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Brief Buenos Aires Solo Visit: Itinerary Check

Brief Buenos Aires Solo Visit: Itinerary Check

Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 10:38 AM
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Brief Buenos Aires Solo Visit: Itinerary Check

I'm off to BsAs in October for 2+days/3 nights before a week of work in Santiago. 50-something culture-loving female, have lived in Mexico & Venezuela, speak fluent Spanish. Staying in Palermo Soho. I'm not normally a tour person, but the bicycle tour sounds intriguing for an overview.

Day 1 - Arrive 5pm, need dinner rec in the 'hood, somewhere I can sit at the bar, maybe w/ music. Probably won't be too tired, traveling business, not huge time change.

Day 2 - Biking Buenos Aires, 7 hour tour - Boca Jr Stadium, Caminito, Recoleta Cemetary, Metal Flower, Ecological Reserve, Lezama Park, Woman's Bridge, Pink House, May Pyramid, Wall Street, Plaza Dorrego
Evening (after nap): 11pm-1am - Narrative Tango Tour - Milongo tour

Day 3 - Shop, Galleries/museums, street art, business lunch
Evening: Peña?? Okay to go alone? Too similar to what I can do in Chile? Other ideas?

Day 4 - 7am flight to Santiago

All suggestions appreciated!
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 11:18 AM
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crosscheck: what day of the week are you arriving?
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 11:30 AM
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Wednesday
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 11:49 AM
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Great!

Being a frequent poster, I assume you know all about the "blue" dollar exchange rate, safety precautions for BA and all that kind of thing?
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 03:29 PM
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I would avoid biking around Boca Jr Stadium and Caminito. This area is not very safe for a girl on a bike.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 03:41 PM
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Hmm...It's a guided tour with Biking Buenos Aires, which they do every day. I'm assuming they avoid the diciest areas. Here's the link: http://www.bikingbuenosaires.com/Ult...Bike-Tour.html
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 03:53 PM
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And yes, av, I do know about the blue rate, thanks to you - Bringing my $100 bills. Safety precautions? I don't really look like a tourist, I plan to take radio taxis and I'll be with locals for much of the time that I'm not on the two tours. But I do like to shop on my own...and I have two evenings to myself. Still would appreciate restaurant suggestions where I can go on my own in Palermo Soho.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 04:12 PM
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Oops - posted too soon. Are there other precautions I should know about? I'd hate to be there and not take photos.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 04:21 PM
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It's not a lot of money, but it sounds as if that bike tour can be paid in pesos at the official rate.

It should also work for the hotel. If they quote in dollars, but take credit cards, they'll certainly take payment in cash pesos at the official rate.

In fact, paying in cash pesos exchanged at the "blue" rate, at this time you can save about 38% versus anything paid with a credit card.

Radio taxis are only safer if they are CALLED, not hailed. Try to pay them with bills no larger than 20 pesos.

I'll try to come up with a bright idea for at least one of your "two evenings to myself".

Maybe something along the lines of the Nov 3, 12 at 8:14pm post in: http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...-patagonia.cfm ??
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 04:29 PM
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Walking distance from my Palermo hotel (the Duque) I enjoyed the Quimbombo and Don Julio. If you have time for it I recommend the Graffitimundo tours.

I encountered the dirty water/pigeon poop/etc scam on the metro. No problem as I had nothing in my pockets and held tight to my bag, but be warned.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2013, 04:35 PM
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Oops, posted before seeing your last question. LOL!!

Don't carry in plain sight an expensive camera, phone, watch or jewelry.

If ANYTHING strange happens near you, it's probably meant to put you off guard. Hold firmly on to your belongings and do not allow anyone to come near you, no matter how respectable he/she may seem.

And you should have a great time in our town.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2013, 02:19 PM
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Hey Crosscheck!! We did a bike tour that went through La Boca and right near the stadium - we were on a private bike tour , so just 4 of us and our guide, but felt perfectly safe with the guide. So, being in a group I'm sure is no problem.

Our three favorite restaurants in or near Palermo Soho were

Bar Uriate (1572 Uriarte, Palermo Soho) – we had a great lunch and dinner here. Nice hip design and great food.

Social Paraiso ( 5182 Honduras, Palermo Soho) -another great restaurant located in Palermo Soho. Everyone truly enjoyed their meal here. The green salad was the best we had in Argentina.

Azema Exotic Bistro ((Angel Carranza 1875, Palermo Hollywood) – This was recommended as a place to go if you are tired of steak, and that was true. We all enjoyed meals of duck or fish. The appetizers were particularly interesting.

