parque Lezama.
In the barrio of Recoleta are located a number of tourist sites including the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Biblioteca Nacional, the Centro Cultural Recoleta, the Faculty of Law of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, the Basílica Nuestra Señora de Pilar, the Palais de Glace, the Bar La Biela and the Cementerio de la Recoleta, where the remains of Eva Duarte de Perón can be found.
Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires
El Ateneo is one of the city's most well-known bookshops situated in Santa Fé Aveneue, Barrio Norte. Once a theatre and later a cinema, the building still retains the feeling of the grand theatre it once was, despite its recent renovation.
In the barrio of Retiro, the Estación Retiro can be visited. There are several monuments in this neighbourhood including the Guerra de Malvinas, the General San Martín, Torre de los Ingleses, and the Kavanagh Building, one of the tallest in the city.
The Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires is located in the barrio of Palermo, and is one of the most important in the country. In this neighbourhood can also be found the Bosques de Palermo, the Planetary and Buenos Aires Zoo.
The southern zone of the city, (including barrios such as Barracas and Parque Patricios) while traditionally not a top tourist destination, is historically the source for much of the city's early tango culture. It is now home to a burgeoning arts scene.
Another important tourist site is Avenida Corrientes. In this avenue, theaters like Teatro San Martín, Paseo La Plaza and the stadium Luna Park can be found. At the intersection of this avenue with Avenida 9 de julio, the Obelisco, the emblem of the City of Buenos Aires, is located. Mercado de Abasto, which is currently a shopping mall, is also on this avenue.
At the South west end of the city is located the Parque de la ciudad, one of the biggest thematic parks in Latin America, charactirezed by its 200 metres high Torre Espacial tower.
Buenos Aires has been attracting the largest homosexual community in Latin America. Year 2006 has seen more arrivals of gay cruise ships, an increase in the number of gay businesses, and the commencement of construction of a 5-star gay hotel.