Palermo Tourist

More Information >>> Something on Palermo, one of Buenos Aires most traditional and fancy neighbourhoods. Feel at home in Palermo. Dance, dine and shop along its cobble stone streets Buenos Aires used to be a wonderful city.

History

The neighborhood of Palermois bounded, in accordance with article 1 of By-law No. 26,607, Municipal Bulletin No. 14,288, published on May 4, 1972, by: La Pampa, Pres. Figueroa Alcorta Avenue, Valentín Alsina Avenue, Zabala, Cabildo Avenue, Jorge Newbery, Cramer, Dorrego Avenue, Córdoba Avenue, Mario Bravo, Coronel Díaz Avenue, Gral. Las Heras Avenue, Tagle, the Gral. Bartolomé Mitre railroad tracks, Jerónimo Salguero Avenue, Rafael Obligado Riverside Avenue.

The origin and the reason for the name Palermo given to the neighborhood isn’t quite settled. While some ask themselves whether it bears any relation to the Italian city, the possible origins of the name can be sought with Don Juan Domínguez Palermo, who in the early seventeenth century was the owner of the lands. As places were very commonly named after the churches there or after the saints who were adored, other neighbors hold that the neighborhood was actually called that way because there was an oratory where an image of St. Benito of Palermo was venerated, so that the faithful used to say they were going to see Palermo.

Undoubtedly, this was the neighborhood of the Restorer of the Law, Don Juan Manuel de Rosas. Initially, he was the owner of a greater part of these grounds (some 540 city blocks). It was in 1836 that he became the privileged owner of these beautiful grounds, where he decided to build his official residence on what are today’s Libertador and Sarmiento Avenues.

But history has its ups and downs and after his defeat on February 3, 1852, in Caseros, Justo José de Urquiza, the victorious general, occupied the residence, which would later become the headquarters of the School of Arts and Trades, of the Military College and of the Naval College. In 1889 the Restorer’s house was entirely demolished to give more air to the park created by Sarmiento, an old political enemy of Rosas. In what used to be the lands of the man who had been governor of Buenos Aires for several decades, the Tres de Febrero park (thus called in commemoration of the date of the battle of Caseros) was inaugurated on November 11, 1875.

This is today the site of the great breathing space in Buenos Aires, with 740 acres between Del Libertador Avenue, Salguero, Rafael Obligado Avenue and Pampa. There are found the marvelous lakes and their green spaces, where, every September 21, students gather to celebrate their day, while families take advantage of the spot to take walks along the lovely grounds during the rest of the year.

For many years Palermo boasted of the food carts along the riverside Avenue. There one now finds major restaurants with a beautiful view of the river, where Buenos Aires residents and tourists enjoy pleasant evenings and Argentina’s good beef. Also in Palermo is the Spaniards’ Monument, the real name of which is Magna Charta and the Four Regions of Argentina. It is the work of the sculptor Agustín Querol y Subirats and it is given its common name because it was a donation of the Spanish community. It is located on Sarmiento and Del Libertador Avenues. Its materials are bronze and marble, with the final detail of the image that represents the Republic.

Palermo Chico is the site of the so-called Barrio Parque, a residential and extremely beautiful spot. Geographically it is located on Figueroa Alcorta Avenue, between Tagle and San Martín de Tours. There one can see large hotels and very well-appointed two- and three-story town houses.

Also in Palermo we find the Museum of Decorative Art, which operates in what used to be the Errázuri Palace, a prime example of the Bourbon architecture that influenced a greater part of the majestic buildings in the Buenos Aires of the early twentieth century. It can be seen at Del Libertador Avenue and Pereyra Lucena. At the José Hernández Museum of Argentine Subjects – Del Libertador Avenue No. 2373 – one can see all the collections pertaining to our traditions, including all translations of “Martín Fierro.”

The oldest part of Palermo is known, precisely, as Palermo Viejo and Soho (old Palermo) and it ranges from the rear of Plaza Italia toward the southeast. Its beginnings were as a lower-class outskirt, worthy of tango lyrics and of the pen of writers like Evaristo Carriego and Jorge Luis Borges.

Within Palermo we likewise find a beautiful place, in the area next to the Basílica del Espíritu Santo or “La Guadalupe,” which was designed by the architect Juan Beckeert and is built with black marble originally from the old Vienna opera house itself. The floor tiles are German, the stained glass is French, and the remainder of the marble and wood is high-quality Argentine material.

