Marco's Travel Tips: Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the largest metropolitan area in Argentina, with a population exceeding 11 million. This sizeable city is spread out over a large land mass, much like Los Angeles, yet the downtown core has many skyscrapers like New York City. To get a really good appreciation of how enormous this city really is, you need to see it from the air.

Buenos Aires From Above


Puerto Madero


Retiro and Avenida 9 de Julio


Lodging

Like all major cities, the lodging options in B.A. are endless and varied, from luxury hotels to B&B's to rental apartments. If you prefer a more typical, traditional-style hotel, your best options will be found in the districts of Recoleta and Puerto Madero. If your tastes are more for unique, boutique-style lodgings, your choices will likely center around the districts of Palermo and San Telmo. No matter where you end up staying, you will undoubtedly find yourself exploring this city on foot, car, boat, and subway.

The Streets of B.A.


Getting Around

Buenos Aires is a very walkable city, but if you need to cover a sizeable distance, your choices include an underground Subway (called the Subte), an extensive bus system, and countless taxis.

Linea "A"


Now, one thing that I wouldn't advise is to drive in B.A. The drivers here in B.A. are absolutely crazy. There are no such things as stop signs at intersections and the lines in the road are just merely suggestions. As previously mentioned, this city is huge, has numerous one-way streets, and has a ton of traffic. Think New York meets Los Angeles, but worse.

Traffic Everywhere!


Things to Do

There is no shortage of things to do while in Buenos Aires. In addition to the sites and attractions that I have previously mentioned, this vibrant metropolis is chock full of historic buildings, churches, museums, theatres, and parks. Add to this, tango halls, fashionable boutiques, and atmospheric old cafes, there's enough to keep you busy for weeks. My recommendation is to concentrate on one or two neighborhoods each day and pick the sites that most appeal to you.

River Plate Stadium

Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa

Puente de la Mujer

The most iconic bridge in B.A. is the Puente de la Mujer (Bridge of the Woman) which opened in December 2001. Designed by the acclaimed Spanish architect Sergio Calatrava, this elegant bridge is reminiscent of a couple dancing the tango.

Teatro Colón

One of the top attractions in B.A. is the Teatro Colón. Unfortunately, the theatre was closed during our visit, as it currently undergoes an extensive, multi-year, much delayed renovation. Scheduled to reopen May 25, 2010, the Teatro Colón ranks among the world's top opera houses. The original cornerstone was laid in 1889, yet the theatre didn't open to the public until 1908. Tales of the theatre's construction (and current renovation) read like the libretto to a complex Verdi opera. Nonetheless, the grandeur of the theatre should be seen if you are in B.A. and if the renovation is complete.

Restoration in Progress

Eating in the Big Apple

Buenos Aires is the Big Apple of Argentina. And like it's counterpart in North America, B.A. is well known for its gastronomy. So what are some of the top culinary highlights? I offer you the following five, as food for thought.

1. Italian Food

Buenos Aires, Argentina is home to thousands of Italians. As you can imagine, there are a lot of Italian restaurants throughout the city. On our first evening in B.A., the front desk clerk at the Mine Boutique Hotel was really eager for us to try Il Ballo dei Mattone, a kitschy family run trattoria located in Palermo Soho. The restaurant was packed with locals and it appeared as if we were the only tourists in the place. The food was fantastic; I had an amazing lasagna bolognese. As you can tell from the pictures, this place was really wacky. There wasn't an empty space on the wall or the ceiling. (I also probably should have worn a more muted shirt....I sort of blend into the walls in these photos!) This was a great find!

Cheers to Il Ballo dei Mattone




The Small Kitchen

Now That's A Busy Photo!

Dinner is Served

2. Provoleta and Empanadas

If you are looking for a snack, look no further than these two Argentinian staples. Provoleta is a disc of provolone cheese, heated over a grill, rendering it pliant and crisp-skinned. A knife is necessary for cutting it! Resembling mini-turnovers (back left in the photo below), empanadas in Argentina are baked as opposed to fried as in other Latin American countries. Empanadas contain a variety of savory fillings. Both of these snacks, as well as pizza, can be found on the menu at Romario's in Palermo.

Still Life with Provoleta and Empanadas

Pizza at Romario's

3. Helados

Helados is Argentinian ice cream that best resembles gelato. Most heladería menus are divided among frutas (fruit creams and sorbets), cremas (including dulce de leche and vanilla varieties), and chocolates. Porteños take ice cream seriously, and there are plenty of noteworthy artisanal ice cream parlors located around the city. Among the chains, Freddo is often mentioned as one of the best. Luckily for us, there's a branch within walking distance of our hotel!

Freddo's Classic Argentinian Gelato

Service With a Smile

Here we are enjoying two ice cream sundaes at Café Tortoni on the Avenida de Mayo. Founded in 1858, Café Tortoni is the oldest coffee shop in the whole country. It's also a great place to stop in for an ice cream. Note the smiles on our faces.

