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Microcentro
A diverse hedonist’s playground. Go from thumping drum n bass to the finest café this side of Paris in just a few steps.
Images of Microcentro
Expect: Protests, shopping and some seriously good nightlife.
Pack: An argentine flag, pen and a pad (to jot down the ideas for your new novel) and a t-shirt that says "We'll swap the Falklands for Messi".
Microcentro
Marching women screaming for justice, busy bankers rushing to work, manic shoppers smacking each other with branded bags, and the sound of Carlos Gardel floating up from some hidden, underground milonga. Welcome to Microcentro; Buenos Aires' heart and hub. If you like to be in the thick of it, look no further.
A diverse hedonist's playground, just a few steps transport you from the thumping Drum n Bass of Argentina's underground paradise, Club Bahrein, to the caffeinated sophistication of Café Tortoni; the city's most famous cafe. Those seeking a bit more historical substance needn't worry either, much of the city's finest architecture is crammed into these busy streets.
Most people's introduction to the microcentro comes via a brief stroll into Plaza de Mayo. This baptism of fire will teach you in a few seconds more about Argentine history and the mentality of its people than you could garner form any guidebook. Every Thursday the 'Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo' descend on this iconic, central square. Their trembling shouts, still slippery with emotion despite the years, call out for their lost children; 'disappeared' during Argentina's dirty war from 1976-1983. Their search for answers and demand for justice has brought them back to this plaza week after week for over 30 years.
Plaza de Mayo is the country's symbolic centre and it is not just the mothers of the disappeared that protest here. Remembrance services (which also function as manifestations) against the Falklands/Malvinas War of 1983 are frequent. The belief in change and the power of protest, in the face of consistent failure and continuing injustice, remains strong in Argentina, and it is moving to see (especially for an Englishman).
But don't worry it's not all plazas, politics and protests. Get your dancing shoes on and take your pick from any number of electronic escapes, moody milongas and classy, celebrity clubs. Nights don't start till late and don't finish till the sun rises - so be prepared; take that afternoon nap and pace yourself. On more than one occasion I ended up having to take myself home by around midnight, at which time eight year old children were still eating in restaurants with their parents; not a good look.
Shoppers will also be content with Avenida Florida, Buenos Aires' main shopping street. Pedestrianised to make the shopping experience just that much more enjoyable, Florida has all the usual big names as well as a few Argentine and Latin American brands. Bargains are there to be had, but they're not as obvious as you might have hoped.
recommended books
- destinations
- Argentina
- Chile
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Iguazu Falls
- San Telmo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Santiago, Chile
- El Calafate, Patagonia
