No trip to Buenos Aires is complete without a walk around San Telmo and since you've asked for it, I present to you now [insert fanfare] your very own tour of San Telmo. Most tourists visit on Sundays when the "feria" / "crafts fair" fills C/ Defensa where there is something for everyone: scarves, magnets, mates, t-shirts and cds and, of course, street food. Most vendors sell their wares (arepas, burritos, tacos, coffee, churros) from baskets and Styrofoam coolers carried on top of their heads or in converted grocery trolleys, but traditional style food carts (like this one) are still in use. Here in the city, homemade confections are sold on every busy street corner and at most bus stops by small time vendors if you get up early enough. (Even in the suburbs, on the corner of Cabildo and Federico La Croze, a woman sells chipá (a bread made from yuca flour, a hard cheese, eggs and salt) during the morning rush hour. No doubt this cart sold hot coffee or tea. It's design, however antiquated, is still a classic in Buenos Aires and if you listen hard enough you can hear the rumble of tires like these the city over.
But, if you're not feeling very lucky, you won't want for a place to sit down and in eat in San Telmo, either. While there are a number of great places (including Guena Yunta / Chile 369, and Sagardi / Humberto 1 319), last Sunday we went to one of the classics: El Desnivel / Defensa 855. It's a popular place for asados, but is probably equally famous for the empanadas which are fried rather than baked. We dropped in about 3:00pm and despite the ample dinning room (El Desnivel has at least three dining areas including an open air patio) the restaurant was filled. (For those of you visiting, just remember that you have to order your "papas fritas" / "french fries" "aparte" / "separately". Being the sort of woman that I am, I ordered una ensalada mixta (a typical salad with lettuce, tomato, onion and in this case boiled egg) and una empanada de jamón y queso (a savory pastry filled with ham and cheese).
Being a typical, down to earth sort of place, there are only three varieties of empanadas: beef, ham and cheese or chicken with vegetables). And since El Desnivel is synonymous to a good empanada and a glass of wine the waiter brings them to you dangerously hot on a silver serving tray. Traditionally, empanadas are folded according to their filling so pinched corners, dainty folds and circular shapes all mean something in the seductive language of Argentine empanadas. It's as much a test as it is a pleasure to bite into a crispy, steaming empanada de carne (savory dough filled with ground beef and sometimes diced hard boiled egg or olives). But, before we enter further into this delicious world of hand pies, let's get back to the feria before it gets dark.
San Telmo is the oldest barrio in the city and has been, shockingly, well preserved. This can probably be attributed to the numerous tourist attractions and colonial ambiance that resonates around Calle Defensa (the main thoroughfare). The cobble stone streets are about as picturesque as you can find here in Buenos Aires and the hundreds of shop fronts dripping with antique dinner sets; crystal chandeliers; and mahogany boudoirs scream to have noses pressed against them. On weekends, small time antique vendors fill passageways and breezeways as well as open air booths with tea cups and coins and costume jewelry. For the "Anitque's Road Show" addict, San Telmo is a dream come true.
The feria ends in Plaza Dorrego which appears
suddenly a few blocks before Avenida San Juan. The plaza is a popular stopping point with quite a few fancy (over priced) restaurants with quaint balconies that overlook the plaza. There is even a Starbuck's on the corner; although, I only recommend going in to use the restrooms which are clean and comfortable. (Make a right on Humberto 1 as you're leaving the restroom and make a b-line for Sagardi's if you want reasonably price and delicious tapas). Most of the craft vendors stay open until it gets dark, but Sunday evenings they disappear so that a few swatches of plastic can be haphazardly (emphasis on haphazardly) taped down in the center of the Plaza for "La Milonga del Indio". A single strand of colored Christmas lights is hung up and in no time at all you'll find the Plaza full of young adults with dread locks and their fare share of illegal substances. Wayward tourists fill in the gaps, providing a spellbound audience for the older tangueros (and handful of new young bloods) that dare risk their knees on the impromptu dance floor. A few years ago "La Milonga del Indio" was a popular Sunday milonga, but despite efforts to bring it back into its former glory, I would not suggest making an appearance.
While it is easy for passers by to be taken in by tango street performances in San Telmo, there are a number of more interesting diversions. For example, Jack Sparrow having tea with this big top escapee who is probably his first and only true love. Jack, being a man of the world, can be spotted around the city - not just in San Telmo. I've seen him at various ferias as well as once or twice on the subway. Photos of the performers are usually free, but donations are more than welcome. If you've got your eyes open you can catch a "Carlos Gardel" look-alike as well as "living statues" and some old-school puppeteers. 
But, if you prefer to get off the street and loosen the iron grip you have on your wallet, step into the Museo de La Ciudad / City Museum. The museum offers a number of small exhibits on the city and it's history. When I went there was a photography exhibit on the Feria de San Telmo as well as a small exhibit on antique toys. The museum is small, but interesting and the staff very friend (as well as English speaking). The exhibits are broken up between two or three buildings which are accessed from the street. I entered through the Bar de Filete and then had to go outside and two doors down to enter the restored living quarters that house the previously mentioned exhibits. La Farmacia de La Estrella (one of the oldest in the city) also forms part of the museum, but is again accessed from the street and since it still functions as a working pharmacy, the museum is less than friendly to visit. Logistics aside, the entry fee is small and free on Mondays. 
And although it requires a little extra effort to navigate, you're bound to find a few hidden treasures if you look hard enough...
... like Sheila.
(Notice: Future posts will be written in Spanish since my language pledge begins on Wednesday so put your thinking caps on!)
Vocabulario útil:
"pasear": (v). go for a walk; take a stroll
"antiquidades": (n). antiques
"la entrada": (n). the entrance / ticket
"el boleto": (n). ticket
"una copa de vino": (n). a glass of wine
"A cuánto está ______": another way of saying, "how much is..."
Ex. "A cuánto está la cuchara" / "how much does the spoon cost"
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