Buenos Aires
 

My husband and I are planning to go to Buenos Aires at the end of March. We've never been anywhere in South America and I was hoping someone could give me a general impression of the people of Buenos Aires, and the city in general. Any thoughts?

Your question is so general, as you yourself say, that it is difficult to answer.
I suggest you spend a little time reading both this forum and the Trip Advisor Argentina forum
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...Argentina.html
and you should then be able to ask more specific questions.
What I mean is this: I'm a local, so I'm going to tell my town is great, but that's not what you want, is it?

I loved BA and cant wait to return -- it was the first place I visited in SA also. It's a huge, busy, cosmopolitan city. The roadways were incredible. Many call it the "Paris of SA." Not sure I agree with that, but it's a beautiful city in its own right. Lots of interesting neigborhoods to visit and some great architecture. The food is excellent and by US standards very reasonable. We found the people to be very helpful and always friendly and we speak very little Spanish. Great shopping and I thought a different fashion sense then other places I have been which made it all the more interesting. If you're into puses and shoes, you'll be in heaven! Also felt the influence of the Italian immigrants, so it had somewhat of an Italian feel to it that I'm not sure I can explain. Best Italian food that I have eaten outside of Italy. And terrific red wine at unbelievable prices. Have a great trip!

BsAs is a wonderful international city!The locals are very friendly and helpful, and Spanish is not required to communicate in most places. As avrooster indicates, your question is too broad to answer generally without knowing your interests and amount of time. There are many posters here that will help you with specifics, but IMO you will love BsAs. It is my favorite international city plus it is a real bargain compared to European cities yet it has much of the same feel with friendlier people.

Impressions of Buenos Aires: (from a local and Newbie Porteño)
Huge
Beautiful
Ugly
Warm Humid Cool Wet Windy Snow!!!! and Beautiful
Something going on somewhere all the time
Good music
Good Dancing ( Tango)
Great shoppping
Great Eating..like steak? your gonna love BA.
Museums..100 of them
Parks...countless, beautiful
Dogs...countless ( and they understand Spanish!!)
Polite and Friendly people
No, not everyone speaks English..
Most menus are in Spanish...
Yes, you can manage just fine with basic words like Please and Thank you.
Radio Taxi is GOOD
other taxis no good..( for a visitor anyway)
Hotels can be expensive, pick a good neighborhood to stay in.
Get some guide books and figure out why you want to come here and better answers will come your way.
Hope I was helpful :D

gwasley, you have posted elsewhere on Fodors that you are going to be in Europe in March..which March will you be here, in Buenos Aires?

The original plan was to go to Europe, but when we started talking about it we realized we'd much rather go somewhere warmer. Buenos Aires really appeals to us because of its supposed "european" qualities. Plus I thought that the more expensive flight to BA might be negated by the cheaper hotels/restaurants/shopping available. True?

Buenos Aires has a lot of bargains and is a very pretty and interesting city to visit ( or live in)..with lovely friendly people...and there are many bargains to be had.
That said..in general..hotels are no much of a bargain..when shopping, you sometimes get what you pay for..so if it is a designer bag etc, it will cost you the same or more than stores at home.
Food is less expensive, taxis are cheap and there are many things to do and see that are not expensive.
Getting here is expensive..
Hope this helps :)
*watch the fare finder sites for bargains*

We returned two weeks ago from 5 wks in BA; we found it unbelievably inexpensive compared to Europe. (Our last European trip was Summer 2207 to Switzerland, so I suppose just about anywhere is inexpensive compared to CH.) However, it really was a fantastic bargain and even with an expensive airfare, comparable to Europe for us from Southern California, it was not an expensive trip.

We rented a two bedroom, 1 1/2 bath in Palermo averaging less than $30US per night including once a week maid service from BytArgentina. We ate out everyday and probably had the best food anywhere including France which is my favorite European country to visit. Of course, I am a great pizza, pasta, ice-cream, and bread lover, and the Portenos have a pizza/pasta place on practically every corner, not to mention take-outs where you can buy fresh pasta. We enjoyed BA; we thought the people very friendly, helpful and polite. I can't remember how many times, on a bus that people would offer to change seats so my husband and I could sit together, or make sure we got off at the correct stop. I don't think we ever encountered rudeness anywhere. There's great music everywhere, and the leather shopping, and selection of handbags and shoes is pretty wonderful. I was underwhelmed by the museums, though. I expected better from Argentina's representive city, though I did like the Decorative Arts Museum. The Eva Peron, Presential Museum attached to the Casa Rosada, and The Bellas Artes disappointed me. We are looking for a return trip in Autumn 2008 with a couple weeks again in BA and 3-4 weeks in another city. I heartily recommend a trip to BA.

annetti, where did you get the fresh pasta?
We liked a place on Ayacucho called Quiero Mas...the best pasta with putanesca! one serving feeds 2 people too..especially good if people bring children with them.

Scarlett is SPOT on with her impressions of the city. She is similar to me in that she fell in love with the city, She is American (don't hold it against us! ha, ha) and she decided to move here.

Buenos Aires is a special city that has a lot of energy and creativity. The locals are very kind and the city is very safe. I love Europe probably more than anyone I know. I constantly am traveling to Europe and I think what I love so much about BA is the European flavor of the city. Much of the city has European ancestry so even the locals don’t really look “Latin” but European.

It’s hard to say what it is about the city. People always ask me what it is that I love the most. There isn’t just one answer. There are a lot of little things. It’s a blend between New York City, Paris, Madrid and a few other big cities.
I trot the globe pretty much non-stop and I have yet to find a city that matches the energy of Buenos Aires. You will love it. Make sure to post here after your visit to let us know what YOU think.

Best.

Scarlett, There were several take-out places selling fresh pasta near us in Palermo. There was one on Santa Fe near the Bulnes subte where we went occasionally and another on the corner of Coronel Dias(z?) and Soler. Both Disco and Cotos sold fresh pasta, too. And all the restaurants we went to had fresh pasta.. It was wonderful.

I don't think we have had pasta in a restaurant yet that was not freshly made..but to be able to buy it fresh with whichever sauce you want so easily and take it hone, is just another thing that I love about living here :)