Hustle and Bustle

After my first trip to NYC I decided that at some point in my life I wanted to live the city life, even if only temporarily. It seemed so cool to be in the heart of everything, with so much to do all around you. Well, I guess this month or so in Buenos Aires will allow me to check that off of my list of to-do's. Our apartment in Congresso qualifies us as living in downtown Buenos Aires. Over 3 million people live in the city of Buenos Aires and about 14 million people in the grander Buenos Aires. I can leave the apartment and walk two or three blocks in ANY direction and be sure to find a number of stores selling speakers, radios, sinks, outdoor equipment, bags, purses, suitcases, clothing, glasses, office supplies, movies, blenders, magazines, newspapers, books, flowers, cell phones/accesories, lamps, light bulbs, antiques, TV's, furniture, sporting goods, guitars, artwork, and pretty much anything else you can think of. On top of that there will be many restaurantes, a few food stands selling fresh fruit, veggies, and empanadas (so good... basically dough wrapped around meat and/or cheese and fried), laundry mats, travel agencies, internet cafes, banks, drug stores, pastry shops with freshly baked medialunas (another big YUM... a croissant brushed in sweetness), and the list just keeps on going. It's amazing. Everything anybody could possibly need can be found by walking a few blocks. Except, and this is a big except, the one thing that I am craving so much lately.... Pretzels. Where are the pretzels? Mmmm, what I wouldn't give now for some....

As soon as you step foot out of the apartment building you are sure to notice the chaos of the city. Busy, busy, busy! Cars everywhere, horns tooting like crazy, lots of chatter, people everywhere, and not an open space in site.


We are lucky to have one of the few parks in downtown not too far from our apartment, just a few blocks away. One lap around Congresso park is about 1/2 mile, but even there people are everwhere and venders are selling food, corn to feed the birds, handheld windmills, and lots of other random things.






It can be difficult to find a place to sit in the park, and while running or walking around the perimeter you must be careful and watch for cars on the roads cutting through the park. It is quite amusing while at the park to admire the dog walkers. Because housing is all found on top of the stores, apartments do not have yards. Therefore, dogs must be walked in order for them to do their business. Aparently what you do is hire a dog walker who comes to your home in the middle of the day and walks your dog, along with about 14 others, to the park. It's quite the site to see. One person walking 15 (big, Kahlua size) dogs.


Then they get to the park and tie up all the dog leashes onto one fence post. Another dog walker is 25 feet away with their 15 dogs tied to another post. All of the dogs are confined to the foot they have on their leashes, and they are all just barking at each other. So as AA and I run laps around the park (being careful to avoid the doggie do-do everywhere), the barking/tied up dogs amuse us and keep us giggling. At least the dogs get to be outside, right?

The ironic thing is that this commotion exists mainly during the weekdays, Monday - Friday. On Saturday or Sunday almost all the shops are closed and people are not out. There are many people at the parks, but not many people out on the streets going about. It's somewhat backwards from the states in that regard. We find comfort on a Saturday morning leaving our apartment and actually walking IN THE street (gasp) without being run over by a car or being yelled at by a person or honked at by a taxi driver. That would be impossible during the week. I have to say that I have enjoyed living here in the hustle and bustle. It's been new, fun, convenient, eye-opening, and exciting. I'm not sure that I'm ready to make the move to a big city yet - for one I could do without the constant inhalation of fumes - however I am happy to be experiencing it.
Jen



9 de julio - the world's widest street!