Final Morning of NYU Conference, Exploring La Boca Neighborhood, Visiting MALBA and Dinner at Palermo

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Buenos Aires 

Final Morning of NYU Conference, Exploring La Boca Neighborhood, Visiting MALBA and Dinner at Palermo

Buenos Dias from Buenos Aires!

It is amazing how quickly time passes when you are having fun!Llew and I can barely believe that we have been together for over a week and have gone past the mid-way point of our travels. All the more reason why we should make the most of every waking second together.

We were up at 8.00 am and while I blogged, Llew had a bit more of a shut-eye. When he awoke, we showered and dressed and got down to breakfast in the hotel lobby. We are basically eating the excellent black muesli there with vanilla yoghurt and milk and ending with good decaf Americanos. Breakfast is a great time to chat with my colleagues and talk to them about the work I have been doing in Bombay and what I hope to accomplish when I return to New York.

Final Sessions of our Conference:

The final sessions of our conference were basically a wrap-up: a way of talking about take-away from our lectures and discussions and a way of trying to find out how we could incorporate some of what we have learned in our classes and in our interaction with our students. Following remarks by Julie and Molly, the group discussion began with a leader at each table taking notes and then speaking to the rest of the group about the positive and negative elements of our interaction. Almost every one felt that the combination of introductory lecture followed by excursion to a related venue was very effective. I had done this frequently while teaching in London. For example, I remember introducing my students to the work of John Constable, the artist who painted the Stour Valley in England. We started off by going to the Victoria and Albert Museum to study his countless sketchbooks—which was where he would scribble in the barest of sketches. Later, these sketches would become the actual finished paintings themselves and we saw so many of these in the National Gallery. Finally, to round off what he had painted, I took my students on an excursion to Dedham which is the base for a tour of Constable Country. We had walked for two miles along the banks of the Stour Valley and arrived, finally, at Flatford Mill, where his father worked and which he knew really well. He made it the best-known structure of his work which features in his best-known painting, The Haywain. In fact, I was able to literally place myself in the painting which was a lot of fun!

  The sessions finished exactly at 12 noon and we were free to leave. As Julie was leaving immediately for New York, I did say Goodbye and Thank you to her for giving me the opportunity to travel from Bombay to Buenos Aires and then go back to Bombay! So many of my New York and internationally-based colleagues saw this as a very special gift that Liberal Studies had given us on this, our tenth anniversary of the Global Liberal Studies program. How very blessed I felt that not only was I able to travel to a country that I did not dream I would get to, but that Llew was able to join me too and that we were able to have such a lovely holiday that included Brazil—a country that he too did not think he would travel to any time soon. It is amazing to me, as my Fulbright year comes to a close, how many fantastic unexpected opportunities I was offered and how beautifully things coalesced to give me this exciting year and very unusual professional opportunities.

Exploring La Boca:

Llew was waiting for me in the lobby of the hotel when I was done, but I returned to our room so that I could change into more practical walking shoes. Once that was done, we walked down Ave Las Heras to try to find the bus (152) that would take us from Ave. Santa Fe to the last stop in the area that is known as La Boca. Llew went there yesterday with David Crout from London as the two of them kept each other company. He explained to me that this was the edgier side of town—the heart of Argentinian futbol. It is the area in which the famous stadium known as Le Bombanera (The Chocolate Box) is to be found and where Argentina’s most famous football team, the Boca Juniors, have their base.

I bought a Roquefort and ham empanada en route to the bus stop as I suddenly felt hungry and then, once we identified the bus-stop, we got on and headed in the right direction to get to the last stop.

This lovely long bus-ride took us through the most important segments of the city from the Plaza de Independencia to the back of the Plaza de Mayo (so that we saw the Casa Rosada from another interesting perspective) and on to the eastern end of the city where the demographics changed dramatically. Here, we were far from the visible affluence of Recolleta where our hotel is located and where every building and every shop made it hard for us to believe that we were not in Europe. Here, in La Boca, the grittier side of  the city is clearly evident. Houses get much more modest, buildings get shorter and shabby, shops are bodegas or speakeasies and the people inhabiting this area are very different from the wealthy white Europeans (descendants of the original Spanish settlers) that we have been seeing in the center of the city. Here, on the outskirts, we were close to the port area of the city and upon reaching the last stop, we were actually on the banks of a dirty river over which the gigantic iron-framed Transporter Bridge has been constructed. 