Other frequently visited parts of Palermo include the Botanical Garden on Santa Fe and Las Heras Avenues. It has over 17 acres of greenery right in the city and its inventory lists more than 7,000 species. Facing it, we find the Zoological Garden, now known as the Buenos Aires Zoo, on Sarmiento and Las Heras Avenues. It was created at the initiative of President Sarmiento. Since being turned over to private hands on a concession basis, this legendary city zoo has recovered its past brilliance with professional care for the specimens inhabiting it. Among the very special sights that can be seen are the white tigers, of which there are fewer than 200 specimens in the world. In addition to the impressive array and variety of species that live in spots that recreate their natural habitats, the Buenos Aires Zoo also offers specially designed spaces like the bears’ gothic pavilion; the French palace, with its slate roof, that houses the lions, or the 10,000-square-foot reproduction of a Bombay temple which is, obviously, where diverse Indian elephants reside.

At one of the most important locations in the city of Buenos Aires, on Sarmiento and Santa Fe Avenues, there rises the legendary Rural Society. Following the signing of the title deed to the lands where the Rural Society is located, the organization undertook an ambitious building project, which has allowed the staging of diverse contests and exhibitions. To such an extent, that the most recent edition of the Book Fair was held in its premises. However, the most famous offering of the Rural Society is the country’s cattle show. It is usually held in the month of July or August and is visited by people from around the country and abroad. The best of the countryside converges on this spot where awards are conferred on the champions of the Argentine farmlands.

Where life is a tango
Buenos Aires is a strollable, cosmopolitan city, where the dollar goes far and the sultry dance is everywhere. Hernán, our taxi driver in Buenos Aires one night after a dinner flowing with Malbec, offered a resonant assessment of his town.

"There are two things I love," he said, looking at us in his rearview mirror. "First, the weather. Second, it doesn't matter where you come from."
I can't agree with the former. We expected summer warmth during a February trip to the Southern Hemisphere, but it rained most of the seven days my fiancee and I spent in Argentina.
But the truth of the latter point - Buenos Aires welcomed us, like it seems to welcome all newcomers - wiped out any chill and left only pleasant memories of my new favorite city.

The most cosmopolitan of Latin American capitals, Buenos Aires oozes beauty - from its European-infused architecture to its soaring monuments to its stunningly good-looking inhabitants, who call themselves porteños, to the passion and luster of the tango. I did double-takes everywhere, at animate and inanimate objects alike.
It also is a city of perpetual reinvention - navigated by the Portuguese, settled by the Spanish, attacked by the British and influenced by the Americans.

The reinvention continues now. After emerging from a financial crash in 2001 in which the national currency lost 75 percent of its value, Argentina and its capital city are clawing back.
The country's tourism ministry has embarked on an ambitious pitch for visitors, touting Argentina as an attractive alternative to Europe - offering urban sophistication at a much lower price. The nation is stable, but the peso is weak - affording a luxurious vacation for a price sure to shock a New Yorker. (Last week, the dollar was worth 2.9 pesos.)

Buenos Aires is now rife with chatter in several languages, and daily nonstop flights from JFK are crowded. We encountered travelers from Germany and various spots in Latin America.
Thankfully, we found that in a region of more than 12 million people, there are enough places to avoid touristy klatches.

Part of that can be traced to our decision to rent an apartment, even though visitors seeking a comfortable hotel will find many that don't cost much. Our one-bedroom flat in residential Recoleta totaled $245 for the week and was cozy - deceptively so, considering how large it looked in a picture online. The neighborhood, about a 20- minute walk from downtown, is home to upwardly mobile professionals and families as well as cafes and bistros and Parque Las Heras, a park famous for its dog walkers.

A strollable city
We got our exercise through marathon strolls around Buenos Aires, an eminently walkable city, which, like those in Europe, is clearly divided - in this case by wide avenidas, and smaller calles.
Neighborhoods aren't clearly marked but can be distinguished by differences in architecture - soaring towers give way to quiet, residential blocks, which in turn give way to crumbling tenements.

Still, everywhere a visitor turns are hints of Europe: a clock tower replicating Big Ben, a cobblestone street out of Sicily, an apartment building beckoning Paris.

