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http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum..._District.html
Here is the Buenos Aires forum on TripAdvisor if you would like to browse ... we are always talking about food and shopping ... chau ((F)) |
Scarlett, you MOVED lock, stock and barrel to BA? WOW, how did I not pick that up!?
Thanks again everyone for links and recos. I'll be checking them out and working a list out soon. Would appreciate any additional ideas on attractions too. THANKS |
Hey Scarlett,
Haven't seen your name out there much. I'm printing out your recommondations. Gary and I will be in town Feb. 26 to March 26. We rented an apartment in San Telmo. We love that area so far. We just happened to find friends and family in that area. Any chance we shall see you in one of your recommended resturants? Would love to meet up with you and your husband at some point. We have taken in your accounts of moving to BA when we talked privately on email. If your up to a visit, email me privatley and I will give you our phone for our apartment. Debra |
Hello, I'm coming back for more advice!
I’ve been sifting through lots of information and advice from lots of sources. First of all, on sightseeing, I'm finding it really hard to work out where the various attractions are (I have one map of the districts so have a rough geography, another of the downtown area only, and another of palermo district but none pinpoint the attractions), how close to each other they are or how difficult/ easy it is to travel between them all, which is making it hard for me to plan what we can two. Note that I’m unable to walk very fast or for very long distances so we’ll need to rely on buses/ taxis and/ or the subway to get from place to place. So, what time do we have? We fly in from Ushuaia late on a Monday night, so probably won't do much other than dinner locally to our hotel. We'll likely be tired, judging from our last Antarctic trip, I crashed early on that night in BA. We then have two full days in BA and our flight leaves at about 2pm on the Thursday, we've been advised that it can take a long time to check in and get through security. Anyone have any advice on just how long and therefore what time we'll likely need to leave our hotel for the airport? I'm trying to work out whether we can plan anything at all for that morning or just opt for a leisurely breakfast and departure? OK, in terms of sightseeing, I haven't got a guide book yet, and am just starting to work through attractions but so far I'm interested in: * Botanical Gardens (we usually love visiting such gardens, any input on BA ones, worthwhile or not, how long we might want to give to them). Are there any other gardens that you’d recommend instead? I read good things about the Japanese Gardens but it’s not a style I’m particularly fond of. *Carlos Regazzoni sculpture park in Retiro *Recoleta cemetary (we probably won't spend hours and hours here but would certainly like to visit) and a walk around the area *Colon Theatre (wouldn’t mind seeing the building if we’re passing close by, but won’t be taking in a show there and am not interested in taking a tour inside) *Caminito in La Boca (am I right in thinking that, as well as a colourful and interesting architectural style, there are also arts and crafts vendors? *Shopping – I’d really like to give a few hours over to shopping (or at least browsing) but am not sure where to choose. As we won’t be there over a weekend, am I right in saying that none of the various craft fairs or flea markets will be open? (Tell me if I’m wrong, please!) I much prefer inexpensive shopping opportunities for unique crafts and bric-a-brac to regular mall shopping (unless the mall sells those kind of items). I’m not looking for leather bags, shoes or other such fashion items at all. Would really appreciate some further advice on which shopping opportunity might best fit me? --I’m sure I’ve missed out some obvious attractions, can you steer me in the right direction? Is Puerto Madero worth a visit? Are there particular avenues/ roads we should make sure we walk along? --Any recommendations on how best to plan my two full days to take in the list above (plus your additional ideas and shopping recommendations) to avoid backtracking? --We're not planning, with our limited time, to visit museums. I know it's probably sacrilege but we're not planning to go to any tango shows either, though we have had some recommendations for Torquato Tasso in San Telmo (for a night of music) and Confiteria Ideal for a less commercial tango experience. Any thoughts? My main worry is that we’re just not late night people so, by the time we’ve enjoyed an evening meal, later than we’d usually eat, we’ll probably be pooped! Next post, asking for further advice on restaurants… |
Of the places you mentioned the one I would skip given you have limited time is
*Caminito in La Boca (am I right in thinking that, as well as a colourful and interesting architectural style, there are also arts and crafts vendors?" We thought it very touristy and one of the places we enjoyed the least. As u said there are colorful buildings and some vendors selling their wares, but when we were there nothing too special. |
Thanks!
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Kavey, we recently returned from Antarctica, BA & Ushuaia. Re: Puerto Madero...visit only if you want to experience a very modern "hip" BA or you want to take a stroll through the Ecological Reserve. We stayed in PM because we wanted to go to the Reserve every morning. It fit our needs, but may not fit yours. However, PM is unique in that all streets are named after women.
FYI, we did the first of the year Snow Hill Antarctica expedition and encountered very little fast ice. While the same expedition last year could only get to within 30 miles of the Emperor penguin colony, our ship "parked" 5 miles from it. I suspect you won't encounter the problem of too much ice and you will likely be able to get to all landing sites, weather permiting. Bon voyage! Marsha |
OK, I’ve only tapped some of the many resources available for restaurant recommendations including this travel forum, two other travel discussion boards, travel magazines, website travel guides (including Saltshaker's blog) and my hotel’s owners' recos.
