El Ateneo

I have always imagined Paradise will be a kind of library

                               -Jorge Luis Borges

I have always loved browsing through bookstores. However, its not that easy anymore in this digital age. Here in the USA, bookstores are becoming a thing of the past. While visiting Argentina, this is not the case. Bookstores are quite common and plentiful. Virtually every neighborhood in Buenos Aires has a couple of bookstores.

The Grande Dame, of bookstores in Buenos Aires is the gilded El Ateneo. This once opulent theatre sits on busy Avenida Santa Fe. El Ateno Gran Splendid has an illustrious history. Live  performances and radio broadcasts featuring Carlos Gardel were produced from this building in Barrio Norte. This grand opera house was built in 1919 during wave of European immigration and features a Vatican-esque dome ceiling mural painted by noted Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi.

The stage in the theatre is now a cafe where you can get a macchiato and a light lunch. The cushion theatre boxes are now places where you can sit and read a book. El Ateneo is an amazing bookstore and rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world. If you are visiting Buenos Aires, this is one attraction that is worth visiting.

Most books are in Spanish, but there is a wide variety of books in English and other languages. There is also a large selection of music CD's and DVD's. This bookstore is well worth a visit!

The Details:

El Ateneo Bookstorre

1860-1865 Ave Santa Fe, Barrio Norte/Recoleta neighborhood

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 7pm

Sunday 10am to 5pm

Phone/Contact Info

+54 11 4811 6104
http://www.tematika.com/

Bookstores are quite common in Buenos Aires, this Bookstore, Clasica y Moderna features a restaurant and jazz club with live entertainment....

Side trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina

With the B&B closed for the winter, November is when we start to travel! I decided to visit my good friend Jay in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Jay usually rents a condo in Buenos Aires for a month or two. This year he rented a condo on Ave Santa Fe in Barrio Norte, which is close to the Recoleta neighborhood.







The Condo was modern and located on the 11th floor. Here is a view at night from the balcony.
Avenida de Santa Fe is one of the busiests streets in Buenos Aires. Its five lanes of traffic and a busy commercial district. Ave Santa Fe has numerous restaurants, bars, cafe's and stores!

November is late spring and the Jacaranda trees were in full bloom.

Eating in Buenos Aires is quite a  gastronomical  experience. The country is blessed with an abundance of food. Beef rules, with pasta also reining. Fifty percent of Argentina claims Italian ancestry; so Italian food is quite common and good. Breakfast is light, usually an espresso and a "medialuna" ( croissant).
This dish of ravioli and calamari is my lunch!  Wine is cheaper than bottled bottle water!

"Merienda" is between 5 and 6 o'clock. Strong espresso served with a light snack or cookie is what the "Porteños" enjoy. Virtually all cafe's and fast food places serve a snack with coffee.
Dinner is always after 10pm ( and midnight on weekends!).  Most restaurants do not open till 8pm. The days are long in Buenos Aires and the nights are longer!

Eating "Fugazza" pizza at midnight with soda water from the old syphons...Life is good in Buenos Aires!



Blogger/Innkeeper Greg & Jay enjoy late night Pizza