Trying to decide between two apartments and wonder about the locations:
One is at Sanchez de Bustamonte and Guemes; the other is on Juncal between Azcuenaga and Uriburu. does anyone have thoughts about the similarities or differences of these locations? Having never been to BsAs, I am at a loss. Any help is appreciated. We have to choose very soon.

I have my BsAs map at home, so I will check tonight. I'm staying at Las Heras Y Bustamante. My guess is you're a bit south of me, so not far from Santa Fe and the subte line.

Some considerations for your apartment:
Does the balcony open to the street? Which floor are you on? The streets have a fair bit of noise so it is great if your balcony opens to the back or if you are on a high floor.
Las Heras is a very very busy street.

Juncal between Azcuenaga and Uriburu is in Recolta, not a bad walk from most of the Recoleta touristy sights.. Cemetery, parks , Alvear etc.
Good residential neighborhood with plenty of cafes , restaurants and buses to get you places.. if you take a bus here.

Sanchez de Bustamente and Guemes is Palermo, just on the other side of Santa Fe and would be my second choice here.

Yes, the fist location is in Palermo, just one block off Santa Fe. The second is in Recoleta, which I imagine is quieter and a bit nicer? Leaning towards Juncal apartment, but would love more feedback.

I would choose Recoleta on Juncal .
I live in Recoleta so I am biased .. it just seems to be a better location for a visitor.
It is impossible to tell if the apt is quiet or nice without seeing it.. you have seen the photos? if the apt is in the back it will be quiet .. if there are buses it can be noisy .. it all depends on location and where the apt is situated in the building, what floor etc.
You can tell that from the apt websites.

Yes, I've been told this is a quiet apartment. And the other was probably noisier. But I also wanted to hear that I'd be happy in Recoleta, which I expected. My daughter is living in Palermo and she is biased, but she's 21 and I'm not. Thanks for the help.

Taking what irecommend states about what floor and where the balcony shows, my choice would be the one off bustamante.

I found this web site that is an interactive map, pretty cool.

The best part about the map is that it will show you where banks, shops, ect.. are. Make sure you pull the far right hand side down to see what the symbols on the map say is near by.

Coincidently, it starts right at Guemes & Bustamante. You can drag this map all over BsAs. This is a map made by/for portenos, so you won't see a lot of the touristy things. At least it gives you an idea.

http://flof.com.ar/bin/map/?show=113...7719045&zoom=1

OK, I didn't want to be biased in my response.
I live in Recoleta, I stayed here when we visited, we liked it so much, that although we saw apts in Palermo etc, we decided to concentrate on finding a home in Recoleta, which we did.
We love it here.. the parks , the museums and shops are beautiful and easy to walk to.
Many of the tourist sites are in this barrio.
I spend days just wandering the neighborhoods, quiet, beautiful architecture and streets that are still cobblestone with beautiful homes and flowering trees in gardens.
I find it very safe here, I am not afraid to go out alone at any time of day or night, with or without the dog.
The nicer expensive hotels are here, rents are higher here for a reason :- )

Palermo is great, there are parks, leafy streets and good restaurants... lots of them.
Bustamente where you would be is only a few blocks from Alto Palermo.. it is a busy area, but nothing terrible about it ( imo) .. Rasta is staying on Bustamente but at Las Heras which is an awful street and I am hoping his apt is quiet.. it is not as pleasant an area as the apt you are considering.

Palermo has a "young " vibe to it, with the bars and night spots, Recoleta has bars and night spots but the over all neighborhood is more Upper Eastside 5th Avenue to Palermo's Westside.. I hope this makes more sense and gives you a better feeling for the places ... chau, Scarlett

The apartment I'm in was totally gutted and remodeled in 2005, as part of HGTV International House Hunters.

It's on the 11th floor with double paned glass. From the comments on the TV show, when the door is closed, the street noise doesn't come through.

From previous posts on restaurants, etc... I have 15+ recommended restaurants within walking distance, there are 3 Citibanks within 6-7 blocks, and several supermercados.

