More walking

Day 2 in Argentina started a little earlier, since we only snoozed until noon. From the hotel, we set out to check out Puerto Moreno, the high-tech area set on a series of man-made lakes, San Telemo, the old neighborhood with amazing antique shops, plaza del mayo, the government and banking center, and of course, another round of Killer Instinct!

Puerto Moderno was neat. There were a lot of glass buildings with mostly american high tech corporation logos, set over dirty rectangular lakes of about 1/4mi x 1/8mi. Around each lake were a number of large old cranes that have been out of operation for some time, but that used to be used for loading and unloading people (I guess?!) and cargo from ships. We walked farther east over the "woman's bridge", this huge white modernistic contraption, and meandered towards the wildlife reservation. It looked like it might be better back in a ways, but nearby the path it was mostly tall grass with a bunch of garbage strewn about. Oh the joys of the city! At this point I badly wanted my shorts which were back at the hotel, since I was burning up in my jeans and wool socks but I went barefoot and found some shade to cope with the heat.

Anna the CRANE!

The "Woman's Bridge"

After Puerto Moderno we japed over to the San Telemo neighborhood where there were a lot of amazing antique shops. These were not like Sellwood's antique shops, but rather shops with insanely old elaborate furniture, tapestries, and silverware, and odd things like elaborate chandeliers that I wished I could bring back to the states for Bernie's stairwell and gigantic bottles of 'eau de toilette'. Which reminds me, people wear a lot of perfume and cologne here. Blech!

From San Telemo we hiked to the Plaza De Mayo, where the government buildings stand and the mothers of the disappeared from the Dirty War march. I planned us a route back to the hotel through the financial district and some cool streets that secretly brought us near my favorite arcade again! Walking through that district was neat because we got to see some of the 'hustle and bustle' of the BA business world and a different crowd as a result. They definitely weren't as earthy. We stopped at the arcade on the way home and I rocked it to the final battle in the game where I got my ass kicked repeatedly. That game 'puts me in a joy' as the young Clarks say.

These bikes looked a lot better than your average BA bike

When we got back to the hotel, we found we had been sunburned pretty badly. We look like lobster tourists--great. We soon met up with Anna's parents; their flight from Boston to NYC had been cancelled but they took a train and made it to the NYC->BA flight and got in on time. We went out to a really posh place for dinner that was a bit disappointing--the meat was OK, the fish was bad, and the desserts were mediocre. Anna and I walked home from there and with the late dinner custom here (they start around 9-11 and eat until 10-1), crashed soon after that.