by Mark | Mar 5, 2011 | Deep In It
For the most part I will let this article in the Argentina Independent explain but I do have some comments (see below).
But first, since we are visitors here and don’t want to be seen as complainers, that article says it well:
“One of South America’s most electrifying cities, graced with European culture, architecture, atmospheric neighbourhoods and a bustling nightlife. With a variety of parks, museums, fancy restaurants, boutiques and funky bars, this city of porteños offers something for everyone. Not a weird thing many foreigners fall in love with it, you would think…”
A Beautiful Park in Buenos Aires
Top Five Annoyances in Buenos Aires
#1 This problem is not a severe as what we found in Spain but it is real. If you mistep, it takes a couple of blocks to fully get over it.
#2 It is surprising how long it takes to catch on to this one. Some of it comes in the form of a misty rain, other times it is full fledge drops which can be mistaken for the dreaded bird spillage. The all too common wet spot is a giveaway so you quickly learn to avoid those.
#3 Because of #1 and #2 it is critical to focus your eyes downward, which is helpful for this one since any mishap in this walking city would put you on the sidelines quickly. When new to the city, it’s a challenge to avoid this hazard while viewing the spectacular architecture above you. Brisk walking is a feat of extreme dexterity.
#4 We have not been exposed or disrupted by this and have only witnessed it in Plaza de Mayo (pronounced like masho) where there are always banners present. But I love a good act of civil disobediance and look forward to our first.
#5 This is a problem of the highest magnitude. For our first week it was a total mystery. An inexplicable unavailability. Now we know. We should have noticed these signs. The other day a grocery bill came to 24 pesos, I provided 25 which resulted in a brief but intense mental tug of war. Sell not sell, how badly did I need it, each trying to figure out if the other had a reserve. It is common to get a 50-centavo deduction if the sale is important enough for the shop owner and/or you are a good bluffer. Preparing for a bus ride takes forethought since they only accept monedas.
by Mark | Mar 4, 2011 | Deep In It
The plot thickens as we enter our third week in Buenos Aires. Up bright and early, by 7:30 am we were out of the house making our way to the bus stop for the #130 bus to take us to Puerto Madero, the newest part of the city very near San Telmo where we rented our first apartment.
Today Betsy started a new job teaching English for an Brazilian technology company called Politec with offices in the U.S., Japan, Chile, and here. She had two classes, the first starting at 8:30 am with two advanced students and the second quickly following at 9:30 with an intermediate student. While the pay isn’t great, the opportunity to mingle with residents of the city while applying her notable English skills is pretty cool. Betsy could become famous here once word of her English skills spreads. Plus as we stood at the bus stop on this bright, sunny Thursday morning, it was a pinch-me moment. Are we really doing this?
Since I have a responsibility not to pollute the English language here in Buenos Aires, it fell upon me to take a hike, so off I went to explore. It was a beautiful morning in Puerto Madero.
A View across the Water ©2011
As I headed East into Puerto Madero toward the River de la Plata, the scene changed to new high-rises with beautiful avenues and parks. The construction is ongoing as this area is booming for young middle class professionals and retirees.
A View along the Water ©2011
Long story made short, this port was designed in the late 19th century but was not deep enough to handle larger cargo ships so a new port was developed soon after, which left Puerto Madero to become a blighted area of the city. Various plans were developed to renovate the area, but it was not until the late 20th century that this plan was adopted to revitalize the area.
As I headed farther east, I came across these stairs to a park…
Stairway to a Park ©2011
The stairs led to a manicured walkway just above the main north-south street and causeway that parallels the ecological reserve where city ends and wildlife begins. There were many famous urban architects responsible for the design of Puerto Madero, and one interesting detail is that all the streets are named after women of significance in Argentina.
Here along the easternmost street, there are sunbathers, bikers, runners and sightseers along with a collection of local foods.
Su Parrillon ©2011
By now it was getting time to circle back to meet Betsy. To give you an idea of the planning and design of Puerto Madero, just past the sidewalk grill was this open area. Off to the right is the beginning of the ecological reserve.
Roman Style Sitting Area ©2011
Heading back west down a wide boulevard I encountered something pretty typical, the local dog walking experts.
Dog Walking Party ©2011
At this point I was thinking I might be late (read get lost) to meet Betsy, so my pace quickened and I just starting snapping pictures at random. Enjoy…
Couldn’t Resist the Contrast ©2011
Arty City Picture ©2011
Warehouses Turned Lofts, Shops, and Businesses ©2011
By now I was breathing hard and sweating, it was hot in the city, but mastering a big-city gait I pulled up long enough to take this picture mid-crossing.
