Buenos Aires, Argentina

Overall Impression:
Coated with air pollution and saturated with noise pollution, Buenos Aires is just like any other large metropolitan city in the world. Despite omnipresent dog poop and the incessantly loud sounds of a large city, one can still admire the rich architectural gems and cultural spots that keep this city afloat.

I was disappointed in the lack of indigenous cultural experiences. The political history is also not as exciting and complicated as in Southeast Asia or even Cuba. Furthermore, don’t expect too much in terms of gastronomical delights here! Apparently only Peru and Brazil are known for their food in South America.

If you have more time, check out rural tourism where you can live on farms or ranches called Estancions and enjoy horseback riding and traditional meals! The people are friendly!

Cheap v.s. Crack Cheap:
If you’re thinking you’ll get a real good deal like you’re used to in Thailand or India, forget it! It’s a better deal than what you’ll find in Europe, but that’s about it! I found better lunch deals in SF than here!

Hotels are where you’ll save money. We stayed at the Moreno Hotel for about $100 a night for a huge and beautiful room. It has a rooftop terrace, free internet, and complimentary breakfast. It’s in San Telmo near the Presidential Palace, new financial district, and the metro so walking to places is a breeze! A very good deal! http://www.morenobuenosaires.com.

For the first few days, we stayed at Rooney’s Boutique Hotel in downtown. Beautifully appointed with antiques and rather cheap (we got the 3 nights for the price of 2 at around $100 a night), it comes with better breakfast than Moreno, but no sleep! The insulation is poor and the nightlife is out of control. We had earplugs in but were still awaken by the banging of pots, pans, and street signs. There was even a protest! The female employees were great, the male employees (both of them—Jose and Scar Face) were incompetent. Avoid at all cost: http://www.rooneysboutiquehotel.com/ingles/hotel.html.

Exchange Rate:
Divide everything by 3. So Food is about 1/3 the cost you’ll find in the States.

Gastronomy:
Argentines eat dinner between 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. Restaurants are often packed between this time so plan accordingly. Clubbing begins closer to 2 a.m. and then people skip breakfast just in time to go back to work or eat a later lunch at 1:30 p.m. There are no siestas (as there are in Spain) so stores are still open in the afternoon to evening hours. Empanadas are the national snack and are similar in design to the American “hot pocket.” Empanadas, however, taste much better and are filled with a variety of cheeses, meats, and veggies.

Casa SaltShaker is just one of the latest home-restaurant crazes to hit Buenos Aires. Here’s the story: I was in the middle of a remote town in Uruguay and an old Georgetown classmate heard my voice. She immediately pinpointed me and shouted my name! Later that evening back in Buenos Aires, I joined her and a few others at a dinner party. This New York sommelier left the big apple for Buenos Aires where he started this home restaurant. Available only during the weekends, he cooks up dishes around a theme for the weekend usually celebrating some holiday or historic figure. The night we dined, we enjoyed Romanian food in celebration of Romania’s independence.

The food was okay and I even got a little indigestion, but the wine pairing made up for it. The owner, Dan (mini-me look alike), was also reserved, distant, cold and his behavior made for some uncomfortable silences. The guests made up for what was lacking. http://www.casasaltshaker.com/indexen.htm. Newspaper articles from around the country (including Lonely Planet’s review): http://www.casasaltshaker.com/press.htm.

Defensa al Sur is a cute upscale restaurant in San Telmo serving up fine Argentine dishes with attention to presentation and detail. I had a chili smeared baked chicken dish that was out of this world. Along with a bottle of Malbec, two salads, two entrees, and tip, the total cost was US $50. www.defensaalsur.com.ar. Located on Defensa 1338 just before Ave. 25 De Mayo.

For great Northwestern Argentine cuisine which consists of more stews, visit La Carreteria. The décor is bright and refreshing and they serve up a variety of delicious homemade empanadas. We also ate guiso huashchalocro and milanesa . . . a corn dish and a stew. Also try the lentejas (stew) and locro (soup). Along with a pitcher of vino la casa (house wine served in a pinguino—the national penguin shaped wine pitcher), two salads, two entrees, several empanadas, and tip, the total cost was US $35. They have a lunch special for US $10 which includes an entrée, drink, and café. Located at 656 Brasil between Chacabuco and Peru in San Telmo.

