El Aeteneo Grand Splendid, one of the world's most beautiful bookstores

The Teatro Gran Splendid, built in 1919 at 1860 Santa Fe in Buenos Aires (seating capacity of 1050) offered live performances of various kinds, including tango artists.  About a decade later, the theatre was transformed into a cinema, and in 2000 a conglomerate leased the building, transforming it into a bookstore for the El Aeteneo chain.  It is estimated that a million people enter the building annually.  During my two visits, I would guess that many of the patrons are tourists (with cameras/smart phones in hand), but there were also lines of people purchasing books.  In particular, the store's bilingual Asi Cocinan los Argentino/How Argentina Cooks, by Alberto Vazquez Prego is a popular item with English-speaking tourists.