9 de Julio Avenue: the world's widest

Just a few meters away from our Hotel, you will find the 9 de Julio Avenue. Known not only for being the widest avenue in the world (spanning 140 meters or 459 ft wide) it also host the Obelisk on its center's (the most iconic monument in Argentina)

The avenue started as a plan in the late 1890's but it was until 1912 when the project was approved, but the titanic task of demolishing acres upon acres of buildings in order to make room for the avenue was not an easy job. It was until 1937 (a year after the inauguration of the Obelisk) when the first segment of the avenue was open to traffic, after years of delays due to financial and legals problems.

Aerial view of Avenida 9 de Julio and Obelisk

During the next following decades after the official inauguration, the avenue was expanding further more south and north, it was in the 1990's where the final addition to it was completed when the Illia Highway was finished and connected to the avenue.

In 2012 the "Metrobus" was constructed in order to create lanes only for buses, helping disolve part of the traffic jams the downtown of the city is known for.

The 9 de Julio Ave. spans across 4 different neighborhoods: Retiro, San Nicolas, Monserrat and Constitucion (a train station and access to the highway that takes you to the Ezeiza Airport also are located here)

The avenue is home of a lot of historical buidings like The Colon Theater, The Public Works Department building (famous for having on its facade the mural of Eva Peron made in iron) and the French Embassy among others.

Down below the streets several subways station converge, making the areas around the Obelisk a real hub for people who need to travel to the downtown area of the city

The Obelisk and the then new first segment of the 9 de Julio Ave. in 1937

Three also very important avenues cross the 9 de Julio (Avenida de Mayo, Avenida Corrientes and Avenida Santa Fe) making of these intersections cardinal points in the city.

Not everything is cars and traffic thou...several kinds of trees are part of the 9 de Julio, like the silk floss tree, rosewood and the most famous, the jacaranda tree, turning the entire avenue purple during spring.

If you decide to visit the Obelisk or the Colon Theater, you sure will enjoy the 9 de Julio as well!