Visiting Buenos Aires in Argentina

Way of Life

• Length of Stay: 3 days - June 2016
• Season: Winter
• Reason: Long weekend getaway.

Local Transportation

• Got around on a mixture of foot, Uber, bus, and metro.
• Obtaining a Subté card and loading it with cash was a bit inconvenient for a short visit. Not sold in the station and load kiosks are cash only.

Money

I was consistently caught off guard by cash-only establishments. I recommend withdrawing a large amount of cash for your trip once you’re there.

Accommodation

Stayed in an Airbnb in Palermo Viejo. Pros were being close to all the hipster things and nightlife. Cons were me not being much into nightlife and my room facing the noisy street.

Internet & Mobile

Didn’t bother getting a SIM card for a 3 day trip and didn’t have any issues finding WiFi everywhere. At one point, I was able to call my bank at a gas station using Google Hangouts.

Other Quirks

• Thought it was interesting to be coming from a Chile that puts diet, zero, and light products before their sugary counterparts. In BA it was the opposite. Most of the times I checked, I did not find diet sodas on market shelves.
• Salads are always served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Simple dressing that I love.
• Food actually has spices, yay! I could eat chimichurri all day.

Food

• La Cabrera: Solo dining escalated quickly here. Great service including some samples from the menu. Massive steaks and salads. Slept well that night.
• Boteco do Brasil: My first Brazilian feijoada. Bar staff was quirky and attentive. Cash only!
• El Sanjuanino: Voted #1 for empanadas on Foursquare, but, honestly, not worth the wait. Ordered a baked spicy beef empanada and the waiter decided to give me a fried one because they were swamped and didn’t want to prep any more baked ones that late in the afternoon.
• SOCIAL Parrilla: Met up with SF friends and watched the Copa America finals. Had their mixed meat platter that included kidneys, cheeks, and some other organ meats. Chill game and dinner before flying back to the championship winner.

Coffee

• Lab Café: Brazilian baristas that know how to pull a shot. Only place that was consistently open throughout my weekend and early.
• Coffee Town: Coffee in San Telmo Market. Not much else going on when I got there but it was a warm spot to hang out and have a coffee before heading back out in to the cold.
• Felix Felicis & Co: Harry Potter themed in the name with a few trinkets here and there to commemorate the books/movies. Lost one of my gloves here 😫
• LatteNte: Coffee was alright. Bench like seating was somewhat uncomfortable.

Activities

• Reebok Crossfit Tuluka Palermo: very nice gym. One of the very first Crossfit boxes in South America. Went a couple times before the rest of the city woke up.
• MALBA: Yoko Ono’s Dream Come True exhibit was on display while I was there.
• Museo Evita: Evita Peron was a bad ass! I learned a lot about Argentina’s history in general through this tiny museum. Definitely worth checking out.
• Reserva Ecológica & Costanera Sur: Walk along the palisade from the southern end up to the entrance of the reserve. Check the opening and closing times before you go though, I started too late and wasn’t able to explore inside. 😔