It’s been a 4 -day weekend here in Argentina and it seems like many locals have fled to Brazil for Carnival, or elsewhere. I used this quieter time to continue to get to know the city better – walking around my area of Palermo, going to the Feria San Telmo, and sampling one of the best snacks the city has to offer. Oh, and I might have also accidentally gotten myself into a prix fixe Valentines Day dinner (for 1) without realizing it…

I’ve been walking around Palermo each day, and the endless amount of restaurants and coffee shops is unbelievable to me. Just when I think I’ve walked every inch of this barrio, I find a new pocket that I haven’t discovered yet.  I love the cobblestone streets and the fact that you can sit and have a small coffee just about anywhere, and end up staying hours.

The MALBA, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano, is in this neighborhood. Their collection is small but impressive, including a piece by Diego Rivera and one from Frida Kahlo. It’s probably too small for you to see, but I just love Diego Rivera’s signature in the bottom left corner – DMR in all caps with the number 15 (indicating the year) below it, very strong and stern, almost like a stamp. It also struck me that the painting celebrates 100 years this year – I’ve seen paintings far older than this but for some reason this really stuck out to me.

There were also some pieces that I really liked by artists I wasn’t familiar with – Rafael Barradas and Joaquin Torres-Garcia, both from Uruguay. I love the energy and style of both of these.

I took a peaceful stroll through the Japenese Gardens in Palermo, and walked into Palermo Soho to explore some of the stores. Argentina isn’t allowed to import anything, so for the most part what is sold here is made here. There of course bigger brands like Nike, etc., but otherwise everything is local. If you read my sartorial piece you know I still need to try on some platform sandals – although I don’t see myself coming home with a pair, we’ll see. There’s also a leather backpack I’m eyeing – and as some of you know my backpack full on broke on me at LAX last week, so we’ll have to see if its replacement ends up being from BA.

On Sundays the area of San Telmo, one of the oldest barrios in the city, has a big market. Antiques and other goods line the cobblestone streets, tourists come out in droves, locals bring their mate gourds, there are public asados (read: BBQs) being held, guys squeezing fresh OJ and selling empanadas, tango dancers and musicians performing.

While down there I also took a tour of El Zanjon, a 19th century home where tunnels running under the city were discovered. I don’t have any pictures, but today it is known as the city’s most important archaeological site…and yet another cool way to get a little more insight into how the city and its barrios have become what they are today. For those who are interested, San Telmo used to be where all the wealthy lived, but yellow fever caused the rich to flee to other barrios, leaving the sick and poor in what became tenements. So, San Telmo fell on hard times and still to this day while there are glimmers of this old wealth, from the outside it looks in need of restoration in many parts.

There’s no good transition out of yellow fever…but there’s nothing that could make someone feel better than some delicious Argentine Ice Cream. Not everyone thinks of ice cream when they think of Argentina -beef is probably the #1 on people’s minds – but the helado here actually tops the beef as far as my preference! So, this long weekend I took the opportunity to scream for some ice cream. I’m trying to taste different flavors from different shops all across the city…and I’m starting to really question why no one at home has opened an Argentine ice cream shop?!?! They even deliver pints here(or whatever the equivalent is)…dangerous!! The artisan ice cream is very skillfully smushed into the cone so as to maximize on the space, and the number of flavors goes way beyond 32 in most cases. Oftentimes there are 10 different types of chocolate – my favorite so far being the Chocolate Suiza, which has bits of white chocolate mixed into it. The classic Dulce de Leche is never going to be a bad choice, and Cappucino with Chocolate shavings is ranking at the top as well. I’m not kidding, why has no one brought this to the States…seeing as I’m in between jobs right now, maybe I need to start making some connections this week :).

This vacation mentality, as far as an ice cream a day goes, is starting to catch up with me… BUT I’m only here a little longer so I guess I’ll have to sacrifice myself in the name of the research!!