Sundaes on Sunday


Video of Café Tortoni


4. Argentine Beef

Argentina has the world's highest consumption rate of beef at 68kg per capita. And once you taste Argentine beef, you will know why! Believe the hype. What makes Argentine beef so special? Its because the happy cows are fed and fattened up on the nutritious pampas grass as opposed to corn and growth hormones. When coming to Buenos Aires, you must plan to dig into a juicy steak at a parilla (grill). Luckily for us, one of the top rated parilla's was just a short walk away from our hotel in Palermo. La Cabrera has two small dining rooms with exposed bare-brick walls, mosaic floors, and wooden furniture. Reservations are only taken for the first seating (8:30 p.m.); if you don't have a reservation, come early, and enjoy the free champagne while waiting on the sidewalk. We were told that their steaks are some of the best in town, and while I wasn't in B.A. long enough to compare it to others, I can assure you that this was an incredible cut of beef. We had heard that the portions were large, so the three of us split a tenderloin and a rib eye. Each steak came with an assortment of multiple sides, although we still ordered the french fries. Incredible and delicious!

La Cabrera Steak Knife

A Feast is Served

5. Dulce de Leche

This is not your ordinary caramel. For some reason, in Argentina, when you boil milk with sugar, you end up with one of the most incredible culinary treats. You can find dulce de leche in every conceivable format, in ice cream, as fillings to alfajores cookies (the Oreo cookie of Argentina), and, as pictured in the photo below, slathered over flan.

Flan with Dulce de Leche at La Cabrera

Carlos Gardel

Carlitos: Tango's Ambassador


No visit to Buenos Aires is complete without taking in one of the many tango shows that perform nightly throughout the city. For our last evening in B.A., we booked tickets to see Esquina Carlos Gardel. The name Carlos Gardel is to tango as the the name Elvis is to Rock and Roll.

Carlos Gardel (1887-1935) is perhaps the most prominent figure in the history of the tango. Where and when he was born has been disputed: some say he was born in Tacuarembó, Uruguay in 1890, but a birth certificate stated that Gardel was born in Toulouse, France in 1887. Although, Gardel, talking about his adopted homeland, often said that he was born in Argentina when he was two-and-a-half years old. He arrived in B.A. in 1893 and made the Abasto neighborhood his home. This fedora wearing porteño, authored hundreds of tales of lost love, punches throw, and women wooed. At the height of his career, Gardel tragically died in 1935 in an airplane crash in Medellín, Colombia while on tour. The rest, they say, is legend.

Outside the Theatre


Statue of Carlos Gardel

Esquina Carlos Gardel is performed in an elegant tango show palace in the Abasto District. The theatre was built of the location of "Chanta Cuatro," a restaurant where Gardel used to dine with his friends across the street from the Abasto Shopping Center. The theatre is an old-time-style dining room on two levels with banquet tables and private booths.

Tango Argentino


Dinner and show tickets run about $90 per person. One of the best things about seeing a tango show is that transportation often comes with the price of your ticket. We were picked up at our hotel by a private car and whisked away to the theatre. After posing with a few tango dancers for photos, we were taken to our private booth for a three course meal, complete with all the wine you can drink.

While having dinner, they show some old film clips on a large screen that explains the history of the tango and highlights some of its biggest stars. The show doesn't begin until most people have finished dinner, which is about 10:00 p.m. The orchestra was positioned above the stage so you could enjoy their talents as well as those of the dancers. The two-hour show begins with the orchestra playing sad tangos, and then it quickly opens up with powerful, emotional renditions of many of Gardel's songs, including his signature ballad, "Mi Buenos Aires Querido." Complimenting the fabulous orchestra is a host of superb singers and dancers, creating a wonderful evening of tango in an authentic environment.

It Takes Two to Tango

Curtain Call at Esquina Carlos Gardel

San Telmo

San Telmo is the heart of colonial Buenos Aires. Here in B.A.'s most romantic neighborhood are cobblestone streets, colonial houses, Spanish churches, tango parlors, and antique stores. Originally San Telmo was inhabited by elite families. However, due to the yellow fever outbreak in 1871, they fled the neighborhood and their mansions became tenement houses for the immigrants who followed.

Filete Sign, San Telmo


Romantic San Telmo


If you happen to be in Buenos Aires on a Sunday, you will want to visit San Telmo to see the Sunday antiques fair. Most of the antique stalls are located around the Plaza Dorrego, which is the heart of the district.

Antique Stalls on the Plaza Dorrego




Around the Plaza Dorrego are a number of quaint cafes and historic buildings. Al fresco dining is popular on balconies overlooking the plaza.

Balcony Diners

Historic San Telmo Buildings

In addition to the antiques market, on Sundays the Calle Defensa is closed to traffic and many artisans set up shop. Here you will encounter street performers of all types and sorts.

San Telmo Street Performers....From Puppeteers...

...to Strolling Guitarists...

...to Stilt Walkers...

...to the Indescribable!

This is a good place to come to buy souvenirs and inexpensive mementos of your trip to B.A. Here you will find everything from jewelry to leather goods. Just about anything you can think of can be found here.

Shopping for Leather Belts


Churros and Doughnuts

Foot-Painting Artist


Head Massagers for Sale (It Really Works!)

Colorful Bottle Holders

Meet the Artist and Buy Directly

Even Clothing for Dolls!

San Telmo: An "Udderly" Great Place to Visit