Florida Street

The Florida Street ( in German: Florida Street ) is an elegant shopping street in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Sections of it are since 1913 pedestrian zone.

Description

The Calle Florida begins as a continuation of Calle Perú on Avenida Rivadavia, crosses the Calle Lavalle, the street of movie theaters, and ends at the Plaza General San Martín in the Retiro district. It is about 1000 meters long and runs in a north -south direction. The San Telmo district, the business center of San Nicolás are easy to reach from there.

Calle Florida is one of the main attractions for tourists in Buenos Aires. Numerous retail stores and shopping centers offer leather goods, jewelery, books and souvenirs. Since the Argentine crisis, the prices have become particularly attractive to foreign visitors.

From Monday to Friday the road is popular with professionals from the nearby financial district, spend their lunch break or errands after work. In the evening you can watch street artists there, including tango dancer and singer, " Living Statues " and comedians.

The most famous building on Calle Florida is the shopping center Galerias Pacífico, which takes its name from the residents of the building British company Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacífico. This operated a railway line that connected Argentina with Chile and the Pacific Ocean.

The gallery Di Tella on Calle Florida was in the 1960s and 70s, one of the centers of the Pop Art scene of Buenos Aires. Furthermore you will find in the street full of restaurants, cafes and tea salons. With the restoration of Puerto Madero in the 1990s and an increasing petty crime, but the calle Florida lost its appeal for evening visits to restaurants and other evening entertainment.

The writer Jorge Luis Borges lived for a time in the neighborhood of Calle Florida and walked like in the early morning hours through the deserted street. He was also a critic of the redesign of the street in the 1970s. Since he already was blind at the time, he felt the bins, flower pots and newspaper kiosks as unfamiliar obstacles. He was in his mind also influenced by the aesthetic sensibilities of his friends who saw the new design as a break with tradition.

Transport links

The road is best reached by subway. Five lines have stops near the Calle Florida. Many bus routes to the city center stop nearby. The train station of Retiro, starting from the long distance buses and three major rail lines, located near the northern end of Calle Florida. With the line C of the metro is also from Florida to reach the Constitución railway station.