We've been in Buenos Aires for 6 days now. Here are some of my thoughts on the city.
The sights aren't very impressive. Having just come from Paris the major sites in Buenos Aires have failed to WOW us. We spent our first Saturday covering more than half of the major attractions in Buenos Aires. We'd go, snap a few pictures and move on. So far, the most interesting site has been the Recoleta Cemetery, the resting place of Evita. We've avoided going to cemeteries so far (even the famous ones in Europe). However, we decided to go to this one because we seemed to be running out of places to see on our second day here! There is a National Museum of Art here, but can the Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir collection top what we saw in Paris and Amsterdam? Rest assured, this situation is perfectly fine for us because we're a bit exhausted from running around Paris trying to hit all the "must see" sights. Buenos Aires will probably be a chill stop for us - eat Argentine steaks with some Malbec wine, enjoy the local ice cream on a hot day, picnic in the parks, do some people watching and catch up on blogging.
The city is... different from what we're use to. Buenos Aires is separated into a couple of different neighborhoods - Microcenter (downtown), San Telmo (more traditional), Recoleta/Retiro/Norte (wealthier), Palermo (young and chic), Puerto Madero (waterfront) and La Boca (dangerous and poor). Before coming to Buenos Aires I had imagined the city to be pretty big and developed. Afterall, it is the capital of Argentina. However, after walking through some of the neighborhoods it is obvious that they still have a ways to go before being able to compare to other world cities. Honestly, I don't really feel that safe walking the city streets - even in touristy areas such as San Telmo. I'm sure that what I consider is deserted and run-down, others would characterize it as old and charming. I feel lucky that our apartment is located in a better part of town.
The people are nice. We've already met some nice people. The owner of our apartment is extremely friendly and helpful. Although, J overheard her telling some people (in Spanish) that we don't speak Spanish because we're Chinese - I fail to see the correlation. Most people know a little bit of English and the ones that don't will put up with our poorly spoken Spanish.
Beware of children. It's sad, but true. We've been lucky so far to have not encountered any child beggars or pick-pockets, but came across both within 15 minutes of each other while taking the metro in Buenos Aires. First, a kid (7-8 yrs old?) tried to pick my pocket, but since I already noticed her odd behavior (following us into the station) I was prepared. Granted the station was crowded, but what are the chances that the person I was already suspicious of bumps into me and so happens to have her hands at just the right height to brush against the left pocket of my shorts? As Professor Moody would say, "Constant vigilance!"
The language is Span-talian. The majority of the locals, or Portenos, are either ethnically Italian or Spanish. Therefore, there is a huge Italian influence on the local Spanish language. Bon dia!
The food is cheap! 30 USD for two of the best steaks we've ever had, garlic fries and bottled water. That was at a higher-end restaurant, too!1. Avenue Corrientes (Retiro/Microcenter border)
2. University of Buenos Aires in Recoleta
3. J giving me the biggest flower in the world! (Floralis Generica in Recoleta)
4. A typical row of tombs in the Recoleta Cemetery - if you peak in through the doors of each tomb you can often see the coffins!
5. One of the more ornate tombs in Recoleta Cemetery
6. A cat lying near Evita's tomb. He/she is probably just as visited as Evita herself because all the passer-bys stop to take pity on him/her.
7. Casa Rosada - the White House equivalent of Buenos Aires
8. A tango performance at Plaza Dorrego
9. The inside of Cafe Tortoni - a historic cafe
10. Helado (ice cream) and cafe (back to the expresso!) at Cafe Tortoni
2. University of Buenos Aires in Recoleta
3. J giving me the biggest flower in the world! (Floralis Generica in Recoleta)
4. A typical row of tombs in the Recoleta Cemetery - if you peak in through the doors of each tomb you can often see the coffins!
5. One of the more ornate tombs in Recoleta Cemetery
6. A cat lying near Evita's tomb. He/she is probably just as visited as Evita herself because all the passer-bys stop to take pity on him/her.
7. Casa Rosada - the White House equivalent of Buenos Aires
8. A tango performance at Plaza Dorrego
9. The inside of Cafe Tortoni - a historic cafe
10. Helado (ice cream) and cafe (back to the expresso!) at Cafe Tortoni
