Two hours west of Buenos Aires, in the nearby town of Luján is Carlos Keen Station. A nearly forgotten railway station that was closed down in the early 90s after an unsuccessful attempt to nationalize and later privatize the Argentina railroad.
Nowadays, the town and the railroad are the perfect destination for a daytripper with a car and a free afternoon.
A bunch of us made the drive from BsAs to Luján and arrived mid-morning at a local asador where for about 80 pesos ($13 U.S.) we experienced parilla at its best. OK, let me pause for a moment and restate that. The food was delicious. The atmosphere was great. The flies were ridiculous.
Given that the restaurant was on a farm, and animals roamed freely, flies were aplenty. For the most part the meal and the flies co-mingled fine. It wasn’t until the meat arrived that the flies swarmed in the hundreds. Apart from that, it was excellent.
A few hours later, after gobbling down our desserts, we drove to Carlos Keen Station to drink a little mate and let the kids run around.
The old brick train station stands in the center of town. While it is closed now, you can walk the grounds, the tracks, and peruse the visitor center.
Carlos Keen was my son’s favorite part. I know because I asked him. To be fair, he said the “tracks” were his favorite part. But whatever. The kid loves trains. Whether he’s choo-chooing along with a refurbished Lionel train set, or dressing up as a conductor, he can’t get enough of the railroad.
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- Someone got a wee dirty
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- Walking the tracks
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- Windmill!
Seriously, if you’re in Argentina, and you have an appetite for some asado with a hankering for trains, then head over to Luján just west of BsAs.
Got thoughts on Carlos Keen? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at me@y2kemo.com.
