Foto Friday: Space in Downtown Buenos Aires
On Thursday I joined Alejandro when he went to class in the morning. While he was busy learning about advertising, I was enjoying the city on a wonderfully warm and sunny late winter day. Buenos Aires is not a city that has a lot of must see landmarks, but there is still a lot to see in this massive city that has 12,800,000 people populating its metropolitan area. There is no Taj Mahal or London Tower Bridge, what there is though is an incredible array of architectural styles, sun soaked parks, and historically significant monuments. Today’s Foto Friday brings you into two kinds of spaces in Capital Federal, the real downtown neighborhood (barrio). All these photos were taken near the Plaza San Martin.
Green Spaces
Even in the heart of this sprawling metropolis there is no shortage of parks to soak in the sun and rest your feet. Spring has yet to hit Argentina, but the humid subtropical climate keeps the place green year round.
I rested on a park bench and looked up to see these spiraling branches climbing towards the blue sky. Looking up you can almost forget you are in the midst of a bustling city. In the right moment it can feel like you are in a secluded forest, taking in the fresh air.
This picture encapsulates the diversity of spaces in Buenos Aires. To the right you have multiple architectural styles hugging the multi-lane street, and to the left a hilly park where residents and visitors are enjoying the early Spring weather. This conjunction of many worlds is one of my favorite things about Buenos Aires.
Open Spaces
Another thing Buenos Aires embraces is open space. This area is more like a square then a park. It is not an abandoned lot nor is it chalk full of monuments. There is no elaborate landscaping and there are no public art pieces punctuating the empty space. Rather, areas like this feel like a pause in the hustle of city life. You’re reminded of the blue sky, of the place you are walking, and with the bricks beneath your feet you don’t forget the city in which you are traveling.
The open spaces allow for great photo ops. While a photography teacher may tell me that I have too much empty space in the foreground of this photo, I’d have to say that the point of this picture is not to frame the perfect image but to frame the most honest one. These are the kinds of spaces that you can find in downtown Buenos Aires, empty spaces with beautiful gold streetlights and a different architectural style at every turn.
Even in the parks you can find these wide open spaces. The thing I’ve come to appreciate the most about Buenos Aires is the sky. I’ve always felt suffocated in cities because you can never see the whole sky. I miss the blue sky when I’m constantly in the shadow of towering buildings. You won’t miss the sky in Buenos Aires.
The Sky and the Flag
Argentina’s flag is one of my favorite national flags in the world, comprised of my favorite colors (sky blue and yellow) it’s center is a sun with a face. Talk about gorgeous and positive.
Here I sit where weather is in the high 80's and might rise some during this Oregon summer day and find it hard to think somewhere else is in another season!
Thank you for taking me on this morning tour of Buenos Aires. I like that you've chosen to focus on the open spaces rather than on the crowds of people who inhabit this great city. When I read the population number, it was hard to believe so many people could live in the area. But the parks and trees and sky you photographed were deep breaths of fresh air. A wonderful retreat when the &