This is the entrance to the old velodrome I happened by in Buenos Aires. Tried to get in, but the...

This is the entrance to the old velodrome I happened by in Buenos Aires. Tried to get in, but the guard ran after me and started yelling about calling the police. The "Lo siento, no entiendo. Soy turisto." thing didn't work. At all. Ah well.

Did a bit of searching and found this January 07 story about the velodrome here. Built for the 1951 Pan-American Games, that track yielded 152 medals for Argentian cyclists. Perón glory years, indeed. Turns out that it's been closed for 10 or so years, mostly used as a tow lot. There was a restoration plan in place, but it's fallen beyond repair and is slated for demolition. A shame.

about 3 years ago Sui Juris 10 comments 0 recs |

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Nice artwork on that sign.

Would go so well on the wall in the foyer of the PdC world headquarters.

" Well, art is art isn't it? Still on the other hand, water is water! And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now uh . . . Now you tell me what you know." Groucho Marx

by flying dog on Dec 2, 2008 3:32 PM EST reply actions

Hey... if we can help Jimbo get a bike at the ToC

surely we can come up with a way to transport that to the headquarters. :-)

Nice find Sui. Were you able to walk around it and check it out at all, or just notice the sign?

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Dec 2, 2008 4:15 PM EST up reply actions

no

see the note about getting yelled at. The linked to news story has some pictures, though.

by Sui Juris on Dec 3, 2008 4:49 PM EST up reply actions

I'm getting a bike?

Is it a Prince? If so, then sweet! And that cycling relief sculpture is simply gorgeous. I would pay good money for that thing. How industrious is your Pakistani friend?

by Jimbo... on Dec 5, 2008 1:48 AM EST up reply actions

interesting

nice find

by lyne on Dec 2, 2008 7:07 PM EST reply actions

Chances are there is a scrap heap nearby...

that has disused or cracked marble of some sort or another that might have been used on the facade you might have been able to rummage through. I have a 15 pound marble crucifix from the Cementerio Recoletta that was in a rubbish pile on the opposite side of the cemetary from Eva’s mausoleum.

What all did you see/do down in BA?

Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.

by crashdan on Dec 3, 2008 7:40 PM EST reply actions

was a very quick trip

in all regards. Quick in planning (the time from first consideration of the trip to boarding was less than 24 hours) and the trip itself was just from Sun-Friday. Stayed in the San Isidoro area with a friend. Just hit the neighborhoods (Boca was great, but Caminita was a horrid waste of time) and then a lot of social time with friends and friends of friends in the evenings. Definitely head back.

(More pictures than anyone cares to see, here.)

by Sui Juris on Dec 4, 2008 10:09 AM EST up reply actions

Wow... lots of my old stomping grounds in those photos...

Did the Jacaranda’s happen to smell like halitosis? I have had quite a lot of coffees under the immense propped-up tree. I also have a lot of duplicated shots of yours from the Cementario. It was the one and only time I ever shot a roll of black and white and I had some beautiful shots from it. Unfortunately Kodak had a crystal form on the squeegee at the lab and I have a white line that runs across alllllllll those negatives.

Pissed off? Oh yeah.

I also found the only real sports bar in BA just down and around the corner from the cemetery: Locos Por El Futbol… where the drinks were cold, the waitresses were hot, and the Argentines were PISSED that they’d lost the Rugby World Cup to the French.

If you ever go back, try taking the Buquebus boat from the docks over to Colonia in Uruguay (no visa needed for US citizens as of 1999). It’s an old colonial town (as the name suggests) that became decrepit so the government turned it into an artists colony with cheap rent and what not. Very beautiful place.

Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.

by crashdan on Dec 4, 2008 7:30 PM EST up reply actions

ack

I’d have gone postal over the negatives. Not that it would have helped, but still. That’s on par with stealing a bike.

Was very tempted to squeeze in the Uruguay excursion, but I would have had to bail on my friend to do it. He’s from Pakistan, and no one wants to let anyone from Pakistan into their country. Amusingly, we met this Serbian chick (who actually lives a few miles from me) later, and upon hearing that he was from Pakistan, remarked that it was nice to meet someone else who came from a country liked even less than Serbia.

by Sui Juris on Dec 4, 2008 10:46 PM EST up reply actions