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Calle Florida Review

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Calle Florida

Fodor's Review:

When porteños talk about Florida (pronounced flo-ree-da, they aren't referring to a vacation but rather a pedestrian street that crosses the Microcenter's heart. This downtown axis is a riot of office workers, fast-food chains, boutiques, and vendors selling (and haggling over) leather goods. The commercial institutions that line the street are battered and paint-splattered -- unhappy customers have been taking out their anger at these corralitos (banks retaining their savings) since the economic crisis of 2001-02. You'll also find souvenir, food, and bookstores. The closer you get to Plaza San Martín, the better the offerings.

Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele served as the architectural model for Galerías Pacífico, designed during Buenos Aires's turn-of-the-20th-century golden age. Once the headquarters of the Buenos Aires-Pacific Railway, it's now a posh shopping mall and cultural center. Head to the central stairwell to see the allegorical murals painted by local greats Juan Carlos Castagnino, Antonio Berni, Cirilo Colmenio, Lino Spilimbergo, and Demetrio Urruchúa. The Centro Cultural Borges, which hosts small international exhibitions and musical events, is on the mezzanine level. Florida 753, Microcentro. 11/5555-5100. www.galeriaspacifico.com.ar. B to Florida.

If all the activity of Florida becomes too much, just steps away is Plaza San Martín, a great place to put down your shopping bags and rest your feet. French landscape architect Charles Thays designed the square in the 1800s, juxtaposing local and exotic trees. An imposing bronze equestrian monument to General José de San Martín watches over lunching office workers. The Monumento a los Caídos en las Malvinas is a more somber presence. Guarded by a grenadier, the monument's 25 black marble slabs are engraved with the names of those who died in the 1982 Falkland Islands War. Av. Libertador and Calle Florida, Microcentro. C to San Martín.

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