As an organization that sends thousands of students abroad each year, CEA has captured a list of local secrets - a collection of discoveries from our students, resident staff, as well as other locals - that make this city unique. We hope you will find the information helpful and, at the every least, an interesting read.
Palermo's Park: Parques de Palermo
Catch some outdoor goodness in the middle of the city at Palermo Lakes located
between Avenidas Sarmiento, Del Libertador and Figueroa Alcorta. Weekends offer
sports, music, and rental boats. Locals love to job, bike, and picnic here.
Feria de Mataderos
This traditional year-long folklore festival/fair is located across
from the cattle market, Mercado de Hacienda, and brings a little countryside to
the city. Here you can buy everything from traditional crafts made of silver,
wood, textiles, and ceramics to regional food like empanadas, tamales, tortas
fritas (a sweet fried pastry), alfajores, and mate cocido (a local infusion).
You can also enjoy the small music and dance festival and skilled
demonstrations of horsemanship. Don’t forget to try your luck at a game of
sapo, which involves climbing a lathered pole. Admission is free.
The Tango
T-a-n-g-ooooo. Step-step-step-step-slide. When first learning tango
students, often learn to spell as they dance. With every note
the foot moves. It could never be danced alone; the woman beguiling, the man
protecting and supporting. It is a dance of skill, beauty, and as everyone
knows, seduction. The history of the tango is difficult to trace exactly, but
it is agreed that its true birth occurred in the 1880's in the city of Buenos
Aires among the poor working class - immigrants from the world over. Over time
it grew from music and dance into songs and bands. Full of passion and deeper
meaning than words can express, the tango was and still remains the center of a
culture all its own. An outsider once observed that the "tango is something
else than a soft wave turned into music, it is the deepest dance in the world."
Calle Florida (Florida Street): Shopper's delight
This pedestrian street is lined with shops of all sorts, street vendors,
musicians, and even tango dancers. Located in the city center, it runs from
Plaza San Martin up past Av. Corrientes. The Galerias Pacífico mall is one of
hottest shopping landmarks along this stretch.
Street-Side Cafés
Porteños love to socialize, and the best place to do it is in one of the many
street-side cafés of Buenos Aires. Dulce de leche and ‘cup of joe’ are perfect
any time of day and give you the perfect opportunity to chat with the locals.
