All over Buenos Aires, Argentina there are signs that say "Buenos Aires: World's Best City for ____" some of them say "soccer!", others "tango dancing!" and from what I saw I would agree.
But one of them says "Buenos Aires: World's Best City for bookstores".
and I was like "uhuh. No. I am from the World's Best City for bookstores: Portland, Or. Ever heard of a book store that is 1 square city block, called Powell's?
You can imagine how humbled I was when I stepped inside El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a bookstore that is a converted early 20th century theatre with a seating capacity of 1,050 people. The old opera boxes are now reading nooks and the mezzanines hold thousands of books! With a name like grand splendid it better be, and it truly is.
What is it about bookstores that just makes me filled with the urge to make the world stop? I wish I could be given a year (and unlimited coffee & bagels) to read everything that I want to. I'm afraid something tragic might happen to me before I get time to read all the great tragedies, and sometimes I'm too busy being in love to read the great love stories.
I guess It's just hard to find the time to live two lives: your own, and the more poetic, perfectly tied together one you live while reading a great novel.
(photo) on film with Pentax k1000 (p.s) more posts about books stores: an art installation HERE (one of my favorite posts I've written).
I haven't been around for a while which makes me so sad because I've missed so many of your beautiful posts. But I'm back! And I have to say: You are lucky! Wish I had been there. Amazing. And I completely get what you say about...well...everything, really.
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Kipa
i loved buenos aires! i did a study abroad there in college... how did i miss this?
ReplyDeletethis bookstore pretty much looks like my idea of heaven.
This bookstore is the most incredible place IN THE WHOLE WORLD. Not enough hours in the day, days in the year, years in my life to spend at this heavenly place. Did you eat alfajores from their cafe? INCREDIBLE.
ReplyDeleteOh soulmate, I could just die... Can you imagine us spending a day in there? Correction: spending a YEAR in there? It would be the best year of our lives. We'd be bracketing up a story with quotes quotes quotes galore!
ReplyDeleteMiss you<3 you always!
Speaking as someone who spent too much time in the world of books for awhile: Don't worry. Your own life is better than that in books because it's real.
ReplyDeleteWOW! amazing. i love bookstores as well! such wonderful places
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