Few know that Buenos Aires was once called Trinidad. It was a long, long time ago. On June 11th, this charming and magnificent city turned 431 years old.

Buenos Aires was founded twice (the first in 1536. Don Pedro de Mendoza, a Spanish colonizer, established the first settlement. He named it: City of the Holy Spirit and Port of Santa María del Buen Ayre. The second, and final, in 1580. Juan de Garay called the site City of Trinidad), but as a coquette woman, she picks the most recent date for celebration: June 11, 1580.

That day, Juan de Garay founded a fort at “high ground” just where today stands the Casa Rosada on the Plaza de Mayo. He reserved the name chosen by Pedro de Mendoza, “Santa María de los Buenos Aires” for the port. As a Christian, he looked for the name of the saint corresponding to May 29th, the day he first anchored off the mouth of the Riachuelo. So he named Trinidad the fort. Which was then a village. A village that turned into a town, and that now is a megacity.

Garay came, as Borges would later say, “from that river of mud and slumber”, Río de la Plata, there where the great Mesopotamian waters from Asuncion came together to leave for the ocean.

In front of the fort, he created the main square, and around it land was given to settlers and priests, which are still occupied by the Cathedral, the Cabildo, Buenos Aires’ Government House, the National Bank and the Ministry of Economy. Then, according to Spanish law, he divided the land into 250 blocks. From the line of the fort, the first four rows of blocks were divided into quarters. The rest of the city was given to those who had accompanied its establishment. This nucleus is limited by what is now Avenues Independencia and Córdoba, streets Salta and Liberta and the river. Barely downtown Buenos Aires today.

Buenos Aires celebrates its birthday splendidly, full of changes and proposals, without looking back. The historic center of Buenos Aires is renewed, but in visits or walks you can still see its history. There are places that jealously guard it: Zanjón de Granados, or Casa Mínima in San Telmo, or the City Cabildo. Or, with a little imagination, Lezama Park ravines, from where the river used to be seen. Or the river itself, still of mud and slumber, still carrying and bringing news.

If you haven’t been to this wonderful city, or is looking to come back and enjoy the magic of Buenos Aires, check the amazing offerings that Time & Place has to offer and we guarantee you will have the vacation of your dreams.

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From Friday January 7th to February 28th Buenos Aires’ urban beaches will be open. Porteño summer lovers may take sunbaths (or shadowbaths) on the deck chairs, pick a book from the library or just enjoy sport and arts shows.

There are two beaches: one is up north, at the Parque de los Niños (avenues General Paz and Cantilo); the other is at the south, in Villa Soldati (avenues 27 de Febrero and Escalada). Beaches will be open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm.

Entrance and services (including WiFi connection, exercise bikes, showers, etc.) are free. Last year, the urban beaches were visited by 300.000 persons.

In 2011 will also work seven free-access solariums in parks Las Heras (Palermo) and Rivadavia (Caballito), and in the squares Roque Sáenz Peña (Villa Mitre), Naciones Unidas (Recoleta), 24 de septiembre (Villa Crespo), Almagro and Monte Castro, in the homonymous neighbourhoods.

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After two editions in South America, the organisers of the Dakar are pleased to announce that the world’s leading rally-raid will take place there again in 2011.

The excellent relations built up with the two countries, the vital assets in sporting terms, as well as the swell of enthusiasm seen amongst spectators last January, have led the Dakar team to propose a third instalment in Argentina and Chile for the 2011 edition, which will take place from 1st to 16th January.

Important dates for organisation of the rally:

End of November 2010: Vehicles from Europe will board at Le Havre for the trans-Atlantic crossing
30th and 31st December 2010: Scrutineering in Buenos Aires
1st January 2011: Briefing, starting ceremony and departure to the first bivouac
2nd to 15th January 2011: Dakar Rally 2011 Argentina-Chile
16th January 2011: Finishing ceremony in Buenos Aires

Foe more information go to http://www.dakar.com/.

Are you a car’s  fun? What are you waiting for rent an apartment in Buenos Aires?

See these cars in the Buenos Aires street is something you can not miss.

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The only night of the year when you can enjoy a museum after midnight starts on Saturday 13 of November and lasts until 3am.

This seventh Museums’ Night is the longest –one hour more than older editions– and the biggest, with 170 museums and art spaces taking part in 25 of the city’s neighbourhoods. The program complies with the trend: 160 exhibitions, 175 music and dance shows, 36 free workshops, 34 plays, among other activities.

There is a section for children this year, with puppets, theatre and art workshops. You can also enjoy 47 guided visits and over 20 hours of talks.

The central celebration, as always, is at the Dirección General de Museos. The building of the old brewery Munich will be used by the aerial dance company of Brenda Angiel’s for two fragments of their shows “Condición aérea” and “8cho (tango aéreo)”. The night end with a big party at Costanera Sur.

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Mr. Z is a Porteño who believes in solidarity. He always offers his seat on the bus, helps old people across the street, every week he does four hours of voluntary work at a soup kitchen in his neighbourhood. But, secretly and every so often, Mr. Z allows himself to look at everyone from above.

And that is what gives him strength to continue. The city–the world–needs more people like Mr. Z. And you can start, at least, with the easier part: to look at everyone from the top. A program called “Watchtowers”, of the Dirección General de Patrimonio e Instituto Histórico del Ministerio de Cultura de Buenos Aires organizes guided tours of three buildings from which you can see the city from a perspective that most do not know.

Tuesdays at 4pm and 5pm you can visit the 19th floor of Building Comega. Located in Corrientes 222, from the Comega you can see, for example, Puerto Madero, the Ecological Reserve, the river, Uruguay, the enormity, below, of the Central Post Office.