I've stayed on many busy streets in Europe, lived In San Francisco for many years...I think I know what busy throroughfares are all about, as well as getting around a busy city.

Remember, where you want to stay for a week is a lot different from where you want to live. The apartment I preferred for debwhite is mainly because of its proximity to Santa Fe, with its shops and subway.

Recoleta is more centralized than Palermo, and in terms of which apartment to select-- email the agency and address your query there.

In 2007 I rented my apartment through www.bairesapartment.com. I emailed Martin (the manager) with five choices of apartments in Recoleta that I liked and asked him to suggest which was the better one for me-- he made a great choice but a greater one when his choice filtered: plumbing problemos.

He selected a different one for me in a great part of Recoleta and charged me the initial fee although the second apartment rented for much more. Since I like the place and its location in Recoleta (I walked everywhere, even to center of town one afternoon to eat empanadas at the so-called best place in Buenos Aires. Its name escapes me!), I hope to rent the same apartment if I am able to return to Buenos Aires in October which is currently planned.

Eddwarm,

My apartment is about 3-5 blocks east of Recoleta. That sort of means I'm more in Recoleta than Palermo. One of debwhite's apartments was in about the same "fix".

You are right. What works for you, works for you.

Santa Fe is not a street that I would advise anyone to be close to.. other than the crowds and terrible traffic and noise, there are a gazillion places in town more charming than that street to shop on..

Rasta, I know the apartment. .. it isn't just about the Inside of the apartment.. the location hasn't been re-done and Las Heras is a huge noisy crowded street.. We are from NYC.. I know noisy. And I live in Buenos Aires... sigh..I know noisy ..
And a vacation can be ruined by not getting any sleep at night. . or waking up to horns.
But as you said, what works for you ..

Scarlett,

I promise I'm not going to live there. I'm there for seven nights. I saw the pictures of the traffic at the apartment, both day and night, the TV show, and know how high up I was before I booked this apartment. I've read about BsAs drivers and noise, etc....

If I go inside an ugly, or grotesque building to reach my apartment, I promise not to throw up along the way.

When I go to a country / city, I want to know and experience that, je ne sai quoi, the vibrancy of the place I'm visiting.

How do I know how or what I can learn about the essence of the city without experiencing the best and (hopefully not totally) the worst of what BsAs exudes?

I'm sure that, as you stated "I spend days just wandering the neighborhoods, quiet, beautiful architecture and streets that are still cobblestone with beautiful homes and flowering trees in gardens" works for an ex-pat living there.

However, that is not what one usually does on a holiday in a metropolitan / cosmopolitan city.

Simply, put...we don't got dat time, so we does what we can, and we just trys to find transportation to get us to / from where we are staying so we can experienc all of what BsAs exudes. Compredre?

I LOVE your Spanish, Rasta. Just kidding, as usual. LOL!!!

Rasta, I am sorry you feel the need for sarcasm when I was trying to be helpful.

I doubt you will find anything here ugly enough to make you throw up..

Having been on a few holidays myself, I sorta know what "one does"...

I understand very well, thank you, I hope you are this charming when you arrive, you will no doubt make many friends.

Well I am delighted that almost everyone here agrees with my initial instinct; to go with the Recoleta apartment, which will be quieter, but which does not have a rooftop pool. WE just made the decision based on location because we're not planning to hang out at the pool in March. I would much prefer to be in a cafe, or walk the streets in my limited time in a new city. Thanks to all for the advice. You are most appreciated and very helpful, as usual. Now to pick the place for tango....

For some great dance and music performances, in San Telmo..
www.lascala.org.ar

For all sorts of music and performances.. the Bibliotech in Recoleta
http://www.bn.gov.ar/ACT_Programacion.aspx

and this website is great for things happening when you are here, as well as any new things going on ... my favorite blog/website..
http://www.batravelguide.com/

Oh... the correct spelling is <b > Comprende

Rasta, We will be neighbors. Sort of. I am staying in a high rise at Ruggieri and Cerviņo. What are the dates of your trip. I will be in BA March 6 to 13.

p.s. I have seen your apartment on HGTV. Nicely remodled in my opinion.