bueno aires: museum of latin american art - aft arquitectos

santiago: universidad de chile, faculty of mathematics - alejandro aravena

there is a crazy church called Tempio del Maipu in the outskirts of Santiago. Not by a famos architect nor an incredible piece of architecture, but one of those examples where architecture was created and used as a tool to create a space / impression / scenography that is greater than the the building itself. it is a concrete building that was created for pope's visit and they tried to make it as big as they could - it is pretty impressive alltogether.
and the trip from the center takes you though some pretty impressive poor neighborhoods, so it is almost already worth the visit.

enjoy yourself!

It is a good trip and interesting to compare/contrast Santiagao and B.A.. I went to those two cities + Valporaiso, Rosario, La Plata, Colonia and Montevideo, Urugauy.

Santiago- I highly recomend:

- The School of Architecture Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
- Faculty of Mathematics Universidad de Chile, Aravena
- Medical School, Universidad Católica, Aravena

I thought the food, night life, neighborhoods were really average in Santiago. It was raining for much of our time there and it was our first stop in S.A., so that could be why.


Buenos Aires- I highly recomend:

- Casa Curutchet, La Plata (45 minutes south of B.A.), Corbusier
- Puerto Madero, neighborhood with nice historic renovations
- San Telmo, neighborhood much more authentic and local than La Boca
- Soccer/Futbol game, they're really cheap and crazy

The food in B.A. is amazing and cheap- I actually liked all of the 24 hr. franchise type pizza and empanada places (ex: La Continental, La Americana), these are always packed, filed with locals and have good food- they're dotted all over the central area. Palermo has a lot of higher quality/stylish resturants, cafes, bars, clubs- still fairly cheap also.

These suggestions are excellent! There is also an old thread with additional info on B.A. which is very helpful, too.

I'm curiously whether any of you got mugged during your time down there.

I'm getting super excited. Did ya'll fly LAN airlines?

My 2 favorite restaurants in BA:

Olsen (designed by a friend)
5870 Gorriti

and

Bio
Humboldt 2199

They both rule.

Also, don't miss the biblioteca nacional. its another clorindo testa building (like the banco de londres) and it rules. Its also close to the Ricoleta cemetery which is absolutely spectacular. The San Telmo srt museum is good too. And as someone already said, MALBA is top notch. Also, the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos is worth a visit for the bookstore alone.

Lets see, oh, and El Milion is a great bar.

BA rules.

-andrew

no mugging- i felt safe- a little anit-US heckling

I flew LAN from Chile to BA

Just say your from Canada, thats what I do.

-andrew

I like Canadian beer; so Canadian I shall be!

b.d.F: What airline did you flew to/from the states (I'm assuming you came from the U.S)? I'm looking for the cheapest way to get there/back -- which I'm sure is no surprise. Any website suggestions for South American travel?

All: your suggestions are great. I'm loving this.

Also, I have to admit... I work for a South American rooted firm so I need to inquire to my boss, as well. Just thought I'd save him for last since his budget is not what mine will be: which is tight. Although, if he's in a good mood I guess it could mean an awesome hook-up in BA. Hmm. Might should e-mail him over the weekend.

Si si. Archinectors, you rock.

bfunk

I flew Delta from Atlanta > Santiago; BA > Atlanta
and LAN from Sant. > BA

It was through school so I'm not sure what the exact airline cost was. I'm sure our school pocketed a little of the money we thought would go to airfare. Same with our hotels, we paid way too much in BA, but we did stay at a really nice, 'international' hotel that didn't follow the currency rate or economic condition of Argentina like the restuarants. A really nice dinner/wine was around $7- you could get a reasonable lunch for $2-3.

buenos aires is a lot more interesting than santiago...
i had a lot more fun with the argentianians than the chileans. hey have a chip on their shoulder bout something

holz.box.
Maybe there was something bad in the chili that didn't sit right with them. Bad bad joke, I know. I try though.

b.d.F.
Did you go to GA Tech? I'm looking at their computation/composition/construction masters program w chuck eastman et al. this is a discussion for ANOTHER thread, but i'd be interested to know your thoughts if you're a GA Tech grad.

In any event, thanks for your advice/info.

No, I went to Ball State undergrad (arch) and I'm going to University of Michigan to get my master's. The trip was through Ball State.- I could see the confusion- we first went from Indianapolis > Atlanta. Haha

Coincidently, my co worker, is going to attend GaTech


No prob for the advice. We went with a professor who once lived in San Telmo. She had a lot of conections with the big architects down there- Aravana, Iglesia, Spina...- It was cool because we got to meet and talk to them. I liked Rafeal Iglesia (Rosairo).

Also on the Universidad Católico de Chile main campus, Siamese Towers, Aravena, taxi fares in BA are also dirt cheap, 10 pesos cross town

Fly LAN if you can...There are only two choices internally...I know that Aerolinas Argentinas charges a 200%+ Tax to foreigners...LAN seemed to be about 20%. This became apparent when my wife,who is argentinian, received a much better rate than I did...US rate)

recoletta cometary is a must. Some parilla in San Telmo or la boca is also good. Don't worry about muggings unless it is late and you are on the la boca side of san telmo...which is unlikely...stay aware and you will be fine...Olsen is good food, though a bit over priced. There is great thai right around the block, I will try and find the name for you.

walk a lot. BA is great for walking and anytime you want you can grab a cab or hit the subway...transportation is generally a breeze.



My Argentina images

I stayed at Solar Soler in Polermo while in BA and would recommend it...good staff and plenty of great restaurants, like Olsen, right around the corner.

enjoy.

thanks guys. i never dreamt i'd get so much amazing feedback. i'll post pics/sketches upon my return!

jasoncross: your pics are beautifully subtle. and you look very kind. keep it up!

b.d.F: have a fabulous time at U of Mich. Everyone raves about Ann Arbor; it must be a very special place. good luck and thanks.

Thanks bfunk, I hope you have a wonderful time.

Be sure and indulge on the local Malbec wines and some Mate, too.

Oh I'm so jealous! I visited Argentina last year and LOVED it! I would definitely reccomend Recoleta Cemetary (as some others have already mentioned). It's so amazing inside.....some of the mausoleums are like mini-castles and the angel sculptures are beautiful. Make sure you check out Freddo, they have awesome gelato!

It's a shame you won't be visiting Bariloche.......I had some of the best chocolate (Mamushka's) and steak in the world!

Definitely go to Recoleta Cemetary...not to be missed, IMHO.

Palermo Soho was my favorite neighborhood in BA. nice to just walk around and check out.

hope that you aren't a vegetarian because the steak is amazing there.


Enjoy