Page 58 - WDT INTERACTIVE

We decided to visit the barrio because of the San
Telmo Market, not to be confused with the San Telmo
Sunday Fair, which confuses almost everyone but
locals. Our Cabify driver dropped us off in front of
Starbucks on Plaza Dorrego, the heart of the neighbor-
hood bordered by boutique hotels, ice cream parlors,
and ancient looking cafes and bars. Even though it
wasn’t Sunday, dozens of vendor booths were set up in
the middle of the plaza and waiters were busy setting
up outdoor cafe seating for restaurants hugging the
central square.
It was late morning around 10:30 a.m. and there
weren’t too many tourists - or locals - roaming around
– Buenos Aires sleeps in, and parties late well past the
midnight hour. We decided to check out the San Telmo
Market while the plaza got up to speed. We strolled
down Calle Defensa passing mom and pop eateries
and several antique stores displaying beautiful Euro-
pean Antique furniture, lighting and art. We had heard
that the antique trade here began and was sustained
during the many Argentine inflationary economic
crises when even the well to do had to sell off family
heirlooms to put food on the table.

58 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018