First Impressions: Buenos Aires, Argentina

But if I were to be honest, it took a couple days for Buenos Aires to grow on me,

but after I have left, I can’t seem to shake it off. It is WEIRD. BA is busy, dirty

even in some parts. It was a confusing mix of Paris-esque 19th century buildings

straddled between nondescript, plain concrete buildings. It’s Latin America but

people were so white. It’s reminiscent of Europe yet it’s also chaotic and somewhat

disorganized that if something goes awry, like a flight being horribly late, you

forego all your right to complain because that’s just how things are in Latin America.

People speak beautiful Español and hardly any English which is already confusing

enough in itself but why must people say “Shoy Trish... Me shama Trish” is beyond my

comprehension. The exciting selection of food was amazing, and I’m not just referring

to just steak either (or dulce de leche everything). Although a massively cosmopolitan

city, there are parks and green spaces everywhere. The people are distant enough

that total strangers don’t attempt to converse otherwise, but the cab drivers who do

will send you off in the Argentine besos. Its recent political history has been dark and

fascinating (Google “Dark War”, “the Disappeared”, and “Las Abuelas de Plaza de

Mayo”) - and I want to educate myself more about it and how it has shaped the

Argentina of today.

I always thought that the ability to be surprised and to be caught off-guard

is a beautiful, if not precious thing, especially in the context of travel. Buenos

Aires was nothing like I expected and that was freaking disarming. And there’s

something about that that really I love.

IF YOU GO

LOGISTICS

The shortest route I found from the West Coast of the US is on Latam Airlines for a mere ~13 hours with

just one stop in Lima. Latam Airlines also flies direct from Miami (~9 hours) and 1 stop flights out of

New York and San Francisco.

From the airport, you can take a cab. Note that most cabs only take cash, not credit cards. So if you have not

figured out the currency situation upon your arrival in Buenos Aires, there are prepaid taxi services at the

airport that take credit cards. Just prepare to pay premium. Once in BA, Uber works (just not from the airport). But don't shy away from public transportation. Load a Subte card and you can board

the public bus and the metro on the same card. Google Maps could direct you which lines

take and which stops to get off at.

FOOD

Steak, empanadas, Malbec, alfajores, and dulce de leche everything pretty

much sums up the food experience for me in Buenos Aires. Grilled meat served at a traditional "parillada"

is a must and Don Julio at the Palermo district comes highly recommended. Order a bottle of Malbec and

have a crepe with dulce de leche for dessert and that will have you muttering "que rico" on repeat.

There are many traditional cafes in Buenos Aires. This is an offshoot of Italy and Paris of sorts, after all.

The coffee will be decent, but for specialty coffee with a nuanced taste, there is no place like LAB

in Palermo. Go on a weekend and you're sure to run into the quirky outdoor market at Plaza Serrano.

La Alacena in the same neighborhood serves high quality Buenos Aires version

of Italian food and the muffuleta is la bomba, como no.

"Puerta cerrada", or "closed door" in English is our favorite dining experience in BA.

There is nothing in the world like it that I know of. These dining establishments are not

restaurants per se, but rather a house (sometimes it's the chef's house) where chefs host

a small number of people on select days of the week. We lucked out since Ocho Once

ran by young and extremely talented Chef Gonzalo Bazterrica were taking reservations on

our last night in BA, in the neighborhood of our AirBnb. It was a five-course prix fixe

where Chef Gonzalo himself brought each plate out and explained what each one was.

The food was Latin inspired but with hints of modernity and in some cases, molecular gastronomy.

The food had sophisticated tastes and textures and hands-down, the best meal we've had in Argentina.

MUSIC

Teatro Colon is one of the best opera houses in the world and if you can, try to watch a

ballet or an opera when visiting. There are a range of tickets available and if you end

up at the "hen house" where it's standing room only but the tickets are the cheapest,

don't feel too discouraged because that area actually has the best acoustics in the entire

theater. You can also watch live rehearsals and the best part is they are totally free. You just

have to know when they are. If you miss any performances, at least try to go to a guided

tour. It's a marvelous theater and knowing about the history can educate

you about BA's history in the process.

Because we are short on time, we missed the chance to experience tango. You have

the option to go to a tango show (pretty expensive), but also a milonga or a tango club

is a more enticing and local option. Our Airbnb host highly recommended

Salon Canning in the Palermo area.

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