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The Trendiest Neighborhoods of Montevideo
By Suki Davis

When someone asks me, “What are the trendiest neighborhoods of Montevideo?” I have to stop and think for a minute, and then I tell them about our house buying adventure. We had rented a suite on the main floor of a home in the Buceo neighborhood when we first arrived, and after three years, and a new addition to the family, we had outgrown our dark, humid, 60-square-meter home. When we set out to search for our new home, we had a good idea of what we were looking for. “Location is most important,” I thought and I began searching.

I had wanted to stay in our old neighborhood. We lived close to the ocean, yet just a few blocks from the Rivera Avenue (which is one of the main arteries of Montevideo). I could take a bus anywhere, and was only 30 minutes from my workplace downtown. Buceo, which literally means diving, used to be full of low lying humble fisherman shacks, but there has been a recent boom in development. Liceo Francas, the World Trade Towers, and the Montevideo Shopping Mall are all located in the neighborhood. This means convenience for both work and school for many families. Unfortunately, with the plans of yet another “Zona Franca” or free trade zone underway, land prices were rising and I had to expand my search.

I knew that neither Pocitos nor Punta Carretas were my type of neighborhood. Pocitos is what is thought of as the gem of Montevideo, even though its name means “Little Holes”. Replete with sidewalk cafes, ice cream parlors, and classy restaurants, and home to the massive Saturday market, you might think that Pocitos is where you can best hear the heartbeat of the city. But sadly, although it offers great services, proximity to the ocean, and good security, the density of the population and all that goes with it, is just too much for me. They say that there is one dog for every three people in Montevideo; I think that the dog population in Pocitos is much larger. I couldn’t live in Pocitos with all the dog poop, cars, and cacophony.

Punta Carretas, adjacent to Pocitos, runs alongside the golf course, and is full of delightful narrow winding streets and classic architecture. Sadly, the area is dominated with the presence of a huge creepy mall (that used to be a jail). This mall has squelched much of the entrepreneurialism in the area so there are fewer groovy cafes, boutiques, and shops than Pocitos. Plus, I was committed to finding a house with a yard for our family. Pocitos and Punta Carretas are the most expensive places in Montevideo. For our budget, it was impossible.

I began to look in other neighborhoods. I thought of Carrasco, which is located far from the center of town. Here you can find wide avenues, sprawling homes, and curling cul de sacs. In short, it is like any upscale suburb of any North American city. No, not for me. I did not want a home that I could find in my native Canada. I wanted a home that had been built in the early 1900’s when Uruguay experienced what is known as the “time of the fat cow”. I began to focus my search more toward the center of Montevideo.

In Cuidad Vieja, the old city, statuesque homes with incredible marble and tile details offer many commercial and housing possibilities. Lots of buildings are currently being recycled for offices or loft living, and the area has recently become very appealing to foreign investors. Prices are good, and, as one recent purchaser told me, “in what other place on the planet would you find the combination of fine quality early 19th century architecture located between a river and the ocean?” Unfortunately, there are some areas that are unsafe at night and I continued my search for a more family-friendly area.

Briefly, we considered Palermo where traditional old homes are often converted into several flats providing affordable housing for young families. Candome drumming groups still practice in the streets, and the yearly llamada parades march through the center of the area. Palermo is the most bohemian and artistic neighborhood in Montevideo.

Then we turned our attention to Parque Rodo, another upcoming area complete with classic architecture, tree-lined avenues, and an old-world feel. “Ah yes”, I thought, “this would be the perfect”. The park itself is a tree filled haven where you can enjoy a variety of pastimes. There are civic tennis courts, a sport club, a Sunday market, a huge playground, an art gallery, and enough shade for everyone who wants to spend an afternoon drinking mate with friends. I spent days trudging along the streets of Parque Rodo talking with people and asking about properties that were for sale. Our realtor showed me over 40 houses.

In the end, one block away from both the Pocitos and the Parque Rodo boundries, in a non-descript middle class neighborhood that is called simply Cordon, or “the shoelace”, we found the house of our dreams. Once the home of the Minister of Culture in Uruguay, it was built in 1924 with high ceilings, old finishing details, and a 2 x 5 meter stained-glass skylight. Our backyard boasts a lemon tree and a climbing jasmine bush that offers shade and an alluring aroma. We have quiet and privacy. We are happy.

We love the friendliness of our neighbors, that the local merchants know us by name, that parking attendants on our block keep watch on our house as well. We don’t mind living in the shoelace. For us, we live in the trendiest neighborhood, although no one else knows it.