flygirl

hello to all! I've gotten to know the folks on this forum so much better and I know many of you are extremely well traveled so I thought I would try to draw your attention to my question here, as the Latin America forum gets so little traffic compared to here...<BR><BR>I am in the very beginning stages of planning a trip to Buenos Aires (and possibly elsewhere) in January.<BR><BR>Does anyone have any favorite guide books to recommend (I like the Discover Guides, is this a good choice for Argentina) as well as any good websites to check out?<BR><BR>If anyone has specific advice on Buenos Aires, do let me know. (unusual things to check out, great museums, that sort of thing.)<BR><BR>thanks!

RnR

some things to do (we wree in BA in 2000): see a tango show every night (e.g. Mr. Tango); take lessons before you go - and dance at Club Ideal; Stay in the Recoleta; see Eva Peron's tomb and the Recoleta cemetery; tour the opera house; see La Boca but during the day; walk along July 9th Blvd.; drink their wonderful wines; attend street fairs in Recoleta and San Telmo - weekends, as I recall. Go the the small tango clubs for dinner and the show - you'll want to do this every single night, believe me. Taxis are plentiful and cheap. Arrange for private car trasportt to and from the airport. BA is a chic, dress-up city, especially for the better shows, restaurants. And last but not least, split the steak!!! It will be huge.

kam

Good advice above. We stayed with close Argentine friends, but try to visit La Bocca, the cemetery is fascinating, and plan on eating those steaks very late--like 10:30 or so. As I recall, top shopping street is Florida. BA will remind you of Paris mixed with Spain--very cosmopolitan and quite well dressed.

Michelle

We were in BA 5 years ago. I agree will all of the above, especially the Senor Tango show. Yes it is very touristy, but that is why it is fun. We considered it one of the highlights of our trip, second only to traveling over the Andes by bus from Mendoza to Santiago!!

RnR

Kam has hit the nail on the head. Keep in mind BA is cosmopolitan. If you know a bit of spanish, that would aid you in making reservations by phone. But your hotel will help you. Yes, Florida is one of the great shopping streets. I will take a look at BA stuff at home and if I find anything else will post it. We used Amercian Airlines - FF miles for tickets - travelled to JFK and non-stop overnight to BA. I believe you can go through Miami too, and possibly from LA. You do an overnighter coming back to the US as well.<BR><BR>have a great trip!!<BR>I am going to say it again: think tango - a show every night - the small tango clubs for dinner and dancing and a show - and by all means take a few lessons, and go to a club an try it out.<BR><BR>

Snoopy

La Boca during the day? Why? Has it become dangerous at night . . . or rather . . . at 4:00am, when it used to be so fun?

xxx

ttt

Graziella

Hi, I have lived many years in Bs As, so if you have any specific question?<BR>I shall be very pleased to answer it.<BR>How many days are you planning to be there, ? there are many fascinating side trips as you probably know.Buena suerte...

RnR

Yes, La Boca is in an area that is a bit unsafe. Still interesting with all their colors and the art is the streets. Please also keep in mind that economic conditions in BA are desperate - per a friend who is a citizen of Arg. and who came back earlier in 2002 - and told us he was afraid the entire time. He was born in BA and his family is still there, so I believe he should be relatively well informed about it. So a word to the wise - talk with your hotel and see what they suggest as places to walk. And at night, you do not want to be in any neighborhoods too far off July 9th Blvd. And use taxis when in doubt! People line up for food - no jobs - lots of homeless and poor. This is the time to be very cautious in BA!!!

Vincent

Guide book for Bs As in English, head and shoulders above the rest: the fairly recent (2001) Time Out guide, excellent as all their city guides. Don't miss the antique market in San Telmo (plaza Dorrego) on Sundays, visit an exhibition at the Centro cultural in La Recoleta. I've been told the new Modern art Museum is worth a visit. January is likely to be very hot (35-40 C) so go for a splash in one of the balnearios (huge open air swimming pools) next to Aeroparque on the Costanera (bus 37 from Congreso). They used to be very expensive, but, unfortunately for the Argentines, the peso now allows foreigners to live like cheikhs. And eat meat, meat and more meat. Contrary to Spain, a &quot;chorizo&quot; is not a sausage but a sirloin steak. Delicious. Take the train at Constitucion to the affluent suburbs of San Isidro and, further afield, Tigre. Ahhh, mi Buenos Aires querido...

flygirl

Hi all!<BR><BR>thank you so much! what great advice, I knew you would come through.<BR><BR>I actually bought the Time Out guide last night, so thank you for confirming I made a good choice!<BR><BR>I will be traveling with a friend who recently bought a condo down there as an investment, so I will go with her on one of her visits. It's amazing but also a tribute to how hard times are down there - a large 2 BR luxury condo in a very good part of town, for 30 grand. <BR><BR>also, my company is international so I hope to be able to spend more time in South America in the coming year - although this trip is for fun.

liz

I was in BA in June this year. I saw no queues for food, no begging on the streets. BA is/was clean and I felt safe and I want to go back again while the Peso is down otherwise for Australians it would be very expensive. <BR>The Sunday market at San Telmo is a &quot;must&quot; and they have wonderful displays of Tango there. Plan to make it a day and then go to La Bocca. There are lots of restaurants in the market area which have lunch and a Tango show so it makes for a wonderful Sunday, even if the prices of the antique goods was high. <BR>Try and get tickets to the Teatro Colon which is one of the best Opera Houses in the World - if not then do take a tour of it. <BR>Get a ferry over to Uraguey ( why can't I remember how to spell it?) as there is a nice little village where you can spend a day just strolling around. <BR>Of course try the Argintinian champagne with your steaks which I thought were as good as the best the world has to offer. <BR>It is a lovely country with plenty to see and do......enjoy!