Ohhh how those wonderful Argentine's love their meat...
I once read that Buenos Aires was just like an old European city (the “Paris of South America”) except that it had not been taken care of in 30 years. The best analogy though might be from Tourist 2 Townie, who said it was like a Silver Fox (“Rugged and aged with a lot of great stories to tell, but still energetic and good looking”).
Seems about right.
As opposed to the many famous Italian cities that can sometimes make you feel like you are in a Historical Disney Land, Buenos Aires feels lived-in. With every ounce of history squeezing out of the pores of its buildings.
But I like that.
The city is much more alive and on edge than relatively tranquil Santiago. But again, it’s only been a few days, so I’m sure many of the following impressions will change:
- Drivers have never met a pedestrian they haven’t wanted to hit as they accelerate through intersections.
- You eat dinner late and go out for drinks early… really early… like 12 or 1am.
- People have tremendous love for their Argentinian meat… and deservedly so.
- You better love Ice Cream because it is everywhere… and sooo good.
- Crime feels more present as even locals carry their bags in front of themselves and warn tourists about having their cameras stolen from around their neck.
- Between the cobblestones, uneven sidewalks, and copious amounts of dog poop… make sure you watch where you are walking.
- There are more backpackers and travel bloggers around as there seems to be so much to explore and learn in the city.
- A lot of incredible sights, museums, and tours to do. We might just have to extend our stay an extra week to get it all in!
- An older public transportation system that definitely gets you where you want to go. The buses are beyond confusing… but thank you internet for omnilineas.com!
These are just my first impressions of Buenos Aires and I can guarantee they will change in the 20 days we are staying here. What do I have wrong so far? What are some of the must-do’s?
Good Evening World Travelers – love your posts and actively following! The only ting I recall about Argentina is shoes and Evita – so no help here!
Hola Miguel!
That’s about one thing better than I knew of before I got here (just Evita)… But we are loving it! Tons of good leather from all the meat, so maybe that explains the shoes?
Thanks for following!
I have never been to BA but based on your early description it looks like a place i have to visit. I will be really interested at the end of your visit to see how it stacks up with Santiago and the rest of Chile. What if you don’t eat meat, can you still survive in beautiful BA ?
We had been told by everyone that there were no veggies… but totally not the case. We have a vegetarian buffet right below our apartment that is INCREDIBLE! Got there every day. Only $8 for a kilo (2.2lbs)!
Vegetarian Buffet? Jealous.
Where is the veggie buffet?
Thanks for the tip!
Pablo
The veggie buffet we found was in Palermo Soho near the corner of Paraguay and Borges… it was right near our apartment so i’m sure there must be others too. The perfect detox after a night of gorging on wonderful Argentinian meat!
Just in case you’re or you’re planning to visit BA and you want to use public transportation system, I highly recommend the official BA app for using it. It shows you how to get a place from another place, using buses, trains or subways. I’ll post a link, but it is not spam.
http://comollego.ba.gob.ar/
You can also download the app for your phone, you type the address in the “Desde” field and the destiny in the “Hasta” one.
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing, Sebas! I got pickpocketed twice on public transit in BA but it never scared me away. We’ll definitely check the app out!
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