Buenos Aires is a sprawling(蔓生的;不规则地伸展的)giant, with towering glass skyscrapers casting shadows on 19th century Victorian houses and a wealth of unique neighborhoods, each with its own personality.
The San Telmo district, where Buenos Aires artists work and live, is noted for its mishmash(混杂物)of architectural styles, perfectlyembodying (体现)Buenos Aires' multinational heritage in Spanish Colonial houses with Italian detailing and graceful French Classic buildings holdingantique shops, tango bars and cafes. La Boca's pressed tin houses were painted a rainbow of colors by 19th century Italian immigrant families, colors which are still bright and set off by the colorful murals decorating the walls of side streets. The city's chicest(时髦的)neighborhood is the Barrio Recoleta, called the Beverly Hills of Buenos Aires for its art galleries and upscale(高档的)restaurants.
Culture flourishes here too. One of the world's finest opera houses, the Teatro Colon, has hosted the likes of Maria Callas, Toscanini, Stravinsky, and Caruso in its luxurious French Renaissance-styled theatre. Tickets are hard to come by(得到)as season ticket-holders crowd the seats, but visitors can tour the theater from 10am to 6pm weekdays.
Buenos Aires' famous Museo de Bellas Artes is Argentina's finest art gallery with a good collection of modern Argentine painters, wood sculptured artifacts from the provinces, and Impressionist and post-Impressionist (后印象派主义)paintings such as Monet, Degas, and Chagall. And any visitor includes the Plaza de Mayo on his or her itinerary(旅程)to see the plaza where the citizens gathered together to hear speeches by populist leaders Juan and Evita Peron.