Don't Cry for Me Barcelona
巴塞隆納別為我哭泣

created 8/15/2002, posted on 8/26/2002

Now I live in a city I neither like nor dislike. A city claims its fame by its "3C" – Coca Cola, CNN, and CDC (I am not surprised if you are not sure what the last one is, but at least it is my current employer!). A city rose to international spotlight when it hosted the Centennial Olympic Game in 1996. However, for many reasons, I think it might be the least attractive Olympic city in decades. It is not a surprise considering that it has to be in the same league with cities like Rome, Munich, Montreal, Sydney, and in a couple of years from now, Athens and Beijing.

Then it occurred to me that dazzling Olympic Game just four years before 1996. With beautiful backdrop of mountains and shining Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona really made its mark on the global stage. While people think about the Atlanta Olympics, it comes to mind the terrorist attack at the Centennial Olympic Park (a small bomb was set off and two people were killed), MARTA train derail, and many athletes fainting with heat exhaustion (you will understand that if you visit Atlanta in summer). When people think about the Barcelona Olympics, people think about the glamorous opening ceremony, the lively Las Ramblas street scenes, and the beautiful spikes of Gaudi-designed modernist Sagrada Familia (Church of Holly Family). Sometimes I wonder, what kind of courage Atlanta had when they understood they got to host Olympic Game right after Barcelona (I guess Atlanta didn’t care anyway, just like the MARTA bus drivers don’t care how delayed they are)? And sometimes I wish I were in Barcelona, but not Atlanta. While I waited for a bus already late for 35 minutes here, I wonder that it might be actually a pleasant walk from point A to point B if this were Barcelona. There is no way to walk around in Atlanta. There is almost no shade along most sidewalk and worse, there may be no sidewalks on streets.

For a week in July, I actually had chance to walk from point A to point B, several times, in Barcelona. While point A is my hotel in Raval district, point B is the Fira Palace next to the Plaza Espanya, where the 14th International AIDS Conference was held.

It is only three subway stations away, possibly fewer than 2 kilometers. This part of the subway route is under Gran Via de Les Cortes (shortened as "Gran Via" –the Great Way). With tree-lined and very broad pedestrian area in the middle of the road, it is really a ‘great way’ in many senses. North of Gran Via, it is Barcelona’s posh and more modern neighborhood – Eixample. Though it is very modern and most of the streets are straight, you can find many hidden gems. There are many townhouse buildings designed by modernist architects at the turn of 20th century. Some of them were even designed by Barcelona’s favorite son – Antonio Gaudi. Modernist style is partly surreal and with a lot of symbolism (isn’t this balcony look like a cat’s head?).

South of Gran Via, all the way to the Mediterranean shore, most of this area is the "old part" of the town. Bisected by Las Ramblas (The dried river bed, as this street was built on), west of it is called Raval and east of it is Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter). Both neighborhoods are with endless narrow and crooked streets. With the Cathedral and several beautiful tree-lined squares, Barri Gotic is the one every tourist loves to visit. While the conference-assigned travel agent reserved a hotel at the ‘less favorite’ part of old town for me, I ended up having chance to discover a new, funky neighborhood I did not even know before.

When I visited Barcelona for the first time in 1995, I remember they still called Raval its old name "Barri Xine." Translated into English it means "Chinese Quarter." There was no Chinatown here. It was so called because it was seedy, dark, and full of crime (and not that there were many Chinese committing crime. There were hardly any Chinese here). This name was since dropped because its racist implication. Though Raval still has some reputation for drug activities, now many things have been cleaned up. After Barcelona Contemporary Art Museum opened it door in 1995 and many artists started to move in, this neighborhood started its renaissance. You can find some galleries in side streets. Adding to that there are a lot new immigrants from Asian and Arabic countries, Raval becomes a neighborhood with real international flavor. Sort of like my former neighborhood – Lower East Side – in New York City.

