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If you visit Buenos Aires when you travel in Argentina, you’ll quickly realise that this is a city made up of many pleasant plazas. These pleasant squares are speckled around the city, and are perfect places to relax, read the paper, drink a coffee and watch the world go by.

If you head to Palermo, the coolest neighbourhood by far, you’ll realise that this area is quite different from much of the city. Things seem more peaceful, the crowds are trendier, the streets are somehow cleaner. There are a number of plazas in Palermo, and the one that is always recommended first when you travel in Argentina is Plaza Cortaza.

However, pleasant as Plaza Cortaza may be, you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Plaza Armenia as well.

Plaza Armenia, Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Visit During the Week

Situated where the two streets Armenia and Costa Rica join together, this small and attractive square is the perfect place to visit during the week when you travel in Argentina, when all you’ll find are a few locals enjoying the peace and quiet.

If you’re a fan of people watching then this is the ideal place to stop by and engage in this favourite past time, as you can sit back and watch Argentinian daily life play out in front of you.

If you don’t fancy sitting in the plaza itself, head to one of the bars or cafes around the edges. Many of these have roof terraces from which you can sit with a beer and watch the world go by below.

Weekend Craft Market

Head to Plaza Armenia on the weekend, however, and things are quite different. This is a hotspot for residents of Palermo, and if the sun is shining you can bet that the square will crowd out as everyone has the same idea.

A busy market selling homemade arts and crafts springs up out of nowhere, the atmosphere becomes more intense, and you’ll be lucky to find a seat in any of the cafes, let alone on one of the terraces.

Explore the Area

In the near vicinity, you can also take a stroll down Armenia to enjoy some of the Armenian culture of Buenos Aires. There are a number of Armenian restaurants, so if you’ve had enough steak during your time in Buenos Aires then this could be a good antidote.

Visit Plaza Armenia

Definitely take the time to visit Plaza Armenia the next time you travel in Argentina. It’s nothing sensational, but for a good place to enjoy watching the locals in a pleasant, authentic setting then it can’t be beaten.

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Article Source: Travel in Argentina: Visit Plaza Armenia, Buenos Aires

January 5, 2010July 7, 2024

The Fall of the Roman Empire

We came across this historically intriguing film we wanted to share with our Armenian community. This epic film, produced in 1964, depicts a weakening Roman Empire struggling to maintain its power and defend against a growing number of enemies on all fronts. To do so, Caesar decides to unite Rome and powerful ally Armenia through the marriage of his daughter with Armenia’s king. An all-star cast, including Alec Guiness, Christopher Plummer, Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif, playing the King of Armenia, bring this memorable story to life.

In this short clip, which we found amusing and endearing, Rome’s allies arrive to show their allegiance to Caesar. However, Caesar is somewhat indifferent to most of his allies except when Armenia’s king presents himself.

Watch the full-length film here:

The Fall of the Roman Empire

January 1, 2010November 1, 2023

Sarkis Baltaian (concert pianist)

Sarkis Baltaian, emerging as one of the most promising young pianists of his generation, has gained an international reputation as a concert pianist, soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. Praised by critics for his “beautiful tone and ability to project even the most delicate pianissimos” and compared to George Gershwin and Oscar Levant for his performance of Gershwin’s Concerto in F, Mr. Baltaian made his Carnegie Hall Debut in 1999 and has performed extensively throughout the United States, Germany, Austria, Holland, Czech Republic and Bulgaria. He has frequently appeared as a soloist with various orchestras including USC Thornton Symphony, American Youth Symphony, Plovdiv, Pleven, Sliven Philharmonics, Sofia Soloist Orchestra (Bulgaria), to name a few. Together with his sister violinist Aroussiak Baltaian, he has been featured as a guest artist at the 1999 Los Angeles Philharmonic International Gala and also appeared at the 2000 World Piano Pedagogy Convention in Las Vegas.

Mr. Baltaian is the 1999 winner of the USC Piano Concerto Competition. He is also a Grand prize winner of the Armenian Allied Arts Association Competition, the “Young Piano Virtuosi” International Competition in the Czech Republic and the “Svetoslav Obretenov” National Competition in Bulgaria. His festival appearances include the Aspen International Music Festival, Holland Music Sessions and Plovdiv International Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Baltaian has made numerous recordings for Television and Radio Stations in the United States, Holland, Czech Republic and Bulgaria. He has been featured in live radio broadcasts on KUSC “Sundays at Four”, Los Angeles, WMFT’s “Dame Myra Hess” series in Chicago, KNPR Classical series, Las Vegas.

Sarkis Baltaian, of Armenian descent was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and began to study piano at the age of four with Rositza Ivancheva at the “Dobrin Petkov” Music School. Awarded a merit scholarship from the University of Southern California and grants from AGBU-New York and USC Friends of Armenian Music, he continued his education at USC where he received the Bachelor and Masters of Music Degrees and became the Outstanding Graduate of the Keyboard Department. His principal teacher has been John Perry and he has also worked with various musicians such as Sergiu Commisiona, Larry Livingston, Alan Remington, Vasil Kazandjiev, Emile Naumov, Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, Gyorgy Sandor, Menahem Pressler, John O’Connor, Germaine Muniet, Lee Kum-Sing, Edna Golandsky, Nina Scolnik, Milton Stern, Sergei Dorensky, Dmitri Bashkirov.

Sarkis Baltaian is a frequent adjudicator for such organizations as the California Association of Professional Music Teachers, Music Teachers Association of California, Southwestern Youth Music Festival and was recently appointed to become the District Coordinator for CAMPT District IX.

From 2002-2006, Dr. Baltaian served as the teaching assistant to Professor John Perry at the University of Southern California and was also a member of the piano faculty at the California State University, Los Angeles from 2005-2008.

Currently, Dr. Baltaian is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.