Nerd Pilgrimage: Bookworm Heaven

What: Bookworm Heaven

Where: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fandom: Bibliophile

Price: Varies

I have to confess that Buenos Aires was actually not my first choice of where I would spend my 4-day weekend. Now, I am so happy I went and can't believe what an amazing trip it was. At the time I was staying in Cordoba, Argentina for school and was trying to figure out the cheapest place to go. I knew nothing about Buenos Aires except what my host family kept telling me which was basically that I would have my stuff stolen and possibly kidnap if I'm not careful

Just image my surprise (and nerdgasm) I had when I saw a street littered with bookstores. I wanted to weep for I had accidentally discovered that Buenos Aires is actually Bookworm Heaven. Oh, dear reader, this one little street was just the beginning! Scattered throughout the city are bookstores of new and old. You can easily find a old, antique shop that has more stories within it’s walls than between the pages of the wonderfully dusty books on it’s shelves. Right next to it will be a cool, modern bookshop where the stories tell of art and music. Hell, I even found a sleek looking comic book shop where the walls were lined with mangas and comics. Of course, you’ll come across those crummy shops where you’ll just find books like Yo by Ricky Martin or the billionth biography with a “new” perspective of Che Guevara’s life.

In the midst of this jungle of books, I had discovered what I believe to be the South American Bookstore version of the Holy Grail: El Ateneo.

Unfortunately, the photo above does no justice to the true beauty of El Ateneo. (Trivia: This was taken with my iPhone because my regular camera was stolen while in Cordoba, Argentina.) My dear reader, if you are a true bookworm, this is a place you must visit. While it’s selection is borderline average, the beauty of the building more than makes up for it. At one time it was a theatre but now the stage is a cafe! The balcony seats were transformed into comfy little areas to sit and read the latest edition of psychology books or the newest best seller.

Regardless of what bookstore you choose, you’ll have the time of your life as you sit down, sipping amazingly good Argentinean coffee while badly translating some random book! Maybe you’ll end up on the highest level at El Ateneo, people watching and creating characters of your own to write about. Perhaps you’ll be like me and have a fine time geeking out over “¿Dónde está Wally?”