If you’ve worked up an appetite from a day out in the city, pig out at La Bistecca, an Argentine buffet located on the water in Puerto Madero. Located on Ave. Alicia Moreu De Justo between Carlos Calvo and Humberto Iro at the southeastern end of Puerto Madero.

For an Argentine spin on classic French dishes check out Petanque located in San Telmo on Defensa 596 and Mexico. www.brasseriepetanque.com.

Neighborhoods & Culture Spots:
San Telmo hosts the famous Sunday flea markets where Ave. Defensa is blocked off for nearly a mile and where antique vendors, tango dancers, and other interesting arts and crafts are displayed for your viewing and shopping pleasure. I stayed in the Moreno Hotel located just one block from the start of the market so I was able to really learn about San Telmo.

The restaurants are also amazing and the streets cleaner and quieter than in the central districts. The must see El Zanjon is a happy discovery made by Nick and me here in San Telmo. The owners planned to build a restaurant here until they discovered historical ruins under a 19th century building. This living museum consists of tunnels, old walls, water wells, sewage pits, and other artifacts in what many historians consider the site of the first settlement of Buenos Aires in 1536! Located at Defensa 755. Check out the Old Drugstore between Pichincha and Moreno.

Argentina’s White House is actually pink. Go visit the Presidential Palace and the adjoining Presidential Palace Museum (bring an ID). There's a lowering of the flag show in the afternoon. Security is again very loose. The nearby Cathedral and other buildings are beautiful!

Recoleta seems to be the talk of the town with its amazing historic streets and shopping. But the only site I found truly impressive here was the Recoleta Cemetery where we visited Eva Peron’s grave. The cemetery consists of beautiful mausoleums built out of marble and adorned with gold and other jewels. Jamie and I broke into an unlocked grave and accidentally broke the door frame!! You can see coffins on the main floor, and family members are buried in lower floors as well. Fascinating!

Visit the National Fine Arts Museum (Bella Artes) nearby. Some impressive pieces of European and Latin American art, although one can imagine how easily it would to steal the Picasso hanging just a few feet from the entrance with hardly any security!

La Boca is the Waikiki of Buenos Aires, but worth hitting up at least once. We walked there which is not suggested because we crossed over some of the most dangerous streets in the city!! Enjoy tango dances while sipping your café con leche, and take in all the colorfully painted metal shacks.

Puerto Madero is where you’ll find fresh new buildings and a dozen upscale restaurants. A visit here will put you back somewhere in the U.S. so you may want to keep it short. However, a night stroll along the waterfront is refreshing after a hectic and polluted day in the city.

We happily discovered Embassy Row near Palermo and the zoo. The streets were wide and the homes beautiful! This neighborhood reminds me of a smaller version of DC’s embassy row. Not sure of the cross streets, but it’s where the Embassies of Portugal, Uruguay, and Greece and a few others have their residences. Near the Malba Museum (of Modern Art) on the way towards Jardin Japones (Japanese Garden) which was not so peaceful since a noisy domestic airport was located just a few feet away!

Centro has the widest street in the world, Avenue 9 De Julio and an obelisk along with a variety of shopping and people watching on Florida and Lavalle.

Palermo, including Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Viejo do not live up to their reputations. What’s all the hype about it being like NY’s SOHO? It’s dirty, predictable, and no where near SOHO or even SF’s SOMA for that matter. Where are all the restaurants that serve Argentine food? Where are the art and craft stores?

There’s a paper store here called Papelera that sells sheets of homemade paper for US $10. Toilet paper is worth more than stepping into this hidden mine trap! I am disappointed in all the guidebooks that tell you this is a go to place to take in the cobblestone roads, etc . . . Have these authors been to Georgetown? Skip it even if you have the time!

Other Spots:
Visit these other sites that we couldn’t visit: Palace of Running Water (1950 Cordoba Ave); Palacio Paz which was the biggest private residence in town. Guided tours in English Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Ave. Santa Fe 750. Here's a picture of the National Congress.

Viva La Boca Dancing!