"City on the Plain with a Heavy Heart " a Buenos Aires Travel Page by goshawk301

In the northern summer of 2003, I made my first trip to Buenos Aires. I stayed with a friend in San Telmo and spent four very worthwhile days in the city.

Like the other great South American city I know, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires is a city of great beauty and charm with a dark side. In Buenos Aires's case, stagnation of the economy is putting great pressure on people's lives and the civil society; it also has to bear the weight of the country's recent history, which contains very dark passages.

Yet, the Portenos I've met, from my friend on, are coping with life's difficulties with remarkable grace and style. I cannot forget the simple good cheer of the owner of the parking garage where my friend keeps her car. If ordinary people like that can keep that heart alive, I think there is hope in the future of the city.