Buenos Aires, Argentina

 
 
 

LOCATION

Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina, located on the northeastern coast of the country overlooking Rio de la Plata. The name translates to “Good Airs” in English. Argentina is known for its dance halls, as a shopper’s paradise, its quality of steaks and their famous parillas, vibrant architecture, and of course, its football.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS

  • Obelisco

  • La Recoleta Cemetery

  • La Boca

  • Casa Rosado

  • Avenida 9 de Julio

  • Colon Theater

  • Palacio Barolo

 

TOP MUST-DO’S

  • Take a picture in front of the Obelisco

  • Visit one of the world’s most famous cemeteries in Recoleta

  • Eat at some of the best parrillas in the world

  • Go shopping in the Corrientes neighborhood

  • Take a stroll down the colorful neighborhood of La Boca

  • Watch the streets shows of the dance Tango

  • Swing by for a coffee at the famous Café Tortoni

 

REVIEW

Now, I have said this about most places I have written about in the blog, but I mean it when I say the for some strange reason, Buenos Aires has always piqued my interest in visiting. I honestly did not know a single thing about the country that made it so appealing (other than that Messi played for the national team and it is a Spanish-speaking country). But it was always up there on my list. I also never had been to South America previous to this trip, so it was definitely an eye-opening experience to visit another continent in this world and make it to the Southern Hemisphere.

Everyone has their European or Asian countries they want to visit, and for the most time (especially in Europe), it is because of the many touristy and sight-seeing opportunities they have. You think of the Eiffel Tower when you want to go to Paris, Acropolis when you want to go to Greece, Big Ben or the Buckingham Palace when you want to go to London. In Argentina, however, they do not have the most sight-seeing locations and their attractions come from a different side of things.

Here are some observations I picked up during my time in Buenos Aires:

  • Although the city is on the coast, there is no beach. The coast within the city is filled with ports and docks for ships. Something I did not know and with that lack of information, packed a bathing suit or two in my luggage.

  • The city is very walkable! At some points you may need to get on the metro or the bus to get from one side to the other, but getting out on the streets you will see so much of the city. Avenida Corrientes and Avenida 9 de Julio are the main streets that bisect the city. You can take both up and down the coast and make it through most of the city just on those streets. And you will see a lot of shopping on those streets - Argentina is a hot-spot for shopping.

  • The Argentinian Peso favors Americans & Europeans very well! The amount fluctuates (when I was there a year ago, it was $1 USD = 42 Argentinian Pesos). Researching the current number, it is at $1USD = 66 Argentinian Pesos. The first night I was there, I went to a rather nice Parilla (we will talk about those in second), and we ordered an appetizer and a Full Course Parilla, which included a combination of different steaks – ribeye’s, sirloins, skirt steaks – as well as chicken, sausage. It also came with bread, a beverage for each person, a side of fries and a bottle of wine. Now you could imagine, the steaks itself probably cost $15-20 a cut, and we had multiple steaks. Then you add everything else, you would have thought that meal was at least $70-80 a person. Nope, it was $37 for two people. I was in awe, and knew I had some good eating coming my way the next few days. Every meal I had there (although I was paying for two), was less than $12 for myself.

  • Now, I mentioned this idea of a Parilla. “Parilla” in Spanish translates to “grill” in English. But we are not talking about a backyard-barbecue-like-grill in the States. They take the grill concept to a whole other level. Think of one of those huge fire ovens where they cook your pizzas at an authentic Italian restaurant. It’s kind of like that – but consists of an open-fire hearth and grates where they cook all their meats. And boy do they know how to cook meats. Argentinians (and Uruguayans, for my friends who will be mad at me if I do not throw them in the mix) are famous for their ability to cook meats, especially steaks. They say they use every part of the cow and they do not waste a single part of meat. I ate at a different Parilla each and every day and tried different types of meats in the process. If quality, authentic food is on your list when you pick a location to travel to, Buenos Aires needs to be on it.  

 
Ryan HarrisonComment