10.31.2011
10.28.2011
decade
10.27.2011
10.26.2011
shutterbug time
Once I got over the loss of my old camera, I was pretty excited to get a new one. After some research, I headed over to the insanity known as 'B & H Photo on a Sunday' with a pretty clear idea of what I wanted. However, after a long discussion with my new friend Heshi (along with a viewing of photos of his grandchildren) I left with a Panasonic Lumix, which was better for what I wanted and a hundred bucks cheaper. Who knew?
10.25.2011
grant's tomb
Jeff requested a visit to Grant's Tomb (above) this weekend which I happily obliged (an adventure? always!).
While uptown, we visited the beautiful Riverside Church across the street (above)...
...and took a self-guided walking tour of Columbia from my limited memory. Sadly, 10+ years fails in remembering any specific architectural significance, but does succeed in noting where the largest slice of pizza can be found (it's here).
10.24.2011
argentina: treasures & souveniers
10.21.2011
argentina: day seven and eight
After our early flight from Neuquén, we arrived back in Buenos Aires and headed straight to San Telmo, a historic neighborhood full of antique shops and trendy boutiques. From the little I saw of Buenos Aires, this was by far my favorite neighborhood. There were so many beautiful passages, indoor markets and colonial buildings to gawk at.
Photo from here.
After lunch, we headed to my other favorite place in Buenos Aires - the Recoleta Cemetery. Recoleta is where Argentina's richest and most established patrons are buried and it's truly a beautiful place (seriously, I probably took two hundred photos, alas).
Photo from here.
We also visited El Ateneo (above), a bookstore housed in a former theater - incredible. For dinner, we went a great parilla out in Belgrano, Buenos Aires' Chinatown, which was culturally fascinating - doesn't matter where you go in the world, Chinatown is Chinatown.
Photo from here.
We returned to San Telmo for our last day. I could have easily spent all day wandering around the antique stalls. I bought two small paintings that I'll photograph once I'm able to again. We had a great lunch at Aldo's (below), saw a bit of the Bolivian parade, walked around Palermo and then it was time to head to the airport.
Photo from here.
Argentina - I'll see you again!
10.20.2011
argentina: day five & six
It warmed up a bit toward the end of our time in Bariloche, which made for a nice hike around Lago Gutiérrez. I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up my book, taking advantage of the hotels' hot tub and going for a walk on the beach. We re-visited our favorite parilla for a dinner of lomo (filet), chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), cerdo (pork) and of course, french fries.
The following day we packed up and travelled back to Neuquén only to discover that our flight to Buenos Aires had been cancelled, so we spent the night at an airport hotel and woke up at 4:30am to catch the first flight out.
argentina: day four
Bariloche is located on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, a huge lake that is part of the national park system. A popular activity among children and adults is to take a boat ride (above) and try to get a seagull to snatch a cracker out of your hand while the boat is moving. Party pooper that I am, I opted for just the boat ride.
The boat had two destinations, the first being Los Arrayanes National Park. This forest consisted of rare myrtle trees (above), some of which were over 600 years old.
The second stop was Isla Victoria, the largest island on the lake (above). We only had a hour to explore, which was kind of a bummer, but that's what happens when you only half understand the language.
Photo from here.
Needing a drink after spending two hours on a boat with Argentinian teenagers, we stopped by the stunning Hotel Llao Llao (above).
For dinner, we decided to forgo the parilla and instead ate at Cassis, an exceptional restaurant on the Lago Gutiérrez where we enjoyed Patagonia specialities like local trout and lamb (above).
10.19.2011
argentina: day three
Our first full day in Bariloche was spent exploring the area from above. We took the Teleferico Cerro Otto (above) up to a viewing center, restaurant, and really random art gallery. Since it was still very much spring in the southern hemisphere. it was pretty cold up there. Hot chocolate helped.
After our trip up the mountain, we ventured into town. Bariloche is known for two things: skiing and chocolate. My favorite chocolate shop was Mamuschka (above) based solely on their ridiculously adorable decor.
For dinner, we visited El Boliche de Alberto, a parilla (grill) just south of town (above) and yes, that is the normal amount of french fries they give you. For more about the meats we enjoyed, please click here.
10.18.2011
argentina: day two
Most of the second day in Argentina was spent travelling. We had planned on spending a few days in the Bariloche area, but due to a volcanic eruption in Chile back in June, the local airport was closed. Undeterred, we flew to the next closest airport in Neuquén then drove five hours to San Carlos de Bariloche. Apparently there were a lot of dinosaur remains found in the area, hence our roadside friend, above. Other than that, the drive was fairly uninteresting with the exception of some surprisingly tasty caprese flavored chips we bought along the way. We arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon to this view:
Not too shabby, eh?!
argentina: day one
We arrived in Buenos Aires mid-morning after a 12 hour flight. Keep in mind there is no time change, so thats how far it is from NYC. We ate lunch (octopus, jamon, papas braves and Malbec), walked down Florida street to the Plaza de Mayo and explored Puerto Madero by crossing over Santiago Calatrava's Puente de la Mujer ("Bridge of the Woman"), above. In Puerto Madero, we checked out the very trendy Faena Hotel (I'm a sucker for Philippe Stark) and ate dulce de leche gelato. Dinner at La Brigada was the beginning of my weeklong red meat stupor.
10.17.2011
argentina
There was one bummer thing that happened which is why none of these future posts will be accompanied by any of my own photos. My camera was stolen, as in literally picked out of my purse while I was wearing it, in the last hour of our last day in Buenos Aires. Jeff suggested I blog about the experience, so here I am, getting it all out, and then we can go back to regular programming. To end the vacation on this note was pretty upsetting, not just because I lost all the photos from the trip, but because I know better. I live in freaking New York City! I never once felt unsafe in Argentina and the neighborhood where this happened was a nice, high-end area - like Soho or Union Square.
More than anything, this has been a major blow to my ego. Formally, I had felt pretty smug about my street smarts and I've always been someone who has paid attention to their surroundings. I mean, part of my job is to catch errors and notice details....I hate that this happened in another city, because I immediately went to a bad place assuming I was targeted because I was a foreigner, but that's not fair. It could have easily happened in NYC or Los Angeles or San Francisco. And I'm fortunate it was my camera that was the most accessible item and not my wallet or passport.
So, here's to you, thief, for teaching me a valuable, ego-blowing lesson. I hope you enjoy my fifty-seven photos of the Los Arrayanes myrtle trees, my one hundred and six images of the Recoleta cemetery, and god knows how many pictures of steak.
-s
Casa Rosada photo from here.
10.10.2011
southern exposure
10.07.2011
10.06.2011
apple picking
10.05.2011
cheese club: to the farm
10.04.2011
from the flea: what i bought
10.03.2011
from the flea: what i saw
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