Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Sights
Buenos Aires’s identity lies in its 48 barrios (neighborhoods)—each with its own character and history. Several generations of many families have lived in the same barrio, and traditionally people feel more of an affinity to their neighborhood than to the city as a whole. Try to take things one neighborhood at a time, exploring on foot and by colectivo (bus), subte (subway), and/or relatively inexpensive taxis. Streets are basically laid out in a grid, though a few transverse the grid diagonally; these are helpfully called diagonales. Avenidas are broader, often two-way, streets, while regular streets (officially calles but actually referred to just by their name) are generally one-way. Streets and avenues running north-south change names at Avenida Rivadavía. Each city block is 100 meters (328 feet) long, and addresses are based on the building’s measured position from the corner (for instance, 180 Calle Florida is 80 meters from the corner, and 100 meters, or one block, from 80 Calle Florida).
Buenos Aires Restaurant Reviews
Dining in Buenos Aires is an art, a passion, and a pastime. Sobremesa (chatting over wine or coffee long after the table has been cleared) is as much of an event as the meal itself. World-renowned beef is a staple, cooked on a parrilla (grill), or sometimes over quebracho wood for a savory asado (barbecue). A typical meal consists of steak, fries, salad, and a robust tinto (red wine), followed by flan (crème caramel) with dulce de leche (a gooey caramel-like spread).
Buenos Aires Hotel Reviews
Buenos Aires has hotels, inns, apart-hotels (short-term rental apartments), B&Bs, hostels—you name it. World-class facilities include the majestic Alvear Palace Hotel, the ultra-hip Faena Hotel + Universe, and the luxurious Four Seasons—all celebrity favorites. High season includes the summer months of mid-December through February and the winter holidays that fall in July. As a rule, hotel prices don’t vary between high and low seasons; however, book ahead during high season, especially at upscale places, which fill up months in advance.
Buenos Aires Nightlife
Porteños love to party. Many don’t think twice about dancing until 6 AM and heading to work at 8 AM. And alcohol doesn’t play a vital role in whether people enjoy themselves or not; porteños could have fun at an insurance convention, provided the conversation and music were good and everyone looked marvelous. Indeed, for many, it’s better to look good than to feel good.
Being stylish is just one factor for a successful night on the town. Another is knowing that when we say this is a late-night town, we mean it. Clubs, which generally attract crowds in the 18-35 age range, don’t begin to fill up until 2 or 3 AM. Theater performances start at 9 PM or 9:30 PM, and the last movie begins after midnight. That said, the subte closes at 10 PM, so going out late means taking a taxi home or waiting until 5 AM for trains to resume running
Buenos Aires Shopping
Fashion-obsessed porteños head to Avenida Alvear and Calle Quintana in La Recoleta for haute couture; Avenida Cabildo (from the 1600 block to the 2200 block) in Belgrano and Avenida Santa Fe (800 to 1500) in El Centro for ready-to-wear, vintage, and club clothing; Calle Florida, also in El Centro, for leather goods; and Avenida Córdoba (4400 to 5000) in Palermo for discount goods. Malls, galerías (arcades), and chain stores, many of them local, abound. So do boutiques and open-air markets.
Looking for handicrafts? Keep an eye out for traditional ponchos, mate kits, boleadoras (gaucho lassos), wood carvings, and alpaca products. Silver jewelry, Brazilian emeralds, and semiprecious Argentine rodocrosita, “rose of the Inca” stones—which range in color from pink to red—should also make your list.
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