Travel guides do a nice job detailing major events in a city's past, but all too often I find myself skipping to the heart of the guidebook to find the top attractions, hottest restaurants, and choice shops, merely scanning the historical info, and then wondering what that big street is named for, when that bridge was constructed, and what architectural style that church is built in. Blissful Travel tipped us off to a fun way to learn about one South American city's past. Buenos Aires teamed up with actors and historians to create twelve "circuits," with each focusing on a particular neighborhood, plaza, or thoroughfare, such as "Monserrat," the Argentine capital's first barrio; "Avenida Corrientes", its cultural artery; or "Retiro", home to the Starwood Luxury Collection hotel, Park Tower. Play circuit 11, and listen as Maria Kodama, recalls how her late husband, the writer Jorge Luis Borges found inspiration here, in the famous Plaza San Martin. Download the audio guides as mp3s, or dial 8232 on your mobile phone and have a listen in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

In addition to these fabulous audio guides, and a host of essential tidbits about the city, the website also provides wonderful biographical guides for three of Buenos Aires' most famous citizens: Borges, Eva Peron, and Carlos Gardel. Download all three, as well as the free, 27-page city guide before you go. It makes a great in-flight read. Here's another idea. Got teenagers studying Spanish? Send them off to learn about the city's heros while you finish up that sales meeting.