Quick Guide to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is one of the great capitals of the world and one of my favorite cities. Let me lead you on a quick but concise tour of this unique place...

The big avenues:

9 de Julio - The world's widest boulevard and the most emblematic of this city, with the enormous obelisk at the intersection of Corrientes.

Avenida de Mayo - A street full of old elegant buildings in the best Parisian style shooting out from the Plaza de Mayo. It's on this street that you'll find the famous Cafe Tortoni.

Corrientes - The Broadway of Buenos Aires, plus the obelisk, of course! You'll get your dose of tango here!

Santa Fe - The very, very long shopping street.

Calle Florida & Lavalle - Intersecting pedestrian concourses, actually, both chock-full of shops and department stores.

The Barrios (Districts):
San Telmo - The Bohemian neighborhood, replete with antique shops, flea markets, tango and restaurants. The focal point is the Plaza Dorrego. The crowds can be overwhelming on weekends.

Recoleta - The rich neighborhood: mansions, embassies, museums and the cemetery. Yes, the cemetery is a big tourist attraction, thanks to Evita's grave. The museum of Fine Arts has an excellent collection from classical artists.

Palermo Viejo / Palermo Soho - The hip, young area just outside of downtown. It offers an incredible array of chic restaurants and bars and is the preferred destination at night. You can start at the Plaza Serrano and explore the streets fanning-out from there.

Boca - The barrio with the wildly painted corrugated metal houses. Very picturesque, but be forewarned that it's the worst tourist trap in the city, much more expensive than in the rest of Buenos Aires, so plan to dine and get your souvenirs elsewhere, and don't let the many hustlers charm you into buying!

Puerto Madero - a series refurbished warehouses in the port area, now housing scores of restaurants. Walking along the endless wharves is a popular activity for both visitors and residents alike.

Belgrano - An elegant residential neighborhood a fair distance from the city center. I mention it because of its small Chinatown.

The Grand Old Shopping Malls:
Abasto - A renovated central train station that has a ferris wheel in it!
Patio Bullrich - The mall of the very rich, in Recoleta
Galerias Pacifico - Another elegant mall, just off the calle Florida, corner Cordoba.

The Old Monuments:
Plaza de Mayo - Here you'll find the Casa Rosada (Yes, where Evita would wave to the crowds), and the San Martin cathedral, among other things. Almost always some group protesting in the square, although peacefully these days.

Plaza Congreso - The square with the imposing national congress building on one end, and a variety of other interesting old buildings.

Other interesting things:
- During the day, try to get a ride on the subway. Wait for one of the trains with old cars that are over a hundred years old and have all wooden interiors. Your best bet to catch one is on the Avenida de Mayo line.
- You can actually get a view of the surrounding city from the top of the obelisk, reachable by climbing 206 steps.

Restaurants and Cafes of Note:
Cafe Tortoni - The historic and lavish cafe where tango greats like Gardel would hang out. They also offer top notch tango and brass jazz shows. Avenida de Mayo 825
Las Violetas - The other celebrated grand old cafe, all mahogany and tiffany, famous for its desserts. Almagro area. Rivadavia, 3899
El Balcon - Typical Argentinean food, a charming environment and a fabulous free show (tango, gaucho, etc) in the heart of San Telmo. Humberto Primo 461
Palitos - The best Chinese food you'll ever have, in Belgrano chinatown. Arribeños 2243.
Chan Chan - A favorite Peruvian restaurant in Congreso area. Hipólito Yrigoyen 1390.

Quick Facts:
Language: Castilian Spanish. English is widely spoken in the tourism trade.
Exchange rate: You'll get around 3.80 Argentine pesos per US dollar.
Meals: Expect to spend at least 35 pesos per person for a regular meal. Food prices have increased as much as 100% in the last two and a half years. Porteños eat dinner very late, so don't expect to find many restaurants open before 8:30 pm, because most people will dine at 11 pm or later, and go dancing at 3 am!

Hotels: They run the gamut from grand luxury such as the Alvear, to the horrid such as the Lion d'Or. A good, clean room with breakfast can be had for about 280 pesos per night. The Once ("Ontsay") area is where you'll find the cheapest hotels, but you'll waste the difference in taxi fares. I usually stay at the Howard Johnson in Congreso, (Bartolomé Mitre 2241) which is semi-luxurious yet very affordable. Note that the star rating used in Argentina reflects not the quality, but the size of the hotel, so a five star could actually be a big dump!

Taxis: the black and yellow cabs have meters and are economical. About 35 pesos for a run from downtown to Belgrano. Remisses don't have meters and are usually only used to go to the airport.

Subways, regional trains and buses: Public transportation is cheap and reliable, but the filth that goes with it may shock. Avoid using them at night, and be wary of thieves at all times.
Tipping: Argentineans typically don't tip, but be generous -- their wages are a pittance!
Airports: Ezeiza ("Eyssayssa") International lies about 40 kilometers from downtown, while the Aeroparque, used for national and Uruguay flights, is about 5 minutes away. Note that if you fly into Ezeiza and are from Canada, USA or Australia, you'll be hit with a hefty arrival tax. Avoid using taxis for your safety. Use the fixed rate remisses ("raymeessayss") that have kiosks at the arrivals exit.

Crime: Be careful. Organized groups of pickpockets and street urchins abound. Avoid walking after dusk. Only use ATMs inside malls. If you're a victim of crime, know that the police here won't do much for you after the fact. Most unsafe central areas: Retiro and Once.
Souvenirs: typical souvenirs include leather goods, mate gourds, and wines.

Tom Germain is a Canadian who in 2001 decided he wasn't going to put up with any more winters and moved to Mexico. He never looked back and moved around the world every couple years, making his home in Argentina, the Canary Islands, Mauritius, and now Colombia. In his 2 blogs, Permatourist ([http://www.permatourist.com]) and Ocolombia (http://www.ocolombia.com) he tells of his experiences and offers invaluable tips on how you can live the life of a "permatourist".

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