Of course, just like my habit back in New York City, I liked to cross Las Ramblas, to the other side – Barri Gotic, for some great dining and shopping experience. Las Ramblas became Barcelona’s Houston Street for me. (or is Barri Gotic more like SoHo rather than East Village? Then that made Las Ramblas like Bowery Street…)

One evening I walked back to my hotel from a subway station (my hotel is right behind the Contemporary Art Museum), I passed by an attractive old building. I could hear live music playing from the courtyard inside and saw a lot of people with wine glasses and snack in their hands (supposed to be free). I saw the logo from the AIDS Conference and realized this is a satellite reception for conference attendees. I wandered in and quickly made some new friends. Then the host organization took out a new round of Mojito (A Latin cocktail with strong mint flavor) and a Salsa band came out to play more music. This courtyard looked historic and elegant and is surely a great place to show the host city’s hospitality. While I didn’t even think about coming to a reception like this, I just hit it by chance. Life in Barcelona is as sweet as that glass of Mojito.

Though I tried to stick my daytime schedule strictly to the Conference (That was why I visited there, wasn’t it?), but a city like Barcelona is too distracting (no wonder Atlanta is a good conference city – conventioneers can concentrate their activities on the meetings). Even though I had visited Sagrada Familia seven years ago, I managed to make another trip there. This time, I walked from Point A to Point C, on another tree-lined boulevard.

It was surprising to see this intriguing church now having a new façade, which is, how should I put it – post-modernism. With those bible figures now dressing like the characters from the Star War series, even Gaudi’s unfinished project now enters the 21st century. On the opposite of the new façade, I found the entrance I remembered back from seven years ago. This original 'modernist' design now looks ‘classic.’ Then walking from Point C to D, I arrived at another Gaudi building – La Pedrera, also called Espai Gaudi.

I also made a visit to La Pedrera seven years ago when it was still called Casa Mila (La Pedrera, Espai Gaudi, Casa Mila...does Barcelona buildings and neighborhood have to change names so frequently like I change my addresses?) and was still not open to the public. Now it is established into a Gaudi mesuem and exhibits many blueprints of Gaudi’s designs. The rooftop terrace of la Pedrera is especially interesting. With all the ventilation shafts and chimneys in such semi-abstract shape, they look like crowned women or masked knights. It is fun to amble up and down the terrace. Not far ahead, the eight spikes of Sagrada Familia visibly stand out among the low-rise apartment building. I heard on Friday and Saturday nights, this roof terrace becomes "La Pedrera de Nit", where it offers live Jazz music, drinks, and fine night view of the city. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t stay until the coming Friday nights.

After visiting possibly more than 200 destinations in the world, there is hardly any place that gave me better impression in my second visit, compared to the first visit. I remember I used to like Baltimore and Atlanta in my first visits there almost 10 years ago. But Barcelona in 2002, actually is more impressive than in 1995. And it's great to see a city always trying to make it better.

I went on traveling to a Mediterranean island on that Friday the Conference ended and returned to Barcelona the next Wednesday. I spent only another 12 hours in town before I took an overnight train to Paris. But that 12 hours was very important for me, for me to have a final feel of this great city. It took me seven years to make this second visit. Who knows how many years will pass for me to be here again? I finally got into the Contemporary Art Museum (after passing by a dozen times the week before) and managed to find the obscurely located Picasso Museum (though I heard the Picasso Museum in Paris has a better collection, but why not visit both?). Before I took my last subway ride to train station, I sat down at a Basque tapas bar to enjoy their famous pintxos – various pickled seafood on a small slice of French bread. Just like other small Spanish tapas dishes, they are small, but delicate. And they are very delicious. I know there is a tapas bar not too far from where I live in Atlanta (still a long walk if you don’t drive). But why settle for the transplanted one when you can enjoy the real thing.

It was lucky for those Olympian (and us conference attendees, in my case) to come to such big events in such an amazing city. But I guess I do not envy those did not make it to the Olympics until 1996.

I live in a city I thought I neither like nor dislike, a city with so many cars and so little space for pedestrians. This European trip ironically made me even love Atlanta less than before, especially after I realized how colorful city life should have been and what Atlanta will never be. And how helplessly boring my life has become after moving here. But don’t cry for me Barcelona. I know I can choose to live a life putting my career arrangement prior to any other thing. But I have learned to live my life by the way I want it to be. So don’t cry for me Barcelona, cry for Atlanta instead.