Wednesdays at 5pm the visits are on the 23rd floor of the Hotel Panamericano, in Carlos Pellegrini 551. Through the windows you can see the Obelisk from above and all the splendor, for better or worse, of downtown Buenos Aires.

The third place is the oldest: the tower of the Güemes Gallery, San Martín 170, right in downtown and very near the Plaza de Mayo. Visits are on Thursdays at 4pm.

Visits are free, but quotas are limited. Place must be reserved by calling (5411) 4323 9400, extension 2756.

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In Buenos Aires, like in everywhere, there are lovers of tanned skin. When September begins, even if the temperature is under 13º C and the wind blows strong, the first –the fanatics– reckon the season has started and they look for the nearest square for sunbathing.

Summer, of course, enhances the phenomenon. Some are very serious about it: they wear their bikinis or shorts under the street cloth, take the sun lotion, the folding chairs, something to read, a bottle of cold water and snacks; on the square grass they behave exactly like on the beach sand.
Other are opportunistic. Office workers, for instance, invade the parks at lunch time. Men take off their shirts and lie on their jackets; women roll up sleeves and tuck up skirts; for half an hour they absorb the radiation that comes from the sun after an eight minutes space travel.

Out of shyness, or because humans are gregarious, sunbathers congregate in some green areas, and it is rarer to see them in the smaller neighbourhood squares. Among many, two of the most visited places during the solar season are Park Las Heras (Las Heras and Coronel Díaz avenues) and the ravine at San Martín Square (Avenida del Libertador and San Martín).

What place in the city do you recommend for sunbaths?

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Unesco -the UN organization dealing with education, science and culture- picked Buenos Aires as World Book Capital for 2011.

In the selection committee were three of the biggest actors in the field of books: the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Other candidates from the Americas were Caracas and Havana.

In 1995, Unesco declared April 23rd. as the International Book Day, in memory of the date -which some historians discuss- of 1616 when Cervantes and Shakespeare died. In 2001, the first World Book Capital was Madrid. Among other cities that were capitals for one year are Alexandria, Bogota, Amsterdam, Montreal, New Delhi.

Some of the activities of next year are lectures and debating tables (on Borges, on football and literature, for instance), festivals (of poetry, of fantasy), book banquets, the creation of new libraries, a collection of 100 audiobooks and many more.

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On September 18, 1909 the Argentine National Congress passed Law N° 6368, consisting of an offer by the British residents of Buenos Aires to erect a monumental column to commemorate the centennnial of the May Revolution.

An 1910 exhibition of project proposals at the Salón del Bon Marché resulted in the jury’s award to Ambrose Poynter, nephew of the founder of the Royal Institute of British Architects. The tower was built by Hopkins y Gardom, with materials shipped from England.

The sudden death of King Edward VII on May 6, 1910, prompted Britain to cancel its delegation to the Centenary  celebrations, and the cornerstone was not laid until November 26. The inauguration of the building took place on May 24, 1916 and was attended by President Victorino de la Plaza and British dignitaries.

The tower is built in Palladian style, the building is decorated with symbols of the British Empire and features the thistle of Scotland, the English rose, the Welsh dragon and the Irish shamrock.

The tower is topped by an octagonal copper roofed cupola. Above the entrance there are the shields of Argentina and Great Britain and the inscription “al gran pueblo argentino, los residentes británicos, salud, 25 de mayo 1810-1910″ (’To the health of the Great Argentine people, from the British residents, May 25, 1810-1910′).

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Hidden almost completely from sight by the surrounding skyscrapers, the beautiful Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento was built between 1908 and 1916 by the wealthy Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena. Inspired by Parisian churches, the lavish, sometimes colorful, interior incorporates several types of marble and stone as well as delicate stained glass, intricate tile floors, carved wood, and beautiful glass lighting. Though the massive marble altarpiece is likely the church’s most captivating feature, every bit of the interior seems to be decorated; even the crypt, where Anchorena is entombed, is almost as lavish as the sanctuary. It’s a simply stunning example of Buenos Aires architecture. (San Martín 1039)

At Florida 1065 and directly in front of the basílica is the edificio kavanagh a concrete, Art Deco eyesore built by Corina Kavanagh, a wealthy rival of Anchorena. When the fashionable residence was constructed in 1935, it was the tallest in South America. There’s a little history behind the building connected to the Kavanagh-Anchorena rivalry with a Romeo and Juliet twist (minus the tragic deaths at the conclusion). Supposedly, back in the day, one of Corina’s daughters fell in love with one of the Anchorena sons. However, the Anchorena family disapproved of the relationship. As revenge, Corina supposedly built the Edificio Kavanagh to block the Anchorena’s view of the Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento from their home, Palacio San Martín , on the opposite side of the Plaza. Of course, a large fence would have worked, but Kavanagh had no interest in cutting corners.  Is true or is another urban legend.

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Built between 1905 and 1909 for Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorea, a leading member of one of Argentina’s wealthiest and most influential families, Palacio San Martín, located just off the western edge of Plaza San Martín, is not quite as impressive as Palacio Paz—but it’s just as beautiful and in even better condition. When the family lost its fortune in the Great Depression, they sold the palace to the government, which now uses the building for state functions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Worship. Fortunately, much of the palace, which is actually composed of three separate buildings joined by a grand courtyard and entryway, remains open to the public. Tours visit the extravagant interior, including a variety of massive rooms decorated with stunning draperies, stained glass, ironwork, and even some of the original furniture. There’s even a small museum that displays a variety of pre-Columbian artifacts, though the axe heads, ceramics, and stone figures seem slightly out of place with the rest of the palace. ( Arenales 761.  TEl 4819 8092. Tours in English and Spanish Tu and Th 2:30pm)

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