The downsides are a paucity of street signs, especially in neighborhoods outside of the downtown, and a glut of dog poo. Picking up after pets seems to be lost on most animal owners.
Our first real walk, on a Sunday morning, took us to Palermo Viejo and Soho, Old Palermo, now the new "in" neighborhood, comprised of what the locals call Palermo SoHo and Palermo Hollywood.

The area is rife with funky clothing stores and their wafer-thin patrons. Despite the influx of the young and the rich, the Old World lingers at Plaza Palermo Viejo and Soho, lined with cafes and speckled with artists and their wares.

Over brunch, we eavesdropped on old men chatting, and watched a peddler selling hunks of cheese and salami by the kilo to passersby. Picture a quainter version of a hot dog vendor.

We took in more of traditional Argentina later that sweaty evening at the Feria de Mataderos, an outdoor market and urban rodeo that's open December through March on the outskirts of the city, an hour by bus from downtown. We sauntered among stalls of gaucho (Argentine cowboy) clothing amid the sultry strains of tango music. Later, we marveled like awestruck kids as gauchos raced their steeds at full gallop down a roped-off city street.

We stayed closer to downtown the following days, taking in historical Buenos Aires and its abundant venues for art, shopping and culture. Our first stop was the Cementerio de la Recoleta, a vast necropolis that houses the remains of the city's richest - who, even in death, seem to have continued their opulent lifestyle.

Eva's burial site
The remains of several ex-presidents and business leaders lie in marble mausoleums, all sleeping eternally in varnished coffins behind locked glass doors. You can take a peek into many of the crypts and find faded photographs, wilting flowers and generous tributes from their families, friends and lackeys.

This is where the populist leader Eva Perón - "Evita" - was laid to rest after her death in 1952 (and after her body was finally returned following an epic body-snatching). There are no signs to her final resting spot, but guided tours can lead you there.

Sites outside the cemetery that are worth a visit include the airy Retiro train station, built by the British in 1915, the modern Malba art museum, featuring works from Latin American artists, and the pink presidential palace, Casa Rosada.

Under tha palace is a national museum, although the exhibits gloss over Argentina's seamier history of military dictatorships and repression. (An English translation at the museum is poorly written). A guide can point out the balcony where Evita addressed her adoring fans.
Near Casa Rosada is the Plaza de Mayo, where every Thursday, the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo march to demand full government disclosure of the atrocities Argentina committed against its own citizens in the Dirty War of the '70s and '80s.

Tango everywhere
In addition to shopping for well-discounted clothes and leather goods, don't leave Buenos Aires until you see tango. It hasn't lost its sultry luster since the dance's first sensual steps in the city's bordellos 120 years ago.

You can find pairs dancing for tips by the pedestrian mall Calle Florida or in the touristy La Boca section. But the best places to see the real thing, in all its passion and lust and heartbreak are in the dinner theaters - especially the noted Bar Sur in the San Telmo neighborhood.
Shows there begin at 8 p.m. and don't end until after 2 a.m. (You're not obliged to stay the whole time.) After the dancers finish, they likely will grab a guest from the audience for an awkward spin on the floor, as they did with us.

We sought another prized product in Argentina - steak - for most dinners, and I wound up eating more meat in six days than I usually do in six months (and at hours when Americans are usually past dessert - about 11 p.m., when dinner here often is just starting).
Steak in Argentina is on another level. The cows' grass diet gives the meat an earthy, silky taste, and the spices rubbed into the sizzling beef are luscious.

Great meals
Steak is often paired with Malbec, the national wine, and dinner is topped off with a dense flan drizzled with dulce de leche.

Parillas - barbecue houses - are everywhere, but Desnivel, also in the San Telmo section, shouldn't be missed. (Apropos of food on another level, Desnivel actually means "unevenness.")
Fed in a dingy, split-level room that booms with crashing plates and drunken laughter, patrons don't soon forget their meals at Desnivel, even if they tank up on more wine than they should. The waiters are surly but oddly charming. Meals there shouldn't run more than $15 a person, wine included.

We returned for dinner twice.
Perhaps Hernán, our taxi driver, might want to add steak dinners there as another thing that makes Buenos Aires a place to love.