The Colorful Aspects of La Boca:

Long before you actually reach the street known as El Caminito, you begin to pass by walls that are painted in bright colors and murals that speak of revolt and protest. We followed the crowds, for, being a Saturday and a holiday, there were both locals and tourists making a bee-line for the street that is very reminiscent of Camden Lock and Camden Market in London. It is a very hip area that has been taken over by artists—indeed there is probably an artists’ colony of sorts here. This is El Caminitio, a street that hosts a flea market at the weekends. We did buy our own stock of souvenirs (hollowed gourds that are fashioned into Christmas ornaments), crayons made from the bark of trees, etc. We were also able to find a souvenir store that sold the Maduro Cookies that we were happy to take home for family members: they are cake-like cookies sandwiched with dulche de leche and then covered in dark chocolate. Armed with all these buys, we took in the color and the excitement of the street as buyers bargained, pavement-cafes offered local dishes (undoubtedly tourist traps) and our camera clicked in order to capture the large-sized mannequins that were placed on the balconies of the first floor of each squat building. We recognized Maradonna and Lionel Messi and, of course, Pope Francis, who is Buenos Aires’ own son. 

It was while we were tracing our way back to the bus stop that we ran into my colleague Nancy and her daughter Ariana who were almost following our tour plan for the day. We directed them to the shop from which we had bought our souvenirs and cookies and then said goodbye. It was not long before we found our bus-stop for the 152 bus—although we walked a whole stop forward to try to find it (only to discover that bus numbers are not necessarily marked at each stop). Still... we enjoyed our morning’s exploration. Needless to say, the weather was just perfect as the crispness of a fall day was gilded by the benign warmth of the sun.

Off to MALBA...but first, Retiro Station:

It was while seated in the bus that we tried to figure out what bus we should take to get to our next port of call: MALBA (the Museum of Latino-American Art in Buenos Aires). However, because most of the famous museums are located far away from the metro lines, buses are the best best. We read the map and figured out that alighting by Retiro Station would make best sense as it would present us with an array of buses that would allow us to take our journey forward. 

Accordingly, we jumped off the bus and since we saw signs advertising fast food places, we thought we would nip into one of them to get a bite for lunch. And so, wily-nily, we found ourselves at Retiro Station which is the station for long-distance travel anywhere in Argentina from the capital. 

Like all 19th century railway station buildings that were designed to show off the new travel technology of the era, this one reminded us very much of Union Station in Washington DC or Grand Central Station in New York or the Central Station in Milan. It is huge, has a soaring ceiling, is heavily decorated with classical motifs such as wreaths, and visualized with a Baroque solidity that made it very appealing. 

We were able to find a homely pizzeria where we had pizza for the first time in Argentina.We chose the pizza Margarita and the pizza with ham and cheese and washed it down with diet cokes. This gave us a chance to rest our legs and prevent us from being overtaken by fatigue as we still had the Museum in which we intended to spend a while.

Our lunch done, Llew realized that we needed to put in some more money into our Subte travel cards. I told him that to do so, we would first need to find the intersecting metro line (which, when I looked at the map, I discovered was the C line). We took the stairs leading to the basement, found the ticket window where we were able to top up our travel cards and then made our way to the surface again.

It took us a while to figure out the bus we would need to get to MALBA and were almost headed in the wrong direction, due to wrong instructions given by a passer-by, when the driver of one of the buses gave us precise information. We found the bus stop and the bus and then sailed down Ave de la Libertador to arrive at MALBA in about ten minutes.

Exploring MALBA:

MALBA or the Museum of Latin-American Art of Buenos Aires is considered one of the great collections of the city. One of the excursions organized as part of our NYU conference was to this venue following a lecture given by an art historian attached to NYU at Buenos Aires. However, as I had signed up to attend the talk on Domingo Sarmiento followed by an excursion to the Tigre Delta to see his house, I was unable to take the museum tour. Hence, Llew and I decided to cover this space on our own. I was pretty certain that we would find here a lot of work by Diego Rivera and Freida Kahlo—but I was mistaken.

At any rate, we bought our tickets (we got discounts with my Met Museum ID card) and started our exploration of the space. We discovered that the museum was set up to house a great bequest that was made to the city by an Argentinian millionaire called Eduardo Constantin who had collected find examples of Latin-American art. He gave the city a total of 223 canvases that represented some of the most significant paintings of the era. In order to house and exhibit these works, MALBA was specially designed and constructed. Indeed, it is a beautiful modern building constructed with a lot of natural light entering it, in tiers which are accessed by elevators. The collection was added to and now numbers 600 canvasses that are housed on the first floor. The second floor is given exclusively to photography.

