The walk to work

Hola,
Most mornings when I leave the apartment, the portera is outside the front door of the building having a cigarette - it a bonus because it means I don't have to unlock 2 doors to get out of the building because she leaves them open to have her morning smoke.
The apartment elevator is one with the grate type inside door that you have to close yourself. Room for 3 people max.
We are situated in a beautiful part of Buenos Aires. In Recoleta.

Breakfast is a couple of granola bars that I eat along the way. I pass the Alvear Palace Hotel (a grand place by any standard). The magazine stand next to it on the sidewalk has a TV hanging from the wall with the morning news on. Next is the flower stand but it isn't open until later in the day. Flowers are so inexpensive here, no one has an excuse not to bring some home regularly.
There are two activities that are done religiously every morning at buildings that have a maintenance person or security guard or portera (doorperson). That is, to polish the brass and wash down the sidewalks.
Most door hardware - handles, locks, hinges, kick plates are brass as are stair railings and the apartment buzzer panels...and.they are always shiny. The guys are out with polish and a rag every morning.
The sidewalks are made of a composite tile or stone of some kind - little concrete. The composite tile is becoming more prevalent with each repair. They first sweep away leaves and garbage, then they hose it down and then with a squeegee, wipe away the water. The stone tiles are very slippery when wet (even when dry) and I had to get the leather soles of all of my shoes replaced with rubber because I was going to blow a knee. We have enough bad knees in the family already.
Then there are the people out with their dogs. Big dogs, small dogs with the owner or with the maid. All on leashes. There is a small park on the way. There will always be a bunch of dogs goofing around there.
There are three schools on the way to work. Most kids are escorted to the school by their owner or the maid (no leashes). They either have a backpack on or are pulling a suitcase which makes a distinctive clacking sound on the tile sidewalks as the children scurry to school. The children also wear uniforms. I am partial to the school where the kids wear lab coats. Imagine - an entire elementary school dedicated to developing Jr. Chemical Engineers!
I walk past 4 embassies on the way as well. This includes Santa Sede (representing the Vatican). Awesome buildings (but sadly, many used to be homes for wealthy Argentine families). Times have changed from 80 years ago. Each typically have a policeman standing in front. But always with a high iron gate surrounding the entire building.
There is also the Jockey Club, which is a social club downtown with an associated Hippodrome (track) a few km from downtown.
On the way to work, there is a polo gear/leather goods store that has a security guard who sits in the doorway on a folding chair all night to protect the store. It has an all glass front. This guy enjoys mate (pronounced mat-ay), a tea that locals drink. It is made in an ornate/silver cup and you use a silver straw to sip it.
I have to be awake by the time I get to Avenida 9 de Julio (that would be the 'widest street in the world' as mentioned in all guide books). It is 16 lanes wide where I cross it.
There is always one spot along the route where the sidewalk is under construction. It can be tricky. You either have to step out into traffic or step out into traffic. They don't make it easy. Building owners are responsible for their 'own' sidewalks. So, some are pristine, others OK and a few are covered in dog sh*t.
There is the Israeli Memorial. It is the former site of their embassy which was bombed in 1992 and 29 people were killed. It is directly across the street from a school. Many of those killed were children. They tore what was left of the building down and turned the lot into a garden/memorial. What is interesting is that the wall that connected it to the adjacent building is still there (and is all that is left of the structure). You can see the outlines of the carved relief and designs still on the walls that were part of the embassy rooms. You can imagine the rooms as they were.
I go in early (for here) before 8. It gives me about an hour before most staff arrive to get a few things done.
Our office is on the 4th floor of the American Express building. I have a great view of the Plaza San Martin (always an interesting place).
It is a 15 minute walk door to door. I had envisioned it before I came here - it isn't the 'jostling for a spot on the sidewalk' kind of thing - in a city of 13 million people. Two reasons, I am on the road 'early' (for this city) and we live in THE neighborhood. Based on 'location, location, location', Recoletta is it. Others would beg to differ, I'm sure. I probably have the shortest commute of anyone in the office.
But there is a constant din - it is always noisy here in the city. Buses, cars - car horns, car alarms, loud planes overhead. Every building goes up at least 6 - 8 stories so the noise rattles around the streets. I can see why locals enjoy just getting out of the city and many have a place in the country (as in 45 - 60 minutes out of town). Some are gated communities that people spend the weekend at. The commute is a real pain, so few travel do it daily.
Someone asked me what I missed (so far). Tim Horton's coffee (XL with one cream) and water pressure in the shower - we have gravity feed from a tank on the roof and we are on the top floor, so not a lot of pressure.
I have taken to listening to Calgary radio stations on the internet early in the morning and late in the day. It is an easy reconnect with 'home'.
S
o far - no regrets. NONE. I speak for myself. Mimi's list will be different when she gets here. But I hope there will be no regrets on her side (that's where the flowers come into play!).
Interestingly - the walk home from work is quite a different experience. I will have to share that with you some time.

Adios amigos,
Barney