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$ Hotel Castelar<br />
Its name flows elegantly<br />
across its awning, an emblem<br />
of the Avenida’s bygone elegance.<br />
The Castelar (above),<br />
which opened in 1929,<br />
lodged the Spanish novelist<br />
Federico García Lorca.<br />
*<br />
Teatro Avenida<br />
The Teatro Avenida<br />
(right) was founded in<br />
1908 to promote the<br />
Spanish light opera<br />
tradition of the zarzuela.<br />
Following a fire in 1979,<br />
it was restored to its old<br />
splendor and reopened<br />
in 1994.<br />
( Edificio Drabble<br />
The 1893 Edificio<br />
Drabble once housed the<br />
upscale hotel Chacabuco<br />
Mansions. Today, its<br />
crumbling balconies and<br />
Mansard roof are<br />
reminders of the city’s<br />
temperamental fortunes.<br />
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% Café Tortoni<br />
The Tortoni (right) offers tango, coffee, and<br />
conversation. It is the city’s oldest café, having<br />
opened in 1858, and<br />
is intrinsic to any<br />
discussion of the<br />
city’s lore (see p26).<br />
) Casa de la Cultura<br />
Casa de la Cultura,<br />
former home of the<br />
newspaper La Prensa,<br />
is pure Neo-Baroque.<br />
The culture ministry desk<br />
inside offers a program<br />
of the cultural events in<br />
the city.<br />
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Café Los 36 ^ Billares<br />
36 Billares (center) is an<br />
1894 dandy, sporting a<br />
Movado clock, rich wood<br />
paneling, and a billiards<br />
hall, thick with smoke<br />
and ambience. It offers<br />
great coffee, tango<br />
shows, and lessons.<br />
Palacio Vera & In this Avenida<br />
building’s lobby, visitors<br />
can gawk at the sixthstory<br />
glass vitreaux and<br />
delicate molding. El Túnel<br />
and El Ventanal are two<br />
of the most evocative vintage<br />
bookstores in town.<br />
New Avenue,<br />
New Attitude<br />
Avenida de Mayo was<br />
<strong>Buenos</strong> <strong>Aires</strong>’ first fully<br />
planned boulevard, a<br />
project whose scale and<br />
expense had never<br />
before been imagined<br />
on the continent.<br />
Torcuato de Alvear (see<br />
p59) referenced Paris’<br />
Belle Époque-spawned<br />
urban planning in the<br />
1880s, but by the time<br />
architects started<br />
building, Art Nouveau<br />
was the rage, resulting<br />
in the present structure.<br />
Non-guests can take advantage of Hotel Castelar’s renowned day<br />
spa (open <strong>10</strong>am–9pm Mon–Fri, 8am–8pm Sat–Sun).<br />
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<strong>Buenos</strong> <strong>Aires</strong>’ <strong>Top</strong> <strong>10</strong> 15
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