Around the Block

The biggest difference between central Buenos Aires and downtown Fort Worth is the sheer density of people, buildings, and businesses.

Our apartment in Fort Worth is within walking distance of the public library, some downtown restaurants, and a few stores like the Barnes & Noble, as well as the Trinity Trails. Most any other activity, including grocery shopping, requires a car.

Here in Buenos Aires, our apartment is on Callao, midway between Pacheco de Melo and Las Heras. As blocks in this part of Buenos Aires go, ours is fairly dull, but I thought it would be interesting to discover exactly what's here. So, yesterday morning we walked around the block, pen and pad in hand, writing down every building and business. Here's what we found as we went from Las Heras down Callao to P. de Melo, down Melo to Ayacucho, along Ayacucho to Las Heras, then back up Las Heras to Callao.

Paint store
Hosiery store
Tanning salon
Video/computer games store
High-end china/housewares
Hair salon (3)
Restaurant
Ice cream shop/café
Pharmacy
Real estate/property management
Cheese/deli (2)
Parking garage (7 floors)
EU delegation office
Kioscos (2)
Electrical supplies/hardware
Copy center (closed)
Pastry/catering
Café

Sitting on top of all this are 27 high-rise apartment buildings (ranging from four to 15 floors), with two more under construction. I have no idea how many people call this block home, but it must be at least a few thousand.

Within two or three blocks there are supermarkets, restaurants, clothing stores, furniture stores, more hair salons, a large park, a score or more bus stops, cafés, pasta shops, kiosks, newstands, flower vendors, fruit/vegetable vendors, a seafood market, butchers, and who knows what else, not to mention twenty or thirty high-rise apartment buildings in every block.

This is the hustle and bustle of Bs As, with everything we want or need right outside our door, and back in Texas there's the easygoing quiet of Fort Worth, where we can walk for miles along the river and rarely encounter a soul. Both are 'downtown' but goodness, what a difference.