FRUGAL TRAVELER; In Buenos Aires, Late Nights and (Very) Low Prices
By DAISANN McLANE

''IN Buenos Aires these days, everyone is having problems sleeping,'' said my Argentine friend César as we strolled down a street in Palermo Viejo and Soho, the neighborhood of shops, bars and restaurants known locally as the SoHo of Buenos Aires. It was around 3:30 a.m. on a weekend, cool enough for a leather jacket, but the sidewalks were alive with people still reluctant to call it a night, looking for another bar, another sidewalk cafe, in which to linger.

I live in New York, where I'm usually in bed by 11. At 11 you'll be lucky to get a reservation in a Buenos Aires restaurant. I didn't expect that I would adapt to the city's famously late hours when I first arrived there for a stay of about a week in April. Soon, however, I found myself enthusiastically ordering grilled lomo (tenderloin) and morcilla (blood sausage) at midnight -- certainly not conducive to a good night's rest.

But that's not the kind of insomnia César was talking about. I'd asked him how things were going since the Argentine currency crash of March 2002, when the peso was devalued by the government and lost about two-thirds of its value almost overnight. César shrugged, in that Buenos Aires way, a shrug that said: Not good. And hadn't I noticed all the ads on the Buenos Aires subway for melatonin and sleeping pills?

Most people are still struggling, he said. Life is not what it was: Argentines have seen their purchasing power drop drastically. Still, on a Friday night on the town, you wouldn't guess it. At around 8:30 in the evening, along the brightly lighted Avenida Corrientes (Buenos Aires's Broadway), the pretheater crowds buzz with anticipation, thronging the entrances to opulent old Art Deco theaters like the Teatro Ópera.

Buenos Aires's theater row vies with Madrid's to present the top musicians, actors, dancers and orchestras in the Latin world; many come here just for the theater. (César and I went to see the Argentine dancer Maximiliano Guerra, a muscular and handsome international ballet star, perform an extraordinary program of ballet, tango and rock 'n' roll composed by the Argentine rock icon Charly García.)

After the ballet, it was off to the Club del Vino, a chic cabaret theater and wine bar, where the audience -- another packed house -- quickly succumbed to a comedy troupe's affectionate parody of a Latin lounge-lizard act. The laughter and fine wine flowed, and by the end of the show the audience was on its feet dancing giddily to ''La Bamba.''

Maybe the residents of Buenos Aires, the porteños, were tossing and turning, but they also seemed determined to keep their spirits up, and enjoy their fabulous city.

The flip side of Argentina's economic pain is that the United States dollar goes a long way. Just about everything in Argentina -- from hotel rooms to fine restaurants to local transportation -- costs about two-thirds less than it would in the United States. The five-star luxury hotel is $100 to $175, the two- or three-star hotel $25; the best seat at the show on Avenida Corrientes is $20, the bottle of exquisite Argentine wine $6.50. (And, for those who want to be more than tourists in Buenos Aires, a modest pied-à-terre in a gorgeous classic 19th-century building sells for around $30,000.)

The inequality of this pricked at my conscience, but tourist dollars, I knew, would help the local economy. ''Turismo Es Trabajo'' (''Tourism Means Jobs'') is the slogan on a public-service ad repeated over and over on Argentine TV. The people I met were unfailingly friendly and helpful to a stranger in town. For instance, a cabdriver parked by my hotel and walked me inside to the desk to make sure I'd be O.K. Crime is reportedly on the rise, but I exercised caution and felt more at ease than I have in some other Latin American cities. And although I saw plenty of broken sidewalks and streetlights, reminiscent of New York during its 1970's fiscal crisis, I also saw encouraging signs of the city's revival, especially in the area of Palermo Viejo and Soho, where I began my stay.

Palermo Viejo and Soho is probably the best known of the new hip enclaves in Buenos Aires. Once a suburb of downtown (it is about 10 minutes by cab and 20 minutes by subway from the Obelisco, the tall Egyptian-style needle that marks the city's center), its rows of two- and three-story early 20th-century houses, many with rococo facades, languished in the 80's. Now they are being renovated, one by one, by young entrepreneurs. Boutiques that sell handmade shoes, designer home accessories or one-of-a-kind evening dresses elbow for space beside new restaurants, clubs and bars. The neighborhood boundaries have expanded there is now a Palermo SoHo and a Palermo Hollywood, a district of thriving film and television production companies.