A picture of the mix of old and new…
Mix of Old and New ©2011
I made it back to Paseo Colon, hung a left on Estados Unidos and found my way to a coffee shop just around the corner from Betsy’s workplace (I know, some of you are wondering how I navigated this on my own) with 15 minutes to spare.
She found me right after 11 and we struck out across Estados Unidos to take the Green Line subway back north to our neighborhood.
Warm Subway Ride to Palermo
We had a quick lunch at home and then took a short six-block walk to Santa Fe Avenue to meet Nico (the first apartment caretaker) to return the keys.
On the way back we stopped in a bakery and did some window shopping along Godoy Street, establishing plans to return to a couple of restaurants and cafes. Then a much-needed siesta.
At 4, our Spanish teacher arrived. We are in the process of taking several hour-long classes from different tutors to see which one(s) work best for us. Again, since this one, like the first, didn’t seem to like to speak English, I kept hoping she would talk to Betsy more. By the time she left, both our heads were swimming.
It is about 8 pm, this post is over. We are headed out to see if we can buy a Spanish lesson book that was recommended.
Chau!
by Mark | Mar 1, 2011 | Deep In It
Last night we met with a local group of interesting expats for drinks. Some of you may know there is a U.S.-based group called Drinking Liberally. As the name suggests, the group began as a place for liberals to meet, drink and socialize. Below is the U.S. map of organized chapters. Come to find out, a local group of expats started their chapter in BA about three years ago.
Drinking Liberally Chapter Map
To get there, we jumped on the 111 bus about four blocks from our apartment at around 8:30 and headed to the restaurant 20 blocks or so away. These buses travel at warp speed in a driving style similar to mine with a heavy mix of steroids.
So for us, hanging on while looking for the street signs to know where to get off results in at best a 50/50 chance of coming within a three to four block radius. At nighttime it really is just intuition. Knowing when to hit the stop buzzer is everything. We just made the odds last night with a three-block walk. Remember we are still relatively new at this.
The group was varied, shop owners, business types, travelers, bloggers, young and old, men and women, about 20 in all. Most of the expats have been in BA several years. I sat next to a 40-something Apple application writer visiting from London for two weeks . Everyone welcomed the newcomers and was generous with inside information about the city. We even talked politics. Mike is the organizer: http://www.yanquimike.blogspot.com/ and we sat near Frank, who was very interesting and knowledgeable with a thriving business selling sweets to companies large and small: http://www.sugarandspice.com.ar/.
Around midnight we made our way back to the stop for the 168 bus ride back to the apartment—a sobering experience in itself. We found our way to bed around 1 am, which is pretty early BA time.
Drinking Liberally Chapters
Last night we met with a local group of interesting Expats for drinks. There is a U.S.-based group called Drinking Liberally. As the name suggests, the group began as a place for liberals to meet, drink and socialize. Below is the U.S. map of organized chapters. Come to find out, a local group of expats started their chapter in BA about three years ago.
by Mark | Feb 25, 2011 | Deep In It
Had we made a big mistake? Our first impression was no way -- this couldn't be the same apartment we saw in the pictures. But the fact that this was it quickly took hold. I know, there is a fine line between character and disrepair. Even though we warmed up to our new abode over the next several days, I think an objective person would say it leaned a bit to the latter. To be fair, this was a very old building as this was one of the first neighborhoods in Buenos Aires.
The location was what we expected as the cab dropped us off on Bolivar. The wooden entryway door of the building was spectacular, some 14 feet tall. The street was what most would describe as gritty, which we did envision given what we had read and heard about Montserrat and San Telmo. We enjoy a bohemian, artist- filled, pre-gentrified neighborhood experience and while we had received mixed messages about staying in San Telmo, we knew that we had booked this apartment for only three weeks and were ready to see for ourselves.
The process of renting the apartment was pretty simple. Buenos Aires is one of the most Internet-savvy cities in South America or any major city in the U.S. for that matter. So placing an ad on Craigslist Buenos Aires led to many responses; then it was just a matter of picking the neighborhood and culling the responses with inquiring emails. We also plugged into BANewcomers, a group on Yahoo with about 2900 active members. Many of those responded to our posts with extremely helpful information.
As we walked through our door for the first time on this hot, steamy Buenos Aires day, the apartment was caliente and stuffy and did not smell particularly fresh. We sat our bags down, flung the windows open, turned on the fan and started to explore our new digs.
This apartment "shows" well via pictures but with feet on the floor we started to have doubts. Plus the fact that in the apartment-culling process it was somehow overlooked that this particular apartment did not have air conditioning and as we all know, Buenos Aires' summers are known to sizzle.
Our living room was spacious but spartan. The Internet connection was great and while we didn't watch much TV, it got a full range of channels, some in English. One major downside was the lack of a functional workspace for both of us.
