my buenos aires experience in full

Before I went to Buenos Aires, I had done a little bit of guide book, blog and news reading to better acquaint me with one of South America’s largest cities. The more I read, the more excited and interested I became. This particular article in the New York Post almost lead me to having mixed feelings. Thankfully, I know better. For the most part the only few things I ever really thought Argentina were; war criminals from Europe and tango. There is no question that these two images will remain on the list, but now I can add to it. That being said, the best way for me to approach a possible conversation I might have about the metropolis is to just go down my list.

THE CITY

Buenos Aires is a large city packed with people, traffic and fairly diverse barrios (neighborhoods) much like New York City. It has a huge theater district along Av Corrientes. If I’m not mistaken it is one of the third largest in the world. There are tons of shops, fine dining, cheap dining, events and you name it! It almost felt like any big city in the U.S. and this made it slightly less exotic and less appealing. (Keep in mind I am a woman with a heart for mud huts in the sticks.) The exceptions being Spanish as the primary language and a sea of brunettes and dark haired citizens bobbing about packed sidewalks and streets. I truly didn’t see many blond or red heads and the city is definitely lacking people of African origin (exception: a few male street vendors).

What the city isn’t lacking are a number of women who have had some type of plastic surgery done. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not against getting one’s nose tweaked or giving some aging boobies a lift, but it’s more extreme here. I had the opportunity to go on two free city walking tours and the guide, an Argentine native by the name, Macarena, shared some disturbing facts about the plastic surgeries. Go on the Aristocratic tour if you’re in town. If she’s your guide then you’ll hear all about it. It will either make you laugh or make you want to barf.

Overall, the buildings are much older and the architecture much more detailed than the modern pieces here in the newer world on the opposite side of the equator. Many buildings lining the street architecturally, reveal various stories about the immigrants who came or simply people who had too much money. There are enough monuments to keep any tourist on the beaten path and shutter happy for days. The Oblesico (pictured above) is one of the most famous landmarks in Buenos Aires. It reminds me of the Washington Monument in D.C. and there are jokes of it being a giant white penis all the same.

The People

Surprisingly as this may sound, I don’t personally know many people from Argentina in the states. In fact, I’ve only met one in Tampa. Maybe I need to make more trips to Miami. Anyways, I had heard some rumors prior to my visit that Argentine’s are somewhat on the arrogant and pretentious side in comparison to their South American neighbors. I wouldn’t have known it. I can honestly say that everyone I met or couch surfed with was pretty grounded and nice. Perhaps if I stayed longer my opinion would change, but I’m happy the way it is now. La-la-la!

Attractions & Things-to-Do

Being bored in a city like Buenos Aires should never happen. There is far too much to do and see and feast upon. The great part is a ton of money isn’t necessarily needed, but it could certainly require stamina. I’ll explain later. Because I’m still in listing mode I’m going to tell you exactly where I went and what I saw. I used Lonely Planet’s Buenos Aires Encounter to decide on what I wanted to do while in town with Natalie and without. (I really recommend this pocket-size guide.) In no particular order here are my experiences:

Jardin Botanico Carlos Thays This free botanical garden in Palermo is not worth going out of the way for unless one really craves green space of any type. I hate to compare, but I do it anyway. I’ve been to some great gardens across the world and this one didn’t mow me over. I tried to imagine it in spring or summer and possibly with fewer abandoned cats lurking the property. Just okay if you ask me. The green house pictured above is cool though.

The nearby Jardin Japones is different. First of all, entry is eight pesos. It is properly attended to and without cats digging up the place. Small, but tranquil. Peaceful and pleasant, the only thing that snapped me out of a zen state was the scent of miso and Japanese fare being cooked up in the restaurant. A good visit if you’re in the neighborhood.

Modern and contemporary art can be found at MALBA, but don’t expect five floor levels of bizarre artworks. It is smaller than Natalie and I expected.

Caminito is a popular tourist area in a grittier part of the city named “La Boca.” It’s known for the colorful painted houses and Italian immigrants from Genoa. Sadly, Natalie and I didn’t get much time in La Boca. I would have liked to have sat for a while with a drink (maybe Malbec) and watched as tango dancers swirled passionately on the stage. (The shot above was one Natalie snapped in passing.)

The area is definitely fun for photography. I didn’t take any with my digital camera here so I’ll have to see what my holga produces.

If I had money and lived in BsAs, then I would either live in San Telmo or Puerto Madero. Puerto Madero is clean, green, close to the water and there is good food to be had. I know this for certain. I spent a few hours walking around and in that short amount of time could feel a connection to the area. San Telmo is older and more bohemian. I was probably sucked in by all the artsy-fartsy antique shops and restaurants there, but that is what gave it more character than Puerto Madero. To even compare just these two together is a little silly. It’d be more accurate to compare the P.M. with Palermo. Palermo wasn’t my favorite neighborhood. High end shops and so-called trendsetters make this area. Although I tend to like both, I wouldn’t want to sleep with either.

It feels like I am forgetting something… Ah, yes, TANGO!!! For me I felt most like I was having a real Argentine experience when learning to tango. Natalie and I took one class together at Darcos Magic Shoes and then I took two more after she left. The classes were great and easy to follow. The basic seems tricky, but don’t be fooled. Practically everyone in every class I took nailed it. Regretfully, I never made it to a milonga to practice these moves. GASP. I am very sad that I didn’t work harder to make this happen. It could be my old age, but I couldn’t get on the late night social hours of the city. (STAMINA)

The Food

Mmmm… Steak + Wine + Ice Cream = Heaven. The food is very good in Argentina. Hands down the beef is grand, but please pass the chimchurri sauce. The wine was tasty for someone like myself who isn’t a big sampler. The best for me was the ice cream. I’m like a 10 year old like that. The ice cream made me happiest while in country. The empanadas made me less happy. Getting empanadas before a meal was almost like their tortilla chips and salsa. However, even when I felt as if I were starting to get tired of empanadas, I always found myself reaching for one. (Greedy)

Here are my favorite places I ate at in BsAs: La Chollita (parrilla), Miranda (parrilla), I Fresh Market (deli), Freddo (ice cream) & Moderna (ice cream).

Some of my regrets

1. Not having ice cream every day.
2. Missing the Thursday vigil of the Madres
3. Not going to a Milonga or Tango show during the Tango festival.
4. Not going to visit a pena for Gaucho grooves and moves.
5. Not knowing better Spanish. Habla Espanol muy poquito. :/

Aside from the above I think I made the most of each day. I did more shopping than I would have liked, but that’s my trouble with cities anywhere and I’m not even a big spender.

So in summary… Good times. Not incredible and certainly not terrible. I cannot lie. I feel a little unfilled. Outside of BsAs, each region in the country is begging to be explored. As much as we had hoped to do Patagonia, it wasn’t in the cards. In addition to BsAs there is the northwest which I will bring to my blog in the very near future.