Checking the Internet to find a place to stay in the district, which doesn't have any sizable hotels, I found Che Lulu Guest House, in a narrow cobblestoned lane near the edge of the SoHo side of Palermo that has recently been renovated by a collective of artists as a B&B. Welcomed into the spacious common living room by a stylish young innkeeper and the throb of ambient music, I settled into my little room upstairs. It didn't have a bathroom (I shared one on the hall with another room). And with a renovation going on next door it was a bit noisy during the day, but it was sunny and pleasant. At breakfast, included in the $25-a-night price, I drank coffee and ate sugary-sweet Argentine croissants, medialunas, while sharing stories with tourists from England and Germany.

Although Palermo Viejo and Soho is in the midst of a transformation, it is still a working-class neighborhood, where fruit markets, schools and social clubs provide a solid contrast to the trendiness. So it's a terrific place to stroll. At the edge of Palermo Hollywood is a superb covered flea market (Mercado de las Pulgas) filled with the forgotten treasures of Argentine middle- and upper-class households -- row upon row of Italianate dining sets, tables piled with antique silver and, in one stall, a ceiling hung with Venetian glass chandeliers (I bought one, for $60).

Lunch in this neighborhood is an incredible value. At cool, minimalist Central, after my flea market run, I settled back into a seat on a white couch, and enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc with delicious ravioli in a mushroom sauce, organic salad and dessert for about $10. Lunch at Ristorante O was even better. There, each course was a well-thought-out combination of fresh local ingredients and European cooking techniques especially the risotto, delicately prepared but rich with the musky flavor of local mushrooms. I asked to see the chef so I could compliment him and discovered he was American, and had started his career at Charlie Trotter's. Oh, and lunch, with appetizer, main course, dessert, wine and coffee, also came to $10.

Despite its pleasures, Palermo Viejo and Soho is a bit out of the way, and I wanted to spend some time downtown, so after two nights I moved to a hotel I had stayed in on a previous trip, the Broadway All Suites on the Avenida Corrientes. My room there was large, with a kitchenette and sitting room, and the location was convenient, but I was getting used to the Argentine way of looking at prices, and $65 (plus tax) began to feel like too much money. César told me about a new hotel downtown, the Ibis, which was offering a deal for $25. I was a little dubious, since I'd checked out some hotels of this French budget chain in Europe and wasn't impressed. But my friend was right -- it was great, and brand new, with an enthusiastic staff. I booked a small, quiet room with a big bed covered with a turquoise bedspread and Ikea-style furniture. For another $2, I had breakfast in the lobby cafeteria, alongside lots of Brazilians.

I had hit many of the key sights in Buenos Aires on an earlier trip, but some drew me back for a second round, like the moody Recoleta Cemetery, filled with gargantuan granite and marble monuments topped with cherubim and seraphim. I also returned to the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, or Malba, which opened in 2001, a world-class museum of Latin American painting and sculpture; its exhibitions of works by Diego Rivera and painters like Roberto Matta and Wilfredo Lam as well as a host of modern Uruguayans and Argentines, are on rotation. The Plaza Dorrego street fair, on Sundays in San Telmo, is a tourist parade, but still irresistible. How can you not love spending an afternoon meandering along cobblestoned streets, listening to jazz bands and watching septuagenarians in Borsalino hats dance the tango?

ABOUT the tango. It is, of course, a symbol of Buenos Aires, probably the city's best-known export, and often invoked as a metaphor for the culture. There are dozens of clubs offering tango shows, places where you can watch or participate, afternoon, evening and night, in milongas, or tango dances. (My favorite is upstairs at the historic Confitería Ideal, in the magnificent ballroom of mirrors and columns used as a location in Sally Potter's film ''The Tango Lesson.'') There is even a 24-hour cable channel, ''Solo Tango.'' I don't know how to tango, but on my first visit to Buenos Aires, I had thrown myself into the scene, spending hours watching dancers swirl and swoop, fending off passes (''I am the tango teacher give me a little kiss'') from tango Lotharios.

This time, though, I wasn't in a tango mood. For it seemed to me the real action in Buenos Aires now wasn't the stagey, mannered passion of the tango floor but rather the everyday struggle to keep going through difficult times. So I skipped dancing, and instead I walked the leafy streets so reminiscent of Madrid or Paris, where the building facades were studded with placards that said ''Se Vende,'' For Sale. I stopped in bookstores

-- Buenos Aires has an abundance of them, and they stay open late. In one, I found myself standing for an hour, conversing with the owner about politics, economics, Che Guevara and the movies. As citizens of two complex big cities that have experienced ups and downs, we soon found common ground.