The downstairs bathroom was functional, the shower worked well but soon after we moved in, the sink drain plugged. We were told the plumber was on the way, but there is something here called "Buenos Aires time," which seems to be connected to the fact we never saw the plumber.
The deck pictures we saw showed what could have been a nice sitting area but you can see the view (left) was not that great.
We didn't really spend time here
The process of finding an apartment is not fun anywhere anytime and more complicated in a big city like this with distinct neighborhoods. Having said that, if a person were not on a budget, renting an apartment here for say, $1200-2000 per month would get you a large, really modern apartment with amenities like a pool and maid service. Compare that to any other major city in the world and it is a bargain. It would be simple to find the high-end apartments.
One thing that struck us was the open nature of the old building that housed our apartment. Rain would come in hallways between the apartments. The view to left shows the hallway to the downstairs apartment. On sunny days our neighbors used the grate to dry their clothes.
In the next few days we set out to explore Buenos Aires to help us decide on the right neighborhood for our full four months.
We stayed about two weeks at the first apartment. It grew on us, the neighborhood is filled with excellent restaurants, shops, cafes and provided us access to major historical and cultural venues. We are told a third of BA residents are of Italian descent, and we enjoyed some remarkable food including pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti, along with steak to die for, a great vegetarian cafe and tasty empanadas.
One's sense of an acceptable apartment is always something of a cultural adaptation which helps explains how we grew to appreciate this apartment. To those who say the San Telmo barrio is dangerous, I can only say that for myself, they are overly fearful. I never felt in danger even late at night. In fact, the people in our neighborhood were warm and generous. Our apartment neighbors were a cross-section of people young and old, including babies. You just don't get that up-close view staying in a hotel or an upscale apartment and I wouldn't want it any other way.
My memory of one short elderly woman still brings a smile to my face. She seemed to adamantly believe we understood Spanish or should. One morning we met her in the hallway with her hands and arms flailing (residents here would strain to talk without their hands) telling us something serious about water leaking. A few days later a property manager showed up so we think we got the gist of that conversation. That same woman was also "in charge" of garbage which is collected nightly between 8 and 10 pm. She took the individual apartment bags and centralized them in a large bag and then took them out on the street for collection right about 10 pm. She and another older woman (Dora) were very sweet to us.
If you plan on coming to Buenos Aires, there are no shortage of apartments to rent, and having your own place vs a hotel or hostel is way better in my mind -- plus less expensive. Even one or two week rentals are readily available.
Chau!
P.S. Just place an ad on Craigslist and away you go...
by Mark | Feb 23, 2011 | Deep In It
A picture from Paseo del Rosedal
Buenos Aires is the 11th largest city in the world, home to about 15 million.
It was a huge relief to get off the plane after an 11-hour red-eye. Note to self: never fly United Airlines again (except on the way back since we are already ticketed); our seats were unbelievably cramped and to make it obvious to everyone in economy, they parade you past the 1st class sofa/entertainment and business class seating. It was really inhumane how little space we had for so long.
Customs was easy and we moved through effortlessly… we had read about an entry fee that varies depending on your country of residence and it is true, for U.S. citizens it is $140. Their position is that the U.S. started the fee to come to our country so they are reciprocating.
In advance of our arrival we rented an apartment in the historic San Telmo barrio (neighborhood). The plan was to call the local apartment caretaker from the airport so he could meet us at the apartment after a 30-minute or so cab ride ($38 US). We found an airport phone, called the caretaker but discovered he was delayed so he could not meet us until 4-5 pm. We had already booked the cab at the airport kiosk and the driver was waiting impatiently during the call, so we hurriedly formulated the plan to go to the apartment and wait, maybe get something to eat. We debated going to the hostel we had chosen for a backup.
Shortly after we were dropped off at the apartment door, it started to rain. Luckily someone who lives in the building opened the over-sized door so we schlepped our bags inside the hallway. Unfortunately, the massive doors lock from the inside as well… this is me, a little wet and very tired, searching for Wi-Fi (which is everywhere here) and pretty peeved at the caretaker who actually is a very nice guy and speaks more English than anyone else we have met.
Waiting patiently
About 45 minutes later the rain stopped and a future neighbor opened the door so we wheeled our bags two blocks to La Poesia a notable San Telmo literary café, plopped our bags down and had lunch. The lack of sleep, lunch and the large beer created just the right mindset to appreciate our arrival in Buenos Aires and how close we had gotten to a nap!
Looking up!
The caretaker arrived around 3:45, apologies spewing left and right and took us to the apartment on the 2nd “floor” with a total of four doors between us and our new accommodations. Each door opens with a unique key, which several days later can still be a challenge.
Two-sided (4 x 2 possibly combinations)
After months of planning, we had established ourselves in Buenos Aires.
