La Boca

La Boca is a neighborhood of Buenos Aires that was the original port way back in the colonial days of the city.  It's on the south side of the city, and although a lot of cantinas for the sailors are still there and thriving, the neighborhood has now become the home of artists and the bohemian lifestyle.  Many of the Argentine artists get their inspiration from the gritty buildings painted bright colors in the style of the original italian immigrants that shaped the area.

I first checked out this neighborhood with Matías and the girls when they were down here.  It's a bit touristy on the main strip with bad tango dancers doing their little performances, and knock-off artists selling their wares.  But when we stepped just a block off the beaten path, La Boca suddenly felt like a real immigrant/artist neighborhood.  The paint hadn't been redone on many of the buildings, but we could tell what it used to be.  There were balconies on both sides of the street that lined the houses, all covered in plants and laundry lines.

Friday, Mommy and Daddy went to see it, and seeing as I had nothing better to do, I went along as well.  Mommy and Daddy have been surprisingly intrigued by the art scene here - I guess the fact that their hotel is right next door to a gallery, and that the first day I sent them on a walk through the rich part of town where all these fancy expensive paintings are up for sale helped to inspire it.  Nevertheless, they have taken a particular interest in a native Argentine named Politi who has art up for sale in over a bazillion galleries here in the city.  My parents were especially lucky to meet the man himself in one of the galleries they visited, and so here we were in La Boca, with a business card and address of the artist himself... a real La Boca artist.

Without really knowing what to expect, we wandered around the neighborhood until we came upon his door.  A brazilian maid saw us loitering and asked us if we were interested in the artist that lived there.  With the extensive language barriers between us, we tried to communicate that we were, but didn't want to bother him on (did I mention this?) Good Friday.  Well, part one of the message was received, but not part two.  2 minutes later we found ourselves in the artist's studio surrounded by hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of his paintings, talking to the man about what inspires him (yeah, right... at least we tried), and negotiating prices (again... yeah right.... it doesn't matter how many zeros you take off from that number, we still can't afford it).  Nevertheless, the whole experience was totally cool.  Now I can say I've been in the studio of a famous artist who's art is way out of the price range I'll ever be able to afford, in a neighborhood famous for it's artists.