La Plata - underrated city - 40kms / 25 miles from BA

[enbits]

 

[Digital Nomad]

Thanks @enbits. It looks like a nice enough town. Is there anything exciting to do there? What are some of your favorite things to do there? Is there a bus or train that goes out there? If so, how long does it take?

 

[enbits]

Thanks @enbits. It looks like a nice enough town. Is there anything exciting to do there? What are some of your favorite things to do there? Is there a bus or train that goes out there? If so, how long does it take?

It's the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, built by masons and is considered one of the best planned cities in the world. In fact the blueprint was made before the actual buildings SimCity-like: there are historic pictures of big buildings like museums, train stations that were built before anyone was living there... crazy.

Edit: you can go there by bus or train ~1 hr trip.

You can do the Mason tour, visit the Cathedral, the museum, the planetary, etc. If you like history then it's interesting to visit at least once.

Blueprint (diagonals point exactly to North / South - West / East)



BA - La Plata


Satellite pic

 

[Digital Nomad]

It's the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, built by masons and is considered one of the best planned cities in the world. In fact the blueprint was made before the actual buildings SimCity-like: there are historic pictures of big buildings like museums, train stations that were built before anyone was living there... crazy.

Edit: you can go there by bus or train ~1 hr trip.

You can do the Mason tour, visit the Cathedral, the museum, the planetary, etc. If you like history then it's interesting to visit at least once.

Blueprint (diagonals point exactly to North / South - West / East)

View attachment 6806

BA - La Plata
View attachment 6808

Satellite pic
View attachment 6809

Thanks! I will plan an overnight or weekend trip there based on your post. It looks like a nice city. I just checked TripAdvisor forum and it's totally dead! Honestly, all of the forums for Argentina are fairly dead. Seems like tourism has slowed down based on these forums. It used to be really busy.

 

[Vince]

It's the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, built by masons and is considered one of the best planned cities in the world. In fact the blueprint was made before the actual buildings SimCity-like: there are historic pictures of big buildings like museums, train stations that were built before anyone was living there... crazy.

Edit: you can go there by bus or train ~1 hr trip.

You can do the Mason tour, visit the Cathedral, the museum, the planetary, etc. If you like history then it's interesting to visit at least once.

Blueprint (diagonals point exactly to North / South - West / East)

View attachment 6806

BA - La Plata
View attachment 6808

Satellite pic
View attachment 6809

You are right it is a nice city. Thanks for posting that aerial view @enbits. I have never seen that view and it's beautiful.

The Cathedral de la Plata is a very beautiful church. Museo de la Plata is a nice natural science museum. I haven't been in years but you are right it is worth a visit.

 

[enbits]

Thanks! I will plan an overnight or weekend trip there based on your post. It looks like a nice city. I just checked TripAdvisor forum and it's totally dead! Honestly, all of the forums for Argentina are fairly dead. Seems like tourism has slowed down based on these forums. It used to be really busy.

Well is not a very touristy city, it's very shadowed by BA but has a lot of history behind. Another curiosity:

The train station was used to film a shot of 7 Years in Tibet because its resemblance with German / Austrian architecture. I was born in La Plata and I remember seeing the Nazi flags hanging on the train station XD.

Even more surprising for me and my family was seeing the GRAZ banner at the top of te entrance: my grandmother was born in Graz, Austria so it was really weird for us to see that scene.

 

[Vince]

Well is not a very touristy city, it's very shadowed by BA but has a lot of history behind. Another curiosity:

The train station was used to film a shot of 7 Years in Tibet because its resemblance with German / Austrian architecture. I was born in La Plata and I remember seeing the Nazi flags hanging on the train station XD.

Even more surprising for me and my family was seeing the GRAZ banner at the top of te entrance: my grandmother was born in Graz, Austria so it was really weird for us to see that scene.

Wow! I did not know that about the train station. That would have been crazy seeing the flags at the train station. That is wild.

 

[Digital Nomad]

Well is not a very touristy city, it's very shadowed by BA but has a lot of history behind. Another curiosity:

The train station was used to film a shot of 7 Years in Tibet because its resemblance with German / Austrian architecture. I was born in La Plata and I remember seeing the Nazi flags hanging on the train station XD.

Even more surprising for me and my family was seeing the GRAZ banner at the top of te entrance: my grandmother was born in Graz, Austria so it was really weird for us to see that scene.

Looks like a nice city. I've never been there. What was it like growing up there? Good quality of life? Probably much slower paced vs. Buenos Aires. I will have to add it to my list of cities to visit. I had heard they filmed that at the train station and I believe they filmed some other scenes of that movie in Mendoza.

 

[enbits]

Looks like a nice city. I've never been there. What was it like growing up there? Good quality of life? Probably much slower paced vs. Buenos Aires. I will have to add it to my list of cities to visit. I had heard they filmed that at the train station and I believe they filmed some other scenes of that movie in Mendoza.

