You must meet the portenos (...
by GarethDavies
You must meet the portenos ( locals ), this is a 24 hour city and you must not miss out on sampling the nightlife. To maximise the enjoyment of the city you should mix with the locals who are attractive, interesting and invigarating companions. My best memory of B A is an evening at cafe Tortoni, the ambiance was unreal , a place steeped in history, you could almost hear the Tango music of years gone by, an excellent Tango show was performed whilst me and my buddy shared the company of a wonderful young lady from B A. A truely great evening and I witnessed the most emotional scene ever with the audiences response to the ' Evita Song ', where the majority of people were in tears !
Suckin' Face!
by quickroute
Five hours down the coast from Buenos Aires, lies the laid back beach resort of Pinamar. We went for the weekend to see what it had it offer and because this is high summer season, it was busy,busy, busy! We were lucky to be able to stay with friends right on the beach front.
It seems as though, if you're not a teenager, then you probably don't belong here. There are throngs of kids who takeover the beach during the day and then the majority of the nightlife scene is also geared towards the young folk. It's quite normal here for thirteen to sixteen year olds to be out till the wee hours, a.) because it's safe and b.) the kids here for the most part, are not into drinking or other vices although recent news reports suggest that's changing.
It would be difficult to see this being possible back in Europe or USA, with the drug/lager lout mentality of kids today. It's hard not to feel old as you pass the clubs at midnight, with queue's of teenie-boppers round the block. When I was their age, I was lucky if I got to go to a school disco and even then, the nuns and priests (Sister Concepta and Father Feely) would be doing the rounds of the dance floor, making sure bodily contact was kept to an absolute minimum. Kissing was grounds for ex-communication. Here it's a different story. They're suckin' face at any given opportunity, street corners, parks, bars (is nowhere sacred?!).
Where I'm from, P.D.A's (public displays of affection) are culturally frowned upon and proper order too. The last thing I want to see as I'm walking down the street, is a hoard of prepubescent teenagers playing tonsil hockey. They should be rounded up like stray dogs and locked in bible study for a day. I've always found religion to be a great deterrent, like being grounded only worse. I mean which is scarier?
A.) Stay in your room - ok fine!
B.) Go to Mass! - No, No, anything but that!
That'll teach ya to keep your tongue in YOUR mouth, not hers!
In Pinamar, the ol' foggies like me are relegated to the cafe's for a quite chat and a game of dominoes, as the kids stomp it up at the clubs. Because this is the Atlantic coast, the water is damn cold and its windy a lot of the time, so in conclusion, I'm not a big fan of the place or scene. It's almost 10pm so I'm off to bed to with me cardigan and slippers and a cup o' hot cocoa.
More tips and info available here -
Paddy in Buenos Aires
Pizza, ice cream, and avocados
by wadekorzan
What do these three things have in common? They can all be delivered to your home! It is amazing that in Buenos Aires you can just about have anything delivered that you want. The concept is not new, by any means. However, I was just shocked when my friend Leo called the vegetable store to have 2 ripe avocados delivered to our doorstep! It's just an interesting custom, as well as a dangerous one. It is simply too easy to deliver delcious ice cream at 3 in the morning. To heck with the diet, huh?
We also usually have everything from the supermarket delivered. It is an amazing system. We go to the supermarket, pay for everything, and within 2-3 hours it is delivered to your home nywhere in the city! In fact, just some days ago we were at the supermarket and were going to carry everything ourselves but it turned out to be a bit too much--so 1 of the guys from the supermarket walked home with us with the shopping cart and all--right to our kitchen on the 15th floor! Talk about service!!!
Plaza Devoto
by cadiana88
A hidden square in Buenos Aires, in a quiet neighborhood close to my house. I use to go to run there on Sunday mornings. Perimeter is of 715 meters.
It's real name is Plaza Arenales.
Streets: Bahia Blanca, New York, Mercedes and Pareja.
From downtown: Train San Martin on Retiro Station until Devoto station, two blocks from the square.
Before you buy!
by missbutler about VAT refund
Tax in BsAs is pretty steep - about 16%. If you want to get a refund back when you leave, make sure you get the full lowdown at a customs kiosk at the airport BEFORE you start shopping in town. You have to make sure the store clerks give you the correct form and stamp WITH your regular receipt.. ask twice... they might try to say a simple receipt is enough (it's not) I think it is good for any item over $100 USD
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Congreso Nacional
Amazing Frescos
Whiskey Milkshake(September 2008)
Carlos Thays mansion
