A Walk Along the River

Location:
Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

City Walk

By Shawn O'Bryant

When you arrive in Buenos Aires, a city which is known to rest at the mouth of the mighty Rio de La Plata, it is easy to look around and wonder, “well, where is the river?”

Downtown Buenos Aires actually butts against a series of controlled dikes which were created during the massive engineering project that birthed Puerto Madero. Beyond the dikes where you may expect the river to lay rests Parque Ecoligica, a nature preserve that protects the marshlands which are the natural zone between the river and the higher, drier land where Buenos Aires was built. The Parque Ecologica, although well-intentioned, is a festering pool of stinking stagnant water, debris, trash and occasionally an unhappy looking bird. It may be worth checking out, but is certainly does not provide a view of the river proper.

To find the walkway that stretches along the actual river and the cool breeze that accompanies it, you must head a bit out of downtown to the Northwest of the city and towards the domestic airport. Here, starting around the Club de Pescadores you can finally see the magnitude of the Rio de la Plata. Looking like a massive brown sea, it stretches out of sight, eventually butting up against Uruguayan shores. A long boardwalk in front of Avendia Costanera Rafael Obligado stretches down the river and you can find tons of locals basking in the sun, having a picnic with the family or trying their luck fishing off of the piers. The boardwalk stretches for a few miles so it is a good place to take a lengthy stroll. Street vendors, jerry rigged Parilla (BBQ) stands and hamburger joints line the strip. You can easily find one of the best bargains in town for a good Bife Chorrizo (Serloin steak) at about $3.

Getting There
Take buses 33 or 45 to Club de Pescadores