If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may remember that before the pandemia struck I was working on a book about the Bares Notables, a series of old, historic bars and cafes here in Buenos Aires. I put it on hold indefinitely, because the lockdown affected the economy so badly that we knew some of these places wouldn’t open again.  We still don’t know what the picture will look like in the end, but today I heard about a wonderful initiative that may help.

The Library Association has partnered with ten of the Bares Notables to make books available to patrons to read why they are there! They will be kind of mini-libraries, and you’ll be able to select a book and read it while you sip your coffee or wine, or have a meal. When you leave, you put the book in a special cuarantena bin, where it will stay for a week before coming out to be read again by another patron. Isn’t that great?

As it turns out, most of these Bares are not among the ones I know or have visited, so even though the book is still on hold, the “research” can resume! I’m sure there will be no problem getting friends to go out with me to check out the books and the bars—stay tuned!