The Neverending Necochea, Argentina Discussion Thread

[Maister]

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So what do you like or dislike about Necochea, Argentina? I imagine quite a few of us have travelled there, either while on family vacation, or attending a work-related conference, or possibly doing missionary work.

Let's talk about Necochea!

 

[Faust_Motel]

I always stop by to have myself debugged and to freshen my rodenticide at the Control De Plagas there when I'm in town.

 

[Dan]

Towns in Argentina and Chile seem both oddly familiar and foreign at the same time.

Grids with square blocks work fine in downtowns, but not so much in less dense residential areas. Small square blocks have too much street coverage, and large blocks end up having lots that are too deep.

A classic Argentinian Ford Falcon. You probably didn't want to see one of these parked in front of your house in the 1980s.

There's a violation.

Nice parking job.

Another Falcon.

Premature subdivision?

The only railroad line in and out of town has seen better days.

Why do cities in Latin America have so many pharmacies?

Orange roofs seem like an indicator of wealthier neighborhoods.

That's awkward.

A pedestrian-friendly Chevrolet dealer?

Seriously?

Where's the trees? A lot of streets have no sidewalks, so no tree lawns. Despite the deep lots, there's high building coverage.

Some areas do strange things with Streetview. Click forward, and the view moves backward.

 

[Maister]

Orange roofs seem like an indicator of wealthier neighborhoods.

But not always.

The other Latin American fixture is the bars on the windows everywhere you go.

As murals go I've seen much worse.

 

[ursus]

I personally, LOVE Necochea. They tell me the architectural influences are Welsh, though I have to confess I have no idea what that means. The bridge of the Que Quen River is beautiful. My tour of that area would go something like this....."See that bridge? I threw up so much undigested meat over that bridge one night in November, 1990. I had never been to an "Asado" (Argie-Barbecue), and I was the biggest person they'd ever seen in real life so they just kept feeding me......if organ failure hadn't been a real concern it would be kinda funny....."

 

[Dan]

A few more.

Calle de Michigan

The doorbell plays Deutschland Uber Alles.

Take away the fences in some of the houses, and the weird German/Argentinian mashup architecture, and this neighborhood in Bahia Blanca looks surprisingly North American. Curvilinear streets with curbs, tree lawns, sidewalks (that are missing street crossing stubs at intersections!), and houses with front lawns. There's a lot more American-style development in Chile, though. These new-ish subdivisions with German-style houses are everywhere in Chilean suburbs. Streetscapes like this and this aren't uncommon in Uruguay.

You know, there's zero American-style suburban commercial development in the town. Googledrive through cities in Africa -- even outside South Africa and the north side of Harare -- and you'll still see strip plazas and power centers. I'm struggling to even find a McDonald's in Argentina.

 

[DVD]

I've always said paving roads is a waste of taxpayer dollars and this place proves that.