On top of the tower 2
Picture taken at the top of the English Tower or Torre de los Ingleses.
Calle Reconquista
In the background the Torre de los Ingleses in Retiro
Torre de los Ingleses
Torre Monumental or Torre de los Ingleses is a clock tower located in Retiro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was a gift from the local British community to the city in commemoration of the first centennial of the May Revolution of 1810. After the Falklands War, the tower was renamed Torre Monumental, though some still call it Torre de los Ingleses.
Torre Monumental or Torre de los Ingleses
Bus terminal
The bus terminal is located in Retiro. There are numerous companies that will bring you all around the country, and this is by far the cheapest way to travel, and of course the longest, to reach your destination. Here’s an good introductory article about buses in Argentina from Wikitravel:
There are very good services parting from Retiro bus station, covering the whole country. By buying the most expensive tickets, you can get very comfortable seats with completely reclining back rests and you will be served meals and drinks by an attendant on board.
Almost all the long-distance buses use the huge and well-organised Retiro bus station on the northern edge of the city centre. The buses are mostly modern and the roads are good; there are frequent services to most parts of the country and international bus services to neighbouring countries. A second bus terminal is situated in the Liniers neighborhood, but it is much smaller and not connected to the subway.
You may catch taxis from Retiro bus station, and the subte (underground) also stops there. There are many local buses that stop outside the station as well.
There are numerous operators. The basement level is for cargo and package services. The ground level holds waiting areas, cafes, shops and services including a barber. On the upper level you find a large number (close to 200) of ticket offices, or boleterias. The upper level is conveniently divided by color into geographic areas for companies which serve the place you want to go, including an international area. Look for the signs.
Cama Suites or Dormi Camas lie completely flat and some have dividing curtains. With these services, the seating arrangement is one seat one side and two seats on the other side. Semi-Cama services are laid out two and two, and do not recline as far. Companies usually have photographs of bus interiors. Make sure the journey you choose has the service you want. Most buses are double decker.
Here’s the Terminal de Omnibus website [in Spanish]
Retiro station
Estación Retiro slightly appears on the right on the picture. Picture taken from the Torre de los Ingleses. For the facts: Retiro is the largest commuter rail station in Buenos Aires and more commuter trains arrive and depart from here than in any other station in the city. [from Wikipedia]
Peace and quiet on Ave. del Libertador
As you may have noticed, recently the postings are only happening every other days, sorry for not being able to post daily but I’ve been busy and I could not find the time to do so.
Today’s posting is from the top of the English Tower in the barrio Retiro – I just like the view we have from up there, and then again the avenue you see in the foreground is Avenida del Libertador, which is usually filled with cars, it was amazing to see the 14 traffic lines -yes 14 unless you count otherwise ;=) ‘almost’ uncrowded.
Pretty
Another very, very nice shot from Dul. For those of you who did not check out his blog yet, go to: Chroniques de Buenos Aires.
Inside Estación Retiro
An interior view of Estación Retiro (Spanish for “Retiro Station”) near the entrance to the subway station. Main view of the building, here.
100,000 visitors and counting
As of yesterday, BA daily reached 100,000 visitors. What’s even more impressive is that it happened in just 4 months. This is great news and I’m very happy about it; I want to thank all the visitors, those of you who check the site daily, those of you who check it every week, and all the others checking it once a month or just stopping by for the first time. To all of you THANK YOU! For those of you who sent me emails, thanks again, as all of you make me want to continue this great adventure.
Today’s picture is the “sister” of the one of yesterday. We’re at the top of the English Tower, looking the opposite direction from the where the picture of yesterday has been taken from. On the very left on this picture, you can see the Sheraton and on the right, the Cavanagh building.
Torre de los Ingleses
This is one of the view you’ll have from the top of the Torre de los Ingleses [English Tower], with on the left on the picture, the Plaza General San Martín, the main green space in the barrio Retiro.
Casa de la Cultura…Palacio de Gobierno
Ale from Una Foto por Dia made me realize I made a big mistake. This posting intended to present the House of Culture, when in fact I talked about the office of the city’s mayor. So to get things right, let me present the Palacio de Gobierno, a white neo-classical building fronting the Plaza de Mayo, is situated on the corner of Rivadavia and San Martín. It is the New City Hall, and houses the office of the city’s mayor. The original construction began in 1891 and continued for a number of years.
I’ll promise to show another day to post a picture of the House of Culture. Sorry for the confusion you all ;–) For now, I’m stealing this great shot from somebody else so that you can have an idea about it and still re-read what I posted last time:
House of Culture: This construction, of French Academicist-styled, was inaugurated in 1896. It was designed by engineers Gainza and Agote. On the first floor, the Golden Room exactly replicates a Versailles Palace room. It was the venue of La Prensa newspaper and was provided with transmitters and receivers of news cables and telephones. The upper part of the building finishes off in a bronze-made statue 55 meters high that holds a torch and a written page, as symbols of the press freedom. The beacon was useful to spread the most important news at that moment, by means of different-colour lights. Today, the building is part of the Secretary of Culture of Buenos Aires Government where many free cultural activities take place.
Street Musicians
Photo taken last week-end in the street Florida, busy shot of this street here. This street is full of street performers, whether they are musicians, painters, tango dancers, human statues… there’s a lot going on, and usually it’s full of tourists. Theses 2 musicians where, it seems, taking a break from their performance. You can check out this video, taken by a tourist in the st. Florida.
How to be in line – III
…or the art of waiting for the bus in Buenos Aires. Take a look at the following postings: 1, 2 about people waiting in line and wait their turn to get on the bus. It always amazed me to see that noone never tries to pass in front of someone else!
Cavanagh building view #2
The tall building is the Cavanagh building, which was the first skyscraper of South America. I took the picture at the top of the English tower in the barrio Retiro. Another similar shot I took a while back at the foot of that same tower.
Avenida de Julio by night
The Avenida 9 de Julio is absolutely splendid by night. It’s such a big avenue & you need to keep in mind the following: crossing the avenue often requires a few minutes, as all intersections have traffic lights. For pedestrians, depending their walking speed, it takes them between 2 to 3 green lights to cross the avenue. I always need 2 green lights to cross, can’t remember if I ever crossed with only 1 green light… humm I gotta give it a try.