Yes, slow paced, simpler people, a bit monotonous though. There are nice cities nearby like City Bell and Gonnet with more greenery, big houses very upscale. Yes they filmed the TIbet scenes in Mendoza XD because they weren't allowed to film in China. Here're some of the scenes:
youtube

 

[Digital Nomad]

Yes, slow paced, simpler people, a bit monotonous though. There are nice cities nearby like City Bell and Gonnet with more greenery, big houses very upscale. Yes they filmed the TIbet scenes in Mendoza XD because they weren't allowed to film in China. Here're some of the scenes:
youtube

Thank you. Gonna check it out in the next few months. I liked that movie and really cool they filmed in Argentina.

 

[Betsy Ross]

I will also add it to my list to visit.

 

[Wally]

Agree with you this city is a gem. My wife has family here so we have been here a few times. Not been back in a while but beautiful city. Affordable city. Our last stay a few years ago we stayed at the Dazzler hotel which was new. Very nice and not expensive.

 

[Billy Goat]

Agree with you this city is a gem. My wife has family here so we have been here a few times. Not been back in a while but beautiful city. Affordable city. Our last stay a few years ago we stayed at the Dazzler hotel which was new. Very nice and not expensive.

I also stayed at the Dazzler last year. GREAT location close to everything. There was a Dazzler in BA and one of the first hotels that I stayed in when I came to Buenos Aires and that didn't disappoint so we chose to stay there. Very nice hotel. @enbits called it correctly. I splendid city.

 

[I Love Mate]

I love La Plata!

 

[Uncle Wong]

It's the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, built by masons and is considered one of the best planned cities in the world. In fact the blueprint was made before the actual buildings SimCity-like: there are historic pictures of big buildings like museums, train stations that were built before anyone was living there... crazy.

Edit: you can go there by bus or train ~1 hr trip.

You can do the Mason tour, visit the Cathedral, the museum, the planetary, etc. If you like history then it's interesting to visit at least once.

Blueprint (diagonals point exactly to North / South - West / East)

View attachment 6806

BA - La Plata
View attachment 6808

Satellite pic
View attachment 6809

This layout of the city looks fantastic @enbits! Is this common for Argentine cities?

 

[enbits]

This layout of the city looks fantastic @enbits! Is this common for Argentine cities?

No, it's kind of unique in the world:

• It was designed by masons.
• The layout was created before the buildings where the main square is in the exact center of it and the foundational stone is buried in the center of the main square.
• Government buildings are alligned vertically to that main square, there are two main diagonal avenues pointing geographically to N/S W/E,
• Streets are numbered but they skipped the number 52 since it has a meaning for the masons, so you go from 51st street directly to 53rd.
• There are parks every 6 blocks, this idea was taken from a book written by Julio Verne. Also different streets have different type of trees, like orange trees and linden trees, this was designed for blind people so they can guide themselves with the smell of the trees.
• It was the very first city from South America with a public electric light network.

 

[Blockchain]

No, it's kind of unique in the world:

• It was designed by masons.
• The layout was created before the buildings where the main square is in the exact center of it and the foundational stone is buried in the center of the main square.
• Government buildings are alligned vertically to that main square, there are two main diagonal avenues pointing geographically to N/S W/E,
• Streets are numbered but they skipped the number 52 since it has a meaning for the masons, so you go from 51st street directly to 53rd.
• There are parks every 6 blocks, this idea was taken from a book written by Julio Verne. Also different streets have different type of trees, like orange trees and linden trees, this was designed for blind people so they can guide themselves with the smell of the trees.
• It was the very first city from South America with a public electric light network.

View attachment 6818

It sounds like a fascinating city. I wonder why the Masons chose La Plata to build this type of unique city. I am fascinated about it. Great to read about this. I met a girl in BA from La Plata. She said she just graduated from some University in that town. She told me there were a lot of students so the city sounds like a college town. I'm going to check it out in December when I come down next.

 

[James Bond]

La Plata is definitely worth a visit. Very good city layout. Small parks every 6 blocks as you can see on @enbits map. All the streets are on a rectangular grid. Its nickname is the city of diagonals (la ciudad de las diagonales).

My finance's family is from there so several trips there.

 

[Jenn]

Looks like a cool city. You peaked my interest @enbits. I saw this blog below. Does it have dog poop all over the streets like Buenos Aires does? Or is it better? Would it be boring to live in or is there enough to do?

La Plata: Buenos Aires’ Second City

La Plata is the baby sister city to Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Billing itself as the ‘city for everyone’ the capital of Buenos Aires province is important in the history and development of Argentina.

wander-argentina.com

 

[enbits]

Looks like a cool city. You peaked my interest @enbits. I saw this blog below. Does it have dog poop all over the streets like Buenos Aires does? Or is it better? Would it be boring to live in or is there enough to do?

La Plata: Buenos Aires’ Second City

La Plata is the baby sister city to Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires. Billing itself as the ‘city for everyone’ the capital of Buenos Aires province is important in the history and development of Argentina.

wander-argentina.com

I think is a bit cleaner than BA but haven't been in while so... I lived all my life there so I prefer BA... but if someone is looking for simpler life / family life La Plata is a good candidate.