When I started writing a free PDF guide of the most attractive domes in Buenos Aires —sometime back in 2007— daily walks throughout the city made one thing obvious: corners (esquinas) offer the very best views.
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Moving to Patagonia had been in the air for a long time but became reality in 2013. With one of few airports in the south, I could make it to Europe for work without too much fuss. Plus I’d already spent a lot of time in Esquel, so I knew what to expect. Although I had doubts about living in such a small city —population around 46,000 people— I dreamt of summers that weren’t insanely hot & humid, seeing the occasional snowfall each winter & having a view of the foothills of the Andes. A lower cost of living proved to be another benefit, as did a break from all the politics of Buenos Aires. Let’s head down to -43º latitude!
Read More »personal: places lived 10
Back in BA, some big decisions had to be made. What neighborhood to live in? Would I have much work in Europe? How do I pick an apartment when my income was anything but certain? The global tourism decline of 2009 had everyone in the industry second-guessing, including me. I toyed with the idea of producing my Buenos Aires guides as quickly as possible then moving to Lisbon, but that would be expensive. Luckily with the help of friends, I weathered the storm.
Read More »personal: places lived 9
What’s new, Buenos Aires? That would be me! I’d spent a month earlier in the year getting to know the city & other places in the region as well. I’m still not sure what went through my head: selling most of my possessions, storing a few boxes in Laura & Dan’s garage, getting a new job with Rick Steves in Europe & flying half-way across the world with only four suitcases. But my experience in Cádiz gave me confidence that an international move is possible, even though sacrifices have to be made. After a fitful start, I not only fell in love with Buenos Aires but became obsessed about exploring the city.
Read More »personal: places lived 7
Back to Buenos Aires! Well, not literally… but I’ve neglected to place in this blog one very popular series of posts from the past. From 2007 to be exact. Back in the day when my only internet presence was line of sight, I wrote one of the most widely read English-language blogs about Buenos Aires. At the same time as I researched early housing projects in the city, I also began looking up & paying attention. I saw more domes than I’d ever noticed before, regardless of where those rambling walks took me.
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In 2013, the following article appeared as a two-page spread in the Autumn/Winter edition of Time Out: Buenos Aires. When the editor first contacted me to write about BA architecture, the only thing that ran through my mind was “1400 words?!” Somehow I managed to fit history, architectural styles, recommendations & current events in that limited space. They had to remove a couple of my listings to make the article fit, but I’ve put them back in this post.
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I can’t lie… I’m proud of this series of posts written in 2007 & 2008. While only the years from 1910 to 1950 are covered, researching & photographing housing projects in Buenos Aires became a passion. La Teja compiled more information in 2010, & I’m thrilled that they included projects up to the present. But I’m content with being first and making this info available in English 😉
Read More »housing for the masses: master list
I may be too young to have fond memories of the newsreel, but I certainly remember many of the World War II Warner Brothers cartoons that ran during the newsreel’s heyday. Those short clips from around the world defined the first half of the 20th century by showing audiences what radio could not. Then along came television, & the newsreel slipped into oblivion.
Read More »argentina: british pathé
First off, a disclaimer. I probably should have read this book in Spanish. I loved “Don Segundo Sombra” & “Radiografía de la Pampa” in their original versions, but after struggling with gaucho terminology & words that most Argentines today would not recognize, I decided to see if there was an English translation available. Not only did Amazon have it, but everyone raved about the translation. And it was annotated!! “A Visit to the Ranquel Indians” has been waiting patiently on the bookshelf since January…
Read More »argentine literature: una excursión a los indios ranqueles