''I love New York,'' the bookseller said as I departed. ''Say hello to Woody Allen for me.''
I promised I would. Then I headed off to meet a friend, to share steaks, wine, conversation and another Buenos Aires sleepless night.

The bottom line
I spent about $64.87 a day on food, lodging, activities and local transportation during eight days and nights, at 2.85 Argentine pesos to $1.
Getting There
Using the United Airlines Web site (www.ual.com), I found a discounted round trip ticket from New York to Buenos Aires with a connection in Dulles International Airport near Washington for $572.50, with tax.

Hotels

Che Lulu Guest House, Emilio Zolá 5185, (54-11) 4772 0289, www.luluguesthouse.com, was a good bohemian base from which to explore the up-and-coming neighborhood of Palermo Viejo and Soho. My room with double bed didn't have a bath (a shared shower and toilet was next door) but was clean and comfortable.Breakfast was served at a long table in the dining room (croissants, coffee, juice, cereal). One night, with 21 percent tax and breakfast, was $25.

Rooms at the recently opened Hotel Ibis, part of the French Accor chain, Hipólito Yrigoyen 1592, (54-11) 5300 5555, www.ibishotel.com, are small but intelligently designed, and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The Ibis, downtown on the leafy Plaza Congreso, is a terrific deal at $25 a night. The price includes tax but not breakfast ($2).

The Broadway All Suites, well situated in the theater district, Avenida Corrientes 1173, (54-11) 4378 9300, www.broadway-suites.com.ar, has more space (each of the modern-style beige-on-white rooms has a sitting room and kitchenette), and more style, at a higher price: $73 a night, with tax and buffet breakfast.
Restaurants

At Ristorante O, Thames 1626, (54-11) 4833 6991, the set lunches are an astonishing value at around $4 for three courses; dinner, with wine, is around $25 for one.
At La Vinería, Salta 490, (54-11) 4381 2920, in Montserrat, between San Telmo and Congreso, a typical neighborhood grill, or parrilla, a dinner of grilled lomo (tenderloin) and mejillones (sweetbreads) plus a bottle of malbec was $12 a person.

At Chiquilín, Sarmiento 1599, (54-11) 4373 5163, in the downtown theater district off Corrientes, a well-known establishment that used to be the haunt of famous tango singers and composers, lunch for two, with a bottle of wine, was about $15.

Central, Costa Rica 5644, (54-11) 4776 7374, is another excellent place for a bargain set lunch; a three- course meal of mesclun salad, fresh pasta and dessert at this sleek, modern restaurant (at night it turns into a hip cocktail lounge) is $5.

Activities
The Club del Vino in Palermo Viejo and Soho, Cabrera 4737, (54-11) 4833 0048, is a wine bar and performance space with jazz to tango revues to cabaret. Admission varies (the show I attended was $5.25); the schedule can be found in the ''Espectáculos'' sections of the daily Buenos Aires papers, La Nación (www.lanacion.com.ar) and Clarín (www.clarin.com), which provide an excellent rundown of the theater and music scene.

The Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3415, (54-11) 4808 6500, www.malba.org.ar, is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily (9 p.m. Wednesday, when it is free); closed Tuesdays. Admission is about $1.75.
At Confitería Ideal, Suipacha 384, a large, somewhat faded old Buenos Aires cafe, there are daily tango lessons and dances; the schedule is posted on a large sign just inside the cafe.

DAISANN McLANE
Correction: June 27, 2005, Sunday A listing of restaurants and lodgings with the Frugal Traveler column on June 20, about Buenos Aires, misstated the Spanish word for sweetbreads. It is ''mollejas'' (''mejillones'' means shrimp).

Correction: July 11, 2005, Sunday A listing of restaurants and lodgings with the Frugal Traveler column on June 20, about Buenos Aires, misstated the Spanish word for sweetbreads. And a correction in this space on June 27 gave an incorrect translation for the word that had been used erroneously. Sweetbreads are mollejas. Mejillones, the word that appeared mistakenly, means mussels, not shrimp.