La Cupertina (Cabrera 5296/corner GodoyCruz, Palermo Soho) - more casual and homey but THE best empanadas and rice pudding. Run by a sweet couple. Their stews and tamales also excellent. We ate there 3 times.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2013, 04:34 PM
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Hi jgg, Just returned last night from a spectacular road trip in your neck of the woods.
All great info - thanks...especially about the best salad in Argentina and the places you frequented more than once. Did you do your bike tour with Biking Buenos Aires? How far in advance did you sign up?

Anyone have experience with Narrative Tango? Is a milongo tour the way to go or should I go to a show? Should I sign up in advance or wait and see what the hotel recommends?

av, As much as I love the idea of a GTG, I sadly cannot commit now because it looks as if I might have to work on my "free" nights. However, Mr. Crosscheck and I plan to return to Argentina for a proper length of time the next time I go to Santiago and we'll definitely connect then.

---

$ Q: I've been reading about the blue dollar rate on TA. Many travelers report that there is no need to exchange $100 bills, that you can get just as good of a rate by using dollars to pay for hotels, restaurants, tours, etc. True?
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Old Sep 23rd, 2013, 04:43 PM
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thursday, Thanks for the recs. Is the graffiti tour something I can do at the last minute? Did you book in advance? I'm afraid I'm doing too many tours, and I want to make sure I have time to shop, maybe for art. And a friend just said her cousin will take me to her leather shop. Clearly, not enough time.

Do the thieves snatch cameras or just iPhones?
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Old Sep 23rd, 2013, 04:49 PM
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I would think you could book the graffitti tour at the last minute - it didn't look to me that there was a limit on the number of people, but you could contact them and ask. I booked ahead, but I had more time than you do. I also spent a morning with a "greeter", which was interesting.

I imagine thieves are interested in anything they can get their hands on!
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Old Sep 23rd, 2013, 05:01 PM
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Haha. I've lately been obsessed with photographing street art. Might have to wait until Santiago. Valparaiso was mural paradise but I'm not getting back there on this trip.

Checking out your greeter report. I'm a city girl and like to wander on my own, so not sure how I'd do with a greeter. With limited time I think I'd prefer to meet av!
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Old Sep 23rd, 2013, 05:28 PM
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The street art in BsAs was really special. For my pix see: http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/S...res-Street-Art

Av definitely worth meeting, but this was my fourth greeter and three have been fine (the one in Kanazawa didn't want to allow for my sprained ankle).
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Old Sep 23rd, 2013, 05:32 PM
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I'm not at all into planning ahead, crosscheck.

So, if you have that Wednesday or Thursday night free, just e-mail me and I'll see what I can do.

About the "blue" dollar rate, I wonder what "many travelers" mean about "as good of a rate by using dollars to pay for hotels, restaurants, tours, etc.".

What I mean is that MAYBE they thought they were getting a good rate, but MAYBE it wasn't so.

"With limited time I think I'd prefer to meet av!" ???? LOL!
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Old Sep 24th, 2013, 03:08 AM
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Hi, crosscheck and other interested parties!

Allow me to further elaborate on the following:

1) My: "In fact, paying in cash pesos exchanged at the "blue" rate, at this time you can save about 38% versus ANYTHING paid with a credit card."

2) Your: "Many travelers report that there is no need to exchange $100 bills, that you can get just as good of a rate by using dollars to pay for hotels, restaurants, tours, etc."

The math is simple and obvious: if you pay with a credit card, you are in fact selling dollars to the Argentine central bank at about 5,70 pesos per dollar, whereas yesterday you could get up to 9,30 in the "blue" market.

In Argentina, when you shop at or cater to any kind of small business which takes credit cards, particularly if the owner is at the cash register, there most likely is some kind of "two tier" pricing.

The price if you pay with a credit card is one thing and the price if you pay in cash, PARTICULARLY if you do NOT get an official invoice is an entirely different matter.

You could well get a further at least 10% or maybe even 20% off in the second alternative. It's a matter of taxes. In fact, many small businesses advertise a discount for payment in cash.

Since you know Spanish, the magical words are: "Hay descuento por pago en efectivo?" or an even bolder "Efectivo sin boleta?"

Of course, the "no invoice" thing is, in theory, illegal on the merchant's part, but so is the "blue" exchange market. It's just one of the many, many ways we Argentines have found to avoid our government's insatiable greed.

When you understand that much of what the Argentine people pay in taxes goes into the huge pockets of the people running our government, the whole thing becomes a little more morally acceptable.

Along this line of thinking, we have a saying: "El que le roba a un ladrón, tiene 100 años de perdón".

Have a great time in our country at between 40 and 50% off.
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Old Sep 24th, 2013, 05:40 AM
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These Argentina posts are particularly timely for us! Thank you to all for posting. We are just beginning to research our January trip.
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