what makes a "bar notable" notable? is it history? myth? marketing? over the course of three weeks last buenos aires winter i undertook to visit every single "bar notable" in a city famed for its café culture.
el Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires awards official "bar notable" status to 54 establishments of varying price, location and historical value. the criteria is vague. owners and bar staff of the bars are clueless or don't want to let on. having "bar notable" status is not just a question of kudos and advertising, however, since the GCBA also contributes to the upkeep of the bars (as well as placing restrictions on modifications).
over the course of the three weeks the variety of bars (cafés?) made it increasingly difficult to appreciate precisely what they did have in common. some of them didn't even seem particularly notable. so were the bares notable a set of commonalities? or was it simply a case of the marketing of commonality as a strategy of obscuring difference?
el Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires awards official "bar notable" status to 54 establishments of varying price, location and historical value. the criteria is vague. owners and bar staff of the bars are clueless or don't want to let on. having "bar notable" status is not just a question of kudos and advertising, however, since the GCBA also contributes to the upkeep of the bars (as well as placing restrictions on modifications).
over the course of the three weeks the variety of bars (cafés?) made it increasingly difficult to appreciate precisely what they did have in common. some of them didn't even seem particularly notable. so were the bares notable a set of commonalities? or was it simply a case of the marketing of commonality as a strategy of obscuring difference?
No comments:
Post a Comment