La Boca

Overview

A trip to Buenos Aires would not be complete without a visit to the colorful and energetic barrio of La Boca.  Known for its tango, brightly colored buildings, and of course, their famous futbol team the Boca Juniors, a day spent here will be a memorable one.

La Boca is a little rough around the edges, as it’s not the safest place in Buenos Aires and it is quite touristy.  While prices are a little steeper here than in other parts of the city, and while you will probably run into many more tourists than portenos, that’s all right.

While La Boca does indeed cater to tourists, a stroll around the streets and an afternoon sipping wine, eating picadas (appetizers or finger foods, typically sausage, cheese, fruit, and crackers), and watching the beauty that is the tango will have you not caring about the touristy nature of the area.

Live music, dancing, wine, and food--what better way to spend the afternoon?

Tango

Argentines love to dance, and the tango is the most popular of them all.  Seeing the fluidity, the beauty, the balance, the sexiness, and the seeming ease with which they dance is very impressive, especially for this very white, very out of tune man.  Tango shows can be seen on the streets, usually in front of any number of restaurants.  They vary a bit, so walk around, check them out from a distance, look at a few menus, then choose and sit down and enjoy.

Food and Drink

I honestly can’t think of many better ways to spend an afternoon than sitting outside in beautiful weather, ordering a bottle (or two, or three) of wine, some tasty snacks, and watching two people do something that I will never be able to do.

Plenty of restaurants are on the few touristy streets of La Boca, and they are all there for the same reason, to get customers in the seats, drinking wine, and watching the entertainment.  I would suggest just ordering a small plate or two of picadas (snacks like sausages and cheese) and a glass (or bottle) of wine and just sit and enjoy.

All restaurants serve meals as well, but you may want to go from place to place to see some different dancers, so think ahead before ordering a meal.  Remember, Argentines aren’t exactly quick when it comes to eating a meal.

Colorful tin houses in La Boca

The Brightly Colored Buildings

A building on the caminito

Another highlight of La Boca is the vividly colored tin and wooden houses along the Caminito (the pedestrian street).  Be careful not to stray too far from this area as it’s not terribly safe, especially for tourists.  This part of La Boca is great for any person who enjoys photography, with the brightly colored buildings and interesting statues and art donning the sidewalks and balconies of the houses.  It’s a unique place to visit, so be sure to come back next week for a post devoted solely to pictures from La Boca.

Museums

There are a few museums of interest when visiting La Boca.  Museo de Bellas Artes Benito Quinquela Martin is a great place to visit to see a collection of art created by Argentine artists.  Museo de la Pasion Boquense is located in the Boca Juniors stadium and is a nice little place to visit if you’re interested in futbol and Argentine futbol history.

Boca Juniors games can get pretty crazy-go at your own risk *

Boca Juniors

It’s no secret that portenos are crazy for futbol in Argentina, and the craziest fans of them all reside in La Boca and root for the Boca Juniors.  The area becomes very rowdy during and after games, so you may want to steer clear of this area during this time.

While attending a game sounds like a great idea for any sports fan, be smart if you do decide to go.  Many hostels and hotels offer packages to go in a tour, ensuring a great deal more safety.  It won’t be cheap, but gringos trying to go to the stadium on their own, procure their own tickets, and sit by themselves are running the risk of something bad happening.  I’m not an overly cautious person by any means, and I love and have attended countless sporting events in my life, but this is no joke (according to several local friends and family we talked to).  Boca Juniors fans make Raiders and Philly fans look like tame soccer moms.

La Boca, while touristy and somewhat dangerous (only if you venture off the beaten track), it is highly recommended as great little slice of culture in Buenos Aires. We loved the afternoon spent there, and the tango shows we saw are still something we talk about today.

*picture by Dhubax, Creative Commons