Without a Traceroute

For a long time, I’ve been saying that I want to post more frequently, but it turns out I’m not a very fast blogger. It usually takes me several hours worth of research and writing time to produce a decent post with decent links. I’ve decided that on days when I haven’t put together a real post, I’m going to throw up a “Picture of the Day” in any case.

El Obelisco

Here in Buenos Aires, there is a giant obelisk seemingly copied straight from the Washington monument. But, unlike some cities, Buenos Aires doesn’t shy away from the phallic symbolism.

The Obelisk stands in the middle of what is, by some measures, the widest street in the world. The shot I took above is probably the most iconic photo one can take in Buenos Aires. The Obelisk is to BA what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris.

Ok, so I kind of love Argentina for stuff like this. They’re way, way into Che Guevara here, which leads to really interesting formulations like this. Behold, the only fast food burger named for a communist revolutionary, the McChe! I’m frankly impressed that they managed trample McDonald’s trademarks and Comrade Guevara’s grave in one go. It’s too bad there’s not a bigger audience for sarcastic, faux-radical slogans in advertising, because the McChe is ripe for them: “Overthrow your hunger!”, “It’s a revolution for your taste buds!”, “A coup for your appetite!”, “The Revolution will come with a side of fries and a large coke.”, “Your hunger will be the first thing up against the wall!”

Mmm…sacreliscious…

Puente de las Mujer

The Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman) is a footbridge that spans the harbor in the Puerto Madero neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It’s kind of a renovated port district, along the same lines as the Docklands in London. The Puente de la Mujer also reminded me a bit of London’s Millennium Bridge, but they don’t really have that much in common beyond both being fancy pedestrian bridges. Interestingly, the bridge also reminded me of the City of Arts and Sciences, which I visited in Valencia, and it turns out that’s because they were both designed by the same architect, Santiago Calatrava.

In the section of the audioguide where he discusses the bridge, Calatrava claims to have been inspired in the design by Argentinian tango. The left side of the bridge is supposed to represent the male dancer, standing up, while the right side is the woman dipping. I don’t really see it. To me it looks more like a harp, or perhaps an abstract interpretation of the cranes which surround the docks.

In an interesting connection closer to home, Calarava is also the architect for the yet-to-be-built Chicago Spire.

A guy with his tiny horse. Shot in the La Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…