WHERE NOT TO GO IN BOCA.....

When we arrived in Buenos Aires in 2005, people gave us the strong but vague warning to stay away from La Boca, and we did. After a few years, our concern dimmed and we started seeing it as just another barrio of the city, although one we never thought about unless reading about something happening there.

Then a few years ago, the combination of an exhibit we wanted to see at Fundación PROA and the lure of lunch at El Obrero pushed us to take the step. Both were well worth the effort, though our decision to walk from one to the other by way of the water's edge rather than back along the streets, was an extremely stupid one. We met with no danger, but with each step along the deserted route, we felt the folly of our chosen path.

Fast forward to 2017. Good friends very familiar with the area took us to a daytime Gustav Mahler concert at La Ursina del Arte, the beautifully restored and repurposed former power plant built in La Boca in the early 20th century. What a perfect space for concerts, exhibits, lectures! But there is still the question of the neighborhood -- and getting there. Especially at night. How I wish the building had its own one-stop subte line that would deliver people nonstop from Plaza de Mayo to La Usina del Arte!

Quote from GlasgowJohn

Yes , la Usina del Arte is a smart place. But its getting there and back which is the problem....

If you go to La Usina del Arte by car, the danger is minimal. You can park you car in the inmediate streets that are, in weekends, almost deserted. There are no "trapitos" to ask you money for nothing, as there is police in the entrance of the Usina.

Of course, do not go walking alone in the middle of La Boca, is not adviceable. And also useless, La Boca is not precisely a jewel of BA, only a picturesque place, but dangerous.

When I first came to Argentina in the '70's I wanted to see La Boca because of my awakening interest in the tango. "Caminito" is beautifully written and evokes an aching nostalgia for the past, and for lost love. What's not to like? So I saw Caminito, the street, had some drinks in a couple of bars, enjoyed the outing.

It was several years later that I discovered that the song's lyrics were written by Gabino Coria Peñalosa and had nothing to do with Buenos Aires! Turns out that the street was named after the tango had become popular - basically to cash in on its success.

"His most celebrated creation, however, became a reminiscence of his days in La Rioja, and of a torrid love affair with a pretty young pianist who was forced to leave him after she became pregnant: Caminito - the "Little Path."" (Wikipedia)

How sketchy is La Boca during the day. I remember one Sunday afternoon walking around the neighborhood with a friend that wanted to see the stadium. It was completely deserted and I had the feeling that we should not have been there alone. Nothing happened but I just didn't feel secure.