sylvester

Was looking for a vacation spot for Nov. that would not be too tough on my other half's slightly bad knee, and came up with Buenos Aires. Pre planning was going well until I read that the areas in Palermo Viejo and Centro have rough sidewalks. I had been thinking we'd stay in one of those areas as I'd found some apt. hotels there, and it also sounded like there were lots of restaurants we could walk to at night. Any comments? Are we talking about the occasional rough sidewalk we'd find anywhere, or more than that? As always, thx for your help.

crellston

We rented an apartment in Palermo for a month a few years ago and don't recall the pavements being rough at all. The biggest hazard I remember was the dog muck all over the pavements ( sorry sidewalks! )

eandrear

I live in Buenos Aires for a year. Is a big city. If you want to walk you can stop for coffee break , there are plenty of them.

avrooster

I'm an old guy with a bad knee. Just tell your other half to watch his step a little more than usual and you'll be fine.

Have a great time in my town.

MarnieWDC

The sidewalks are worse than they are in most large US or European cities...but not much different from those in some other towns (Marakesh, for example).

If you look down a bit more than usual (I have developed a rhythm of looking down and forward for a block, then just walking and enjoying the architecture, people, etc...then back down for a block...) Sounds silly or self-evident, but otherwise I am looking up and those sidewalks are a bit more uneven, with potentially trip-inducing holes...so this works well. And I do believe that I have observed Portenos/Portenas doing this without realizing it themselves.

In any case, just a bit more care is all you need to safely walk those interesting streets and benefit from a visit to Buenos Aires.

sylvester

thanks for the reassurance. After I postponed Sicily because I thought it would be better without having to think about the knee, I didn't want to postpone Buenos Aires, too!

SusanInToronto

We spent 10 days in BA a few years ago, before I started having problems with my knee. I honestly don't think that they were that bad. Even with my now bad knees, I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

sylvester

thanks, Susan. Hope the knees don't impede your travel nowadays.

Scarlett

Wear good walking shoes and keep an eye out for where you step.
The sidewalks sometimes depend on the neighborhood .
We walked everywhere every day when we lived in BA .. Dog poo on the sidewalk was more of an issue than broken sidewalks.