Here are some of the recos I’m leaning towards, would welcome additional input. Top of my dinner list is <b>Don Julio</b>. It’s coming up trumps in every one of those resources so I’m probably going to ask my hotel to make a reservation for us. Any reason to pick Tue or Wed over the other? Also, I know portenos eat late but we’re Brits, we usually book tables for 7.30 to 8pm! I know we won’t be able to eat quite that early but what time is the earliest, do you think? Other restaurant recommendations that are catching my eye in amongst all the many excellent tips are <b>Pura Tierra</b> (looks like a good location given our hotel address), <b>Cluny</b> (again, this one is mentioned by many people and is also well-located for us), <b>Oviedo</b>, <b>Osaka</b> and <b>Freud & Fahler</b> (would appreciate any feedback on all three). PS I’m taking AVRooster’s advice to avoid La Cabrera given the noise quotient. --So, of our three nights, Don Julio is pretty much a definite for one night. Which two would you pick for the other two nights, and which of those two would work best for a quicker meal within really close distance of the Miravido Soho hotel for our first night, when we’ll be pretty tired? --- On the lunch list is <b>La Cupertina</b>. It’s near our hotel and said to be excellent for empanadas, again I’ve come across recos in numerous places. (Or, see above, would this work better for dinner on our first night?) If I can figure out where Carlos Regazzoni sculpture park is I’m looking at <b>Maru Botana</b>, recommended both by Lil and Scarlett. Best for morning/ afternoon coffee break or lunch? What about <b>Oui Oui</b> and <b>Croque Madame</b>? To be honest, lunch decisions don’t need to be pinned down, and will depend heavily on the itinerary for our two days, see post above. What I’ll likely do is take printouts of the recommendations with me and hope we’re within distance of one when we feel like stopping for food. |
Ovenbird, thanks!
I have not encountered mention of the Ecological Reserve yet. Can you tell me more? This could be of real interest to us, time permitting. It'll certainly be interesting to see how our return visit to Falklands, South Georgia and the Peninsula compare with 2004. We're visiting same time of year again. |
Kavey
Check out the thread a couple of weeks back regarding the "Artisan Fair" in Buenos Aires this December. See if that fits into your time frame. |
Following the links I think it finishes on the 14th, which means we'll just miss it, but thanks, looks like the kind of thing we'd enjoy.
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Ha, I've spent way too much time today reading about BA! I've refreshed this thread 20 times in the last hour alone!
:D |
PS Incase anyone's wondering why I'm trying to pin this down now, please note that I'm actually leaving home in just 3 weeks as we'll be spending 3 weeks on an Antarctic cruise before we head to BA on our way home.
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Kavey:
I am going back to Buenos Aires in a couple of weeks and will also be staying in Palermo Soho at the Legado Mitico. Last year, I tried Cluny, Mott (across street from Cluny-very nice with open concept), Social Paraiso, Bar Uriarte among others. You will love the area. Great shopping, too. Just wander around and you will find all kinds of things that you never knew you needed. Scarlett is a wealth of info-she was a big help for my trip last year. Weekender |
Kavey, here are a few links that talk about the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve. We are birders so that is why we spent so much time there.
http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/a...nature-reserve http://argentinastravel.com/destinat...s-aires/parks/ http://www.buenostours.com/costanera...ogical-reserve The Reserve is not a groomed garden like the botanical gardens, but is more "natural". I use quotes around "natural" because it actually grew out of the construction debris from when they built up BA. One of the passengers on our expedition had been on over 150 cruises to Antarctica (she's in the business). She said every trip was different. Enjoy! Marsha |
Weekender, of those restaurants, which was your single best experience, do you think?
Ovenbird, wow, 150!? Incredible! I'm looking at those links now, thank you! |
Kavey:
Of the restaurants that I mentioned, I would say that Bar Uriarte is the most dramatic space. Was there for dinner and the lighting is beautiful. Good food, too. Cluny is delightful for either lunch or dinner. Both restaurants have outdoor spaces as well. The mood of these places is so much different after dark-you will see what I mean. |
Thanks, Weekender.
Folks, can I have your input on Marini restaurant in Palermo? It's a "tenedor libre" place, which I know some people are quite dismissive about, but I've read that this is a better quality one and that the food is genuinely good, and that many locals do rate it. Is this true? Any thoughts? |
I have not been to Marini Gourmet, but I researched it with:
http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=1026 I don't think I would go. |
Bookmarking - this is a great thread - we will be in BA Feb 1 through Feb 4.
Ovenbird: We are staying in Puerto Madero by default (using points for the hotel) but are also birders. Is it safe to go walking in the reserve in early morning? What birds were you able to see at the reserve? Any information you can share about the reserve would be appreciated. Pamela |
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