The Travel Chica

Live Simple. Consume Less. Experience More.

5 Things I Love About Buenos Aires

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In my last post, I told you that I fell in love with Buenos Aires when I was here for vacation in 2009.  I knew that I would come back one day.  I have been back in Buenos Aires for a few weeks, and I am happy to report I was not delusional during my last short visit.  I do still love this city, and here are five reasons why.

1.  The city is beautiful.

You want to walk everywhere just to admire the grand architecture and the eclectic mix of Italian, French, and modern influences.  The city has also incorporated lots of green space with trees lining the large avenues and carefully maintained parks dispersed throughout the barrios.

2.  The city has abundant, efficient, and cheap public transportation.

And even better, there are maps!  The Subte subway system is my favorite because it is so fast and accessible.  And if your destination doesn’t have a Subte stop nearby, buses fill the gaps.  It seems as if you can get almost anywhere by bus even at 4am.  Both options are easy to use thanks to the maps and fantastic signage.  Allow me to geek out here for a moment.  The coolest part about the transportation system is that the city maintains an excellent online interactive Buenos Aires map.  You can input where you are and where you want to go and by which means of transportation you would like to arrive.  Click Search, and you have perfect instructions and a map.

3. I can go running without people staring at me like I am crazy.

Throughout most of Central America, I got stares and unpleasant comments when I went running in the streets. I also had to be careful not to get run over by lunatic drivers.  In Buenos Aires, there are other people out running, rollerblading, and cycling alongside me.  Porteños are very active people, and they love being outdoors, just like me. The government of Buenos Aires encourages a healthy lifestyle by organizing a free program called Haciendo Deportes, and there are classes every day in the parks around the city.  You can choose from pilates, yoga, gymnastics, martial arts, and my more. My second week here, I joined Buenos Aires Corriendo (BAC), a running group sponsored by this program. We meet three mornings a week and have a running coach to instruct us and keep us motivated.

4.  There is always something going on in this city.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say there are always 100 things going on in this city.  And many of these activities are free or very affordable.  If you are interested in theater, music, art, dance, books, cooking, wine, tours, sports, festivals, dog shows (yep, there was one earlier this month, and everything in between, you will find something to do.  The most exciting part for me is the possibility of finding something I never even knew I was interested in. My first Saturday in Buenos Aires, the government sponsored La Noche en Vela (Sleepless Night).  From 7pm until 7am, there were over 100 free cultural events/ art displays in 60 different meeting points across the city.

5.  The food is incredible.

It seems that Buenos Aires has taken the best cuisine from Western Europe and made it better.  From the pastas caseras (homemade) and pizzas to the unending variety of facturas (pastries) and icecream, it is sometimes easy to forget you are in South America.  Then you go have a delicious bowl of locro (a hearty stew) or a choripán (chorizo smothered in chimichurri on crusty bread), and you are back in Argentina.  This country is also known for the high quality of its beef and wines.  I am hoping that the amount of red wine I drink will offset the increased risk of heart attack from all the steak I eat.


If you love this city too, post a comment and share what you love about Buenos Aires.

Comments

  4. Haciendo Deportes is a great programs, but I wouldn’t go nearly so far as to call Portenos active. Yes, some are very active, but Argnetina has the largest child obesity problem in Latin America and the fastest growing adult obesity problem in South America.

    I recently read in Diario Uno here in Mendoza that 90% of college students couldn’t define a healthy diet… But yes, the food does rock in Argentina.

    • Those are some surprising statistics. But it just points out that when you see a very small portion of a country for a short period of time, you really do not know the country. I’m sure my perspective is also quite affected by the fact that I’m in Palermo, the wealthier and trendier part of town.

  5. Never been to BA, only heard good things about it. That photo of the ham and cheese looks delicious. No complaining as Im in Thailand but miss that type of food.

  7. Here is a reason to remind you of why you love Columbus – Jeni’s is opening a new location in German Village right on Mohawk. 😉

    • I can love Columbus AND Buenos Aires. I cannot believe they are finally opening a Jeni’s in German Village…. after I leave.

      I do love Jeni’s and still think it’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had, but the ice cream in Buenos Aires is TO DIE FOR!

  8. I went to Buenos Aires in 2003, it was my first international flight, it represented the first gift I made to myself after saving some money. I love Buenos Aires, even though I haven’t come back yet, but just reading your article made me had so many beautiful memories:
    1. All the beautiful buildings
    2. Going out at anytime and see people in the parks talking, reading, walking or just sleeping. Outdoors activities are so common.
    3. The daily cultural exposure to books, plays, arts.
    4. The multicultural diversity, easily in five minutes you can see a high tied dressed person walking and passed by another total gothic or punk…. and nobody cares, nobody stares are you.
    5. The food, mmmmmm the food.

    • What a great gift for yourself. After I got a “real” job after college, I always considered my international trips a gift to myself for the hard work all year. Don’t need to drop $200 on a pair of shoes when that money could get get added to my “go-see-the-world” fund :-)

      Thanks for sharing your top 5 of Buenos Aires. I wish I had discovered this city back then before the prices became so inflated.

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