I’ve now been in Buenos Aires (BA) for a little over three weeks. As I promised in my last post, here’s number two of the three things I’ve found that tell me I’m going to love living in this city.
Number 2 – Green Spaces
The population in BA is currently 3.1 million in the city proper. It’s always busy, and there’s the usual big-city commotion. Buses, cars, and motorcycles cruise up and down streets. Sidewalks are busy with people hurrying to catch a bus or metro to work, walking dogs, shopping, or meeting friends. And tables and chairs from cafes, restaurants, and bars spill outside to take advantage of warmer weather as we head into summer (more about the cafe culture in Part 3). These are all things that I love. I find the sounds, people, and hustle of a big city as calming as some find only when they hear ocean waves, or wind blowing through trees on a quiet hike in the mountains. Don’t get me wrong, I love those solitary, peaceful moments in nature as well, but when I’m enveloped in the bustling flow of a city, I feel a sense of being at home.
One of the things that puts any big city at the top of the list for me is if it has great parks and green spaces, and BA has that in spades! The parks and gardens I’ve visited so far have massive trees, beautiful botanicals, meandering paths, plenty of grassy areas to picnic on, and benches to linger on to soak in the sound of birdsong.
As of 2022, the city had 4,448 acres of green space and has plans to add more as it pursues an initiative to achieve carbon neutrality and improve urban resilience by 2050. (To see some info on some of the incredible gardens and plazas in BA, click here.)
A city that makes the commitment to preserving, creating, and maintaining lovely green areas signals to me that the people who run and live in it care about and are proud of it. Additionally, while I enjoy the hustle and bustle of a city, I also have a deep appreciation for what these green oases offer. Places where the sounds of the city fade into the background and the quiet calm of nature takes its place.
Of course, the best thing about these beautiful green spaces for me is that when I’m ready, I can merge back into the fray of the city and enjoy a coffee at one of the numerous corner cafes while I revel in the sights and sounds of the city flowing around me again.
