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The Ever-Changing B.A.
The ghostly and elegant Recoleta Cemetery, top, is lined with ornate mausoleums. Above, downtown Buenos Aires. TOP PHOTO CREDIT: Hilary Larson by Hilary Larson What’s new, Buenos Aires? With apologies to “Evita,” a whole lot of things are new in B.A., the cosmopolitan capital of the Southern Cone. La Casa Rosada, where Eva Perón famously stood on the balcony to hail her descamisado masses, is pinker than ever. The sprawling, 26-lane Avenida 9 de Julio — Buenos Aires’ Broadway — is grander than ever, repaved and dolled up with plantings. All over town, fin-de-siecle edifices are sparkling like it’s 1900, thanks to citywide sprucing-up to celebrate the city’s 200th anniversary. Like all truly cosmopolitan, international cities, Buenos Aires is constantly in flux. Today’s Argentine capital — a vast South American metropolis, home to one-third of the country’s population — is more multicultural than a 
And it will cost different too: Famous for bargain-basement prices in the wake of the 2001 economic crisis, when the peso was devalued to one-third of the dollar, Argentina is not as cheap today. Tourist amenities — hotels especially — are pricier, as are the trendy new restaurants that have sprouted in the glamorous Palermo nightlife district. Yet Buenos Aires is still a far better deal than many overseas destinations. Expanded flights from New York mean that today you can fly for three figures instead of four, with roundtrip flights in March available for less than $900. And with more flights into nearby Montevideo, Uruguay, travelers increasingly have options. Buenos Aires remains the Jewish capital of Latin America, boasting a quarter-million-strong community with roots in both the Sephardic and Ashkenazic worlds. A visitor seeking a Jewish itinerary will find much to explore here, but will need to do some careful planning. Security has been tight at Jewish venues ever since the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center; despite the overall gentility of Porteños, as locals are known, I personally find that casual anti-Semitism is more evident in Argentina than anywhere in Europe or North America. That said, scheduling a visit to one or more of B.A.’s historic synagogues is worth the effort. The “Libertad” Synagogue, so-called because of its downtown location on Libertad Street, is the oldest and grandest of them all. Built in 1932, it houses a small museum with vintage photographs and artifacts. Yesod Hadat, which dates to the 1930s, is a Sephardic temple on Lavalle Street that was founded by a community of Jewish immigrants from Aleppo, Syria — a reminder of just how diverse this city is. The Museo del Holocausto (Holocaust Museum), also referred to as the Museo de la Shoá, is a short stroll away on Montevideo Street. This is one of the best-organized museums on the continent, with permanent galleries focusing on the Shoah, Jewish history and the Argentine community. A current exhibit is “One Thousand Years of Jews in Poland,” which traces the sad and glorious history of Jewish life in the shtetl, the flourishing of Yiddish culture, artistic expression, Talmudic development and more. Of course, Jewish Buenos Aires has always been about more than temples and monuments. The Once and Abasto districts are the traditional Jewish neighborhoods, and you can still find kosher cafes, Judaica shops and Jewish newspapers on streets like Corrientes and San Luis. From the turn of the 20th century through World War II, Buenos Aires was a worldwide mecca for Yiddish theater. That history lingers at the IFT (for Idisher Folks Teater), founded as a Yiddish theater in the 1930s, and currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. Most of its shows are now in Spanish, but the building itself is historic and a visit there is worthwhile. Boedo is the name of a famous tango, lilting and faintly melancholy, the kind of tune that tugs your heartstrings and whispers nostalgia. In the 19th century, it was a teeming immigrant barrio, where Italians and Spaniards peddled their wares, anarchists plotted in smoky cafes and women of ill repute inflamed a social debate over unhygienic populations. After lapsing into decay, Boedo has lately attracted a new generation of bohemians who have rediscovered its vintage charm; like the more gentrified hipster district San Telmo, it is experiencing a delightful renaissance. Avenida Boedo, the area’s commercial thoroughfare, is home to galleries, cafes, tango halls and some lovely historic buildings. For shopping, though, head to Palermo and Recoleta, two of the poshest barrios in the city’s center. Here you’ll find swanky Italian restaurants (empty before 11 p.m.), the best selection of leather goods anywhere, and — especially in Palermo — an energetic street life that’s ideal for an evening out. If you’ve never been to Buenos Aires, make sure you leave time for the Recoleta Cemetery, surely one of the most singular and memorable sites in Latin America. At once ghostly and elegant, the cemetery feels like a miniature city: endless alleyways are lined with ornate mausoleums that resemble castles, and virtually all of Argentina’s dead celebrities — Eva Perón is the most popular — have their final resting places here. A visit is worth an entire afternoon, and the streets nearby are ideal for strolling and snacking on the local specialty, dulce de leche ice cream. Buenos Aires may be known as the Paris of South America. But the sheer scale of the place, the wondrous weirdness of a place like Recoleta Cemetery and the melancholy romance that pervades this city, are all reminders that B.A. — like Evita herself — is a singular sensation. Travelers’ Resources: IFT Theater: www.teatroift.org.ar Museo del Holocausto: www.fmh.org.ar
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