Top 10 Buenos Aires

Typical gaucho and his horse
destination. In contrast to the
pebble-strewn sands to its north
and south, Pinamar’s shores are
soft and golden. d Map B5
( Mataderos
For visitors with no time to
visit an estancia or San Antonio
de Areco, the weekend gaucho
fair in Mataderos is an excellent
alternative. Its southwest
neighborhood was once Buenos
Aires’ meat-packing hub, but
today very few plants remain.
Instead, a weekend folk fair has
sprung up, with live folclóre
music and dancing, displays of
gaucho horse mastery, and artesanía.
d Map A4 • Calle Lisandro de la
Torre & Avda. Directorio • Fair: Apr–mid-
Dec: 11am–9pm Sun; late Jan–Mar: 1–
9pm Sat • www.feriademataderos.com.ar
) Isla Martín García
The thick vegetation on this
small delta island gives the
impression of an impenetrable
citadel. Interestingly, political
prisoners were lodged here until
the 1960s. Today, the abandoned
prison and the landscape attract
porteño daytrippers and savvy
foreigners. At Christmas time,
the island’s sole bakery works
overtime producing fruit-cake
similar to panettone (a sweet
bread from Milan). d Map A4
A Day in Montevideo
Morning
Pack a beach bag and head
for a typical breakfast of
tostadas and coffee at one
of the excellent cafés
there. City buses leave
from Avenida 18 de Julio,
the main thoroughfare at
the plaza, to Playa
Ramírez, 1 mile (2 km)
east. Set right in front of
Montevideo’s (see p95)
leafy, landscaped Parque
Rodo, the beach is favored
for its cleanliness,
proximity to Ciudad Vieja,
and its irresistable mix of
grandeur (the Neo-Colonial
Mercosur regional
trade-block offices form its
backdrop) and honky tonk.
A few amusement park
rides and chivito stands
nearby keep kids happy
and fed too. For some
shade, cross the Rambla
to Parque Rodo and rent
a bike or paddle boat
from one of the
numerous outfitters.
Evening
The streets of Ciudad
Vieja, especially the Calle
Sarandí, form a nexus of
dining and drinking. Share
an inexpensive bottle of
the local varietal, tannat,
at Baar Fun Fun (see
p99), and ask your
bartender for his favorite
restaurant in the zone. A
solid choice is El Callejón,
a tiny resto-pub with
excellent antipasti, fish,
plus live acoustic guitar
(Calle Bartólome Mitre
1386, $$). Nightclubs
begin to pump around
midnight, with the crowd
descending on KEY (Calle
25 de Mayo 745) which,
despite its commercial
name, deploys a plush
lounge, bar, and dancefloor
over three levels of a
converted 19th-century
Neo-Gothic mansion.
Beyond Buenos Aires 97