Your guide to Buenos Aires, Argentina from Cheap Hotels Ltd.
Buenos Aires has been dubbed "the Paris of South America" because of its similarities in architecture and maybe because of the countless number of cafes. Perhaps the most noticeable thing whilst walking through the streets of this charming city is the rich Italian influence, with pizzerias on every street corner and portenos (collective name for the citizens of Buenos Aires) who always use their hands to provide actions with their words when conversing. An immediate feature of the city center is Avenida 9 de Julio, widely accepted as the broadest street in the world. This avenue has nine lanes in each direction and so crossing it can be a time consuming experience. A popular attraction on the Avenida 9 de Julio is the magnificent Teatro Colon, which is a spectacular theater noted for its excellent acoustics set inside a grandiose building - home to many famous ballets and operas over the years. A local pastime enjoyed by all portenos is people watching and coffee drinking in the many caf�s that line the city's streets. Locals do this for hours on end just observing and gossiping about everything from politics to football. Football is something of a religion in Argentina and Buenos Aires is home to a large number of teams. The biggest and most popular two teams are Boca Junior, where a young Diego Maradonna made a name for himself, and River Plate. The many barrios (neighborhoods) in the city vary from Boca, a brightly colored neighborhood built with tin houses and ludicrously touristy where you can buy all typical souvenirs and take in a street performance of a Tango, to San Telmo, one of the older barrios where you'll find historical buildings and museums along with traditional markets.
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