Our Urban Odyssey » Buenos Aires

The sidewalks of Buenos Aires

Nova — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:23:22 +0000

A trip to Buenos Aires is what threw me to the Urban Odyssey side. The city’s sidewalks were the most impressionable character that I left with. Besides wondrous Street Cookie, the most memorable part of strolling down the sidewalks of Buenos Aires was the dog shit. It’s everywhere; brown little shrines left here and there. Their shapes were varied, from perfectly round droppings that made you think of spilled chocolate gumballs, and (even grosser, get ready), when it was smeared it reminded me of the dulce de leche found in almost every BA dessert.

In many areas, the sidewalks are very narrow, and beautifully natural in their unevenness and slopes. It’s a killer, ladies, to stroll down these blocks in your stilettos. Herds of dog walkers (Paseaperros) suddenly swarm your walking path, so you might find yourself with your back against the walls of stores to allow them to pass. We even saw a lady sprawled out on the sidewalk having epileptic seizures.

The sidewalks are also an open art gallery, with an abundance of colorful graffiti murals.

Then there are those majestic urban trees. They’re in tiny tree pits that are sometimes flooded with cloudy water with tiny swarms of flies. They must have deep, deep roots. They are gorgeous. I saw them everywhere. Many have spiraling black branches that curl into the sky. They shade the city in a green, luscious sigh.

Do you have any favorite cities with impressionable sidewalks?

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Urban Tree Series

Nova — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:45:07 +0000

Thorn tree in Buenos Aires- they also had large cocoon like sacks hanging from branches that burst into cotton balls. Very alien-like.

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We’re here to protect you

Nova — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:20:59 +0000

I salute all people who bear a uniform to protect the citizens of our country and cities. That generality stated, this Buenos Aires street art is called for in light of recent tragic news from NYC in the killing of a black off-duty police officer. Argentina has its own special history with the military and police.

~ Translation: “We’re here to protect you.”

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Imagine

Nova — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:52:14 +0000

Buenos Aires, 2008

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Urban Trees Series

Nova — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:47:00 +0000

Trees make or break a city block. So let’s give some respect to urban trees.

Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires

2008

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Street Cookie: Legions

Nova — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:20:06 +0000

This cookie isn’t going anywhere. It broke free from a sidewalk-concrete-other-dimension to speak to me with its demon eyes and herald in the arrival of this blog. It has the uncanny ability to haunt you once you set eyes on it. Street Cookie must come from the legion of demons that conjure strategized chaos. I unfortunately witnessed a fellow human being crack the other day, and the first thing that came to mind was this cookie. If any of you want to play a mean joke on me if I wind up in the looney bin one day- bring me a box of these cookies.

So here are some street cookie equivalents–characters or people that follow Street Cookie’s philosophy and spirit. Please add to this list!

V for Vendetta mask.

The Comedian’s pin from the Watchers (reflective of the Comedian himself)

Because LL says so: The Gingerbread Man from Shrek (who had a leg pulled off).

Imagine this image: little blonde haired girl on scooter rolling past Holy Name Church on Upper West Side, in a flowery spring dress to match the season and pink jelly sandals, with a skull mask over her face. Random, Twilight Zone shit that I’m not making up!

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Buenos Aires Murals

Nova — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:25:10 +0000

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BA Faces

Nova — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:49:35 +0000

Buenos Aires Street Art 2008

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What do we want?

Nova — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:45:27 +0000

Buenos Aires Graffiti 2008

Translation: “We want a dignified education already! Enough of the destroyed schools.”

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Where is paradise?

Nova — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:19:38 +0000

Street Graffiti in Buenos Aires, Palermo, perhaps Hollywood. Translation not for the faint of heart or very religious:

“You exchanged the paradise of God for the paradise between my legs”.

Just the messenger.

Note the ubiquitous dog poop on the sidewalk-plopped, splattered and smeared for a nice sidewalk coating. Blog on this to come. Still love you BA- one of the most enjoyable cities I’ve visited.

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