Palermo Soho: What My Neighborhood Was Like

Graffiti artwork on every block, beautiful parks, fun festivals, restaurants on every corner... I miss it!

The purpose of this post is to give you an idea of the barrio (neighborhood) I lived in in Buenos Aires and how incredibly unique and awesome it is. I lived in a different barrio, Almagro, for the first 50 days of my time abroad and everything shifted instantly after the move to Palermo. I was happier, I spent more time outside, I went out more, I felt more joyful just walking down the streets. Palermo Soho was the best home I could've asked for and I'll miss it! Here are some photos showing off the abundance of street art, bright colored buildings, and fun touches in the neighborhood.

The artwork wasn't limited to building walls and alleys: entire storefronts would be painted bright blue, maroon, covered in a colorful collage... There was never a lack of sights to see in Palermo.

The fun and omnipresent artwork lent itself perfectly to photoshoots.

Despite the abundance of decorated concrete walls and metal doors, there was no shortage of nature in my barrio. The most beautiful park I've ever seen was just a mile away, and plazas appeared every couple of blocks.

A lot of young people live in Palermo so there's always events going on there. Food festivals, events for foreigners or students, or, for example, this lit gay pride festival I went to. All of the stores and restaurants on the blocks where the festival was held were decked out in rainbow colors, and rainbow streamers and lights were everywhere.

The greatest advantage of living in such a vibrant city is that its popularity meant safety. I walked the streets late at night and never felt unsafe... unlike how I felt in the previous neighborhood I lived in. I would pass restaurants at 10:00pm and see entire families out to eat (that's a normal dinner time there) and I'd pass bars at 2:00am that were still loud and packed with people.

Most restaurants and bars had outdoor seating with string lights indicating the boundaries. During the day and late into the night, these areas were almost always full of people. This is perhaps my favorite aspect of the barrio. People there love to take advantage of nice weather, passing time in the park, working out in the parks, and, in this case, spending hours sitting outside of a cafe, restaurant, or bar. I wish that people in the US did this more. It makes the city feel so alive seeing people sitting outside having a good time... their talk and laughter buzzes the air and makes you want to go join them.

One aspect of the barrios that differs from US neighborhoods is their commercial structure. What I mean by this is that the stores in Buenos Aires tended to be much more particular than stores in the US, selling only one type of product or food. Of course we have shops like this in the US (think candy shops, ice cream shops, technology shops) but I found it to be even more specified in Buenos Aires. Pictured to the left is a verdulería, where produce was sold. At places like this, you could find fruit and veggies for incredibly cheap prices. I liked this organization because if I needed something specific, I knew exactly where I could go.

Being back home in Park Ridge is quite a contrast. It's definitely quieter, I see less people throughout the day, and my life is a bit more private. I'm grateful to have both experiences. If I ever go back, it will be interesting to see how the barrio has changed, if at all.

Palermo and its colorful streets are still fresh memories in my mind, but I'm sure they'll fade over time. I'm lucky to have all the great memories I do from spending so much time on streets like Nicaragua, Armenia, Malabia, Scalabrini Ortiz, Gurruchaga, Jorge Luis Borges, Thames, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Soler, Guatemala, Paraguay, Charcas, Güemes, and Santa Fe! (I had to list them all so that I can look back here one day if I start to forget!) If you ever visit Argentina, it's definitely a barrio you need to check out!