| Its
days of glory as the heart of Buenos Aires’ nightlife have gone, but Corrientes
still holds a special place in the hearts of many porteńos. For years,
cafés such as La Paz (recently disastrously remodelled as a
"pizza-café") and the austere La Giralda have been the
favoured meeting places of left-wing intellectuals and bohemians. The
avenue is still the home to many of the city’s bookstores (including the
very swish Gandhi at no. 1743) and the Teatro General San Martín
at 1530 which also has free exhibitions and shares the building with the Centro
Cultural San Martín. Dotted amongst the bookstores and cafés are
many of the city’s most famous pizzerias. Zival’s at the corner
of Corrientes and Callao is a good place to buy tango records - ask the
advice of the knowledgeable staff. |
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| 9
de Julio and the Obelisco |
| With
its neon signs, swirling traffic and the strangely anonymous Obelisco (built
in 1936), the intersection of Corrientes and 9 de Julio could have been
created by a film director to represent a city anywhere in the world. Yet
thanks to the iconic status conferred on this junction by the city’s postcards,
it has become one of Buenos Aires’ most recognizable sights. Its giant
scale and strategic location also make it a natural magnet for carloads of
celebrating fans after a major football victory. |
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