Among the great works we saw was a canvas called Revolution, a striking white sculpture by Molly Martin called The Impossible (scissor-like hands of two individuals reach out across an impregnable divide), two large canvases by Diego Rivera (one that depicted a local festival) and just one stunning self-portrait by Frieda Kahlo with Monkey and Parrot. There were also a great number of works by Xul Solar and the iconic and much-reproduced black and white portrait of Che Guevara by Claudio Tozzi. There were also paintings by some of the more recognizable names associated with Abstract Art such as Picasso, Leger, Kandinsky and Klee. We found that although we did not know the names of many of the most important Argentinian and Latin-American artists, their works exhibit exuberant bursts of vivid color that are greatly influenced by the Picassan styles of Cubism and Fauvism. There were also sections in which the artistic and sculptural installations got really wacky as they used multiple media and electric effects to keep the work moving and changing in kinetic fashion.

We took a quick round of the upper floor and then decided to find our way home. It was about 4. 45 pm by then and we had spent a very good afternoon ticking off items on our To-Do List with a vengeance. The thought of getting back to out hotel for a rest and a possible nap was very enticing indeed.

And so, we walked two short blocks along Ave. St. Martin de Tours and arrived at Ave Las Heras from where we took a bus in which we sailed east across the city to our hotel. Back in our rooms, we checked email and curled up for a nap as Llew switched on the TV and watched the finals of the UEFA Football match in which the Spurs were beaten by Liverpool to much jubilation from the fans in Madrid where the match was being played and in the UK from where the two competing teams hail. Llew then switched on to the cricket as the World Cup matches have begun and he is as involved with them as Dad and Russel are in Bombay. I enjoyed my 20 minute power nap after which I decided to take a shower and get ready for our last evening on the town. I called the room of my friend Tim and discovered that he was ready to join us for dinner and we decided to go just around the corner from our hotel.

Dinner in Madagascar in Palermo:

From everything I had been reading in our guide books, the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires is the most happening when it comes to night life. All the nicest bars, clubs and restaurants seem to be here and I was really keen to explore this area. It was while we were in the hotel lobby waiting for Tim that we bumped into my colleagues Heidi and Mike who were trying to make a reservation in a steak house in Palermo. I asked if we could join them and they were only too happy to have us with them. And so, when Tim came down to the lobby, we decided that the five of us would take two cabs and get to Palermo.  

The hotel staff were kind enough to find us taxis and tell the drivers where to take us. 

Whizzing through the city of Buenos Aires by road is a thrilling thing. The center of the city is so beautiful and so well-planned that it is a pleasure to drive through it. After a good long ride, more than 20 minutes long, we arrived at the venue—a vast place that was covered with white tents in each of which was a vendor selling wares as part of a flea market. The entire plaza was encircled by restaurants, pubs, clubs, bars shops, etc. The lighting was terrific and since it was a Saturday night, the place was simply buzzing. 

Once we alighted, we took in the tourist energy and excitement of Palermo and realized why it is the most crowded venue on weekend evenings. I was delighted to find a necklace that immediately caught my eye—the pendant was a crystal circle on a long silver chain (which is very much in at the moment). It cost me just $6 and, of course, I could pass up on such a gem at that price. This will be my little souvenir of Buenos Aires. 

We eventually chose a Parilla (steak house) called Madagascar and the five of us were settled upstairs in a quieter corner. We decided to get drinks (Malbec for Llew and Heidi, Diet Coke for me, beer for Mike and sparkling water for Tim) and we chose our entrees. Llew and I decided to share an Italian Caprese Salad that came with tomatoes, loads of fresh basil, mozzarella cheese and olives and a steak tenderloin which we asked to be grilled rare—we have now learned that they up them one stage, no matter what you ask for. Tim led us into this secret and he was right: we asked for Rare and ended up getting Mediu,m Rare (which was  exactly what we wanted!) Our steak and salad was superb. I was delighted to finally be in a steak house where the meat was grilled exactly to my liking.

We had a very companionable meal—there was a lot of chatter, a lot of laughter, a lot of (dare I say it?) gossip! Everyone enjoyed their meal and when the bill was settled, we left (without eating dessert). I was keen to get some ice-cream and thought of looking for a good gelateria. Hearing us debate the issue, a man on the street strongly recommended a place called Helados (Ice-Cream) Italia. And It was simply wonderful!       

Not long after we had treated ourselves to wonderful chocolate flavors and Heidi was almost falling asleep we hopped into two cabs that took us back to your hotel. It had been another fabulous day that incorporated meaningful work with a concerted effort to finish seeing the last of the important sights that the city has to offer..

We did not waste much time getting ready for bed and going straight off to sleep.

Until tomorrow...