San Telmo

We left the hotel this morning to meet up with some members of the crew @ tomorrow's location. Upon entering the cab, I was taken back to Almodovar's "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". Carmen Maura's character keeps hailing down the "Mambo Taxi". The groovy cab has everything a woman on the verge needs except Kleenex. Our cab does not have stockings or mascara but it did have smokes, free maps, cards to local businesses and Kleenex.

After our meeting, we grabbed our driver Mario and headed to where all BA shoppers go on sundays, San Telmo. The square @ Plaza Dorrego hosts a huge flea market and the surrounding streets spill out onto the pavement with antiques, Quilmes umbrellas and street bands. Alot of schlock and alot of great buys. But before we hit the square, we went to my favorite secret courtyard. Hardly a secret but on the last job here, the producer and I stumbled upon it and loved it. A place where Che and Marilyn can cohabitate in peace and the antique linens are hanging from the balconies.






We ran into Robert Elswit's wife Helen while in a leather store. Seems she was well known by the staff and she skillfully guided me into a purchase of uniquely indiginous leather gloves.
After a few hours of purusing the goods and a quick lunch, we ducked down a sidestreet to get back to our driver. We came upon an imposing cathedral. I suppose there's something imposing about the point of a battle ax.



We then returned to the mirrored, sconced lit comfort of the hotel. Tomorrow everything hits the fan as we begin day one of six.