AMO the ARG: the streets of san telmo

as z and i finished lunch, we exchanged thoughts on what we'd seen of san telmo to try to decide whether we wanted to return later in the week. we both thought, cute, but not sure about coming back... but to that point, i'd spent most of the day waiting for her in the plaza dorrego and a short section of calle defensa. i hadn't explored the side streets, hadn't visited many stores. she had done some good damage in a few boutiques and was ready to head back. i decided to linger and see what else san telmo had to offer.

first stop was sima, specializing in leather bags and shoes, which she recommended. i had a nice chat with the proprietor, and contemplated some gift buying, but decided to hold off. i wanted to look around more.

the rest of the time, i enjoyed life on the streets, admiring the art and the architecture. i hope you will like what you see as much as i did. these photos are from the full day...the weather turned dramatically in the late afternoon. it would rain--pour--long into the night.

avenida san juan

i peeked through the fencing for this one. no view of the courts, just the sign.
avenida san juan.

according to my trusty guide book, san telmo was in the nineteenth century the province of the very wealthy...they fled the town for better air after a yellow fever epidemic in 1871. the new inhabitants, mostly immigrant, left the original buildings largely intact, but adapted them for their use, converting mansions into tenement housing.

while the area remains largely working class, it's also enjoying a resurgence, buoyed by the arrival of smaller business--shops, galleries, bars, and restaurants--who no doubt see the beauty of "the bones" of the place and understand its potential to attract enthusiastic tourists. like me.

the intersection of calle defense and chile

i was trying to capture the long, pretty view of the narrow streets (here, calle defensa)

and the view from the wider ones, like calle independencia.

independencia/defensa

an evita-esque balcony.

more defensa, but further north...

i should probably stop with the "me in the mirror" shots...but i probably never will...ha.

***
pasaje san lorenzo is renowned as one of the smallest, most colorful and charming streets in town...

on the right, is "casa minima" at no. 380 san lorenzo. it is the narrowest building in buenos aires.
trusty guide book tells me its 2.17 meters (what's the conversion?). anyway, tiny...

***

peru

independencia

peru, i think.

defensa

all photos © anita aguilar