Buenos Aires On A Budget, Eat, Drink And Tango The Night Away In Argentina's Capital City

Buenos Aires On A Budget

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
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(AP) Argentina's capital Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan city best experienced through its monumental passions rather than its monuments.

Argentines adore steak and red wine dinners that stretch on for hours, the sultry nostalgia of tango dance halls, a nail-biting match between rival soccer titans and spirited conversations that keep the vibrant cafe culture humming - and their fervor is contagious.

Visitors get the most out of their stay delving into these pockets of passion in Argentine life, rather than scurrying from cathedral to war monument - many of which are often less impressive than their European counterparts.

When London or New York City has called it a night, portenos - as Buenos Aires' port-dwelling residents are called - are just putting on their dancing shoes, heading out until dawn to tango halls, clubs pounding experimental cumbia music or bars that only kick out frolickers once the sun comes up.

The city is also a bargain compared to Europe or the U.S. The Buenos Aires tourism industry has grown accustomed to the steady wave of visitors since the Argentine peso plummeted to a third of its value following a devastating 2001 economic crash. While some tourist hot spots have hiked up prices, there are ways to keep costs down while exploring portenos' many passions.

Many cultural activities are free thanks to hefty government subsidies and a political push to uphold Buenos Aires' reputation as one of Latin America's cultural reference points.

Browse the city's Spanish-only cultural Web site for a list of free tango and jazz performances and film festivals. Or visit the city's biligual tourism site for self-guided tours and free goings-on.

Now, for the first local passion, according to portenos: beef. Argentines lead the world in beef consumption, eating an average of 65 kilograms (143 pounds) per person a year.

When choosing one of the city's ubiquitous grills, or parrillas, steer clear of Puerto Madero. The city's newest neighborhood is also one of its most expensive. Stop in one of its upscale restaurants for a glass of Malbec red wine for about 18 Argentine pesos (U.S. $6) along the docks. But then head a few blocks east to the Costanera. Here dozens of grill stands serve up hamburgers and the like for around 6 pesos (U.S. $2), right at the entrance to the Nature Reserve - a favorite haunt for bird watchers and Sunday strollers.

Rent a bike nearby in San Telmo at La Bicicleta Naranja (Pasaje Giuffra 308) for 8 pesos (U.S. $3) an hour to pedal through the reserve to the banks of the Rio de la Plata, one of the widest rivers in the world. It's best to visit the park and the Costanera on a weekend afternoon, rather than at night.

Few dances are as passionate as the tango, next on the list of local obsessions.

But few stops on the tourist "to do" list are more expensive than an elaborate tango show, which can run upward of 300 pesos (U.S.$ 100) per person with dinner.

Go to a tango dance hall, or milonga, instead, where entrance is usually around 15 pesos (U.S. $5). Most people go to dance, but you can sit and have a drink while dozens of intertwined couples prove romance isn't dead.

Just don't look too intently at anyone - in milonga etiquette that's a sign you want to dance. If a muse does inspire, however, many milongas offer inexpensive classes before the regulars hit the floor.

Explore the early days of tango in colorful La Boca neighborhood with Cicerones. They offer personalized tours in English led by volunteers who love sharing their inside local knowledge. They can take you to the city's best museums or famed soccer stadiums like Boca Juniors "Bombonera." Cicerones recommends reserving five days in advance and a donation of 30 pesos (U.S. $10) per person for the three-to-four-hour tour.Divide the weekend by neighborhood - Saturday, Palermo, and Sunday, San Telmo - to be sure catch each barrio at its best.

Head to Plaza Cortazar - or Plaza Serrano as it's popularly called - to delve into the almost comical frenzy of consumerism that make portenos some of the most stylishly attired people in Latin America. Eager to capitalize on the neighborhood's notorious trendiness, real estate agents have aptly dubbed the area Palermo SoHo.

Hit up the ring of bars and restaurants encircling Plaza Serrano. They temporarily stop serving on Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m.-8 p.m., opening their doors to dozens of young designers who transform the bars into impromptu stores, selling shirts, purses and accessories on the cheap. Outside, scores of artisans sell handicrafts.

After shopping around Plaza Serrano, relax with a glass of wine for about 10 pesos (U.S. $3) and gloat over bargain buys while deciding where to go for dinner.

Great eats in the area include Social Paraiso (Honduras 5182) and the popular La Cabrera parrilla (Cabrera 5099), where diners can split a gluttonous 2-pound steak for less than 54 pesos (U.S. $20). With each bite you begin to understand the buzz about Argentine beef.

Confer with the online restaurant guide, a helpful local version of Zagat's.

If an after-dinner coffee puts a kick in your step, head out for a cocktail for about 15 pesos (U.S. $5) in preparation for the next leg of the never-ending Buenos Aires night: dancing. There's no need to rush: Most portenos wouldn't be caught dead at a club before 2 a.m. Popular clubs in the Palermo area include Niceto Club and Pacha, where entrance is less than 50 Argentine pesos (U.S. $15).

Take a taxi. Even crossing the city, it will rarely cost more than 30 pesos (U.S. $10). Radio Taxi is the safest option.

Ease your transition back into daylight Sunday morning with the typical Buenos Aires breakfast: a cafe con leche, fresh-squeezed orange juice and three croissants, or medialunas, for less than 15 pesos (U.S. $4).

Pick up Spanish-daily Pagina12 and flip to the supplement Radar, which has one of the best weekly cultural calendars.

Other great cafes are La Biela (Av. Quintana 600) - under an enchantingly expansive tree and right across from the must-see Recoleta Cemetery where Eva "Evita" Peron is buried; the classic Cafe Tortoni (Av. De Mayo 825/29); Bar Britanico (corner of Brasil and Defensa) and Las Violetas (Av. Rivadavia 3899).

The neighborhood of San Telmo is a microcosm of porteno charm, with its elegantly decrepit 19th-century buildings, cobblestone streets and a quirky mix of expatriates and Argentines who all frequent the same butcher shop in the 1897 San Telmo indoor market.

The neighborhood hosts a not-to-be-missed festive street fair every Sunday, running for 10 blocks along Defensa Street.

Meander all morning without spending a cent, listening to live tango orchestras, laughing at street performers and people-watching. One of the better parrillas in the city, Desnivel (Defensa 855), is on the route, where you can get a juicy steak and a good bottle of Malbec red wine for less than 65 pesos (U.S. $20). Or try La Brigada parrilla around the corner (Estados Unidos 465).

Grab a slice of cheese-filed pizza, called fugazza con queso for about 3 Argentine pesos (U.S. $1), at Pirilo's (Defensa 841), a tiny joint with standing room only. Accompany it with the traditional cup of moscato, an Italian sweet wine.

The most local charm for your pesos is on the bar stools at Carlos Calvo 471, where you can buy a choripan for about 3 pesos (U.S.$ 1) - chorizo sausage on baguette bread, an Argentine favorite. Pile on the chimichurri sauce and be mesmerized watching the owner tend a grill full of meat.

Stick around for the free outdoor milonga from 7:30 p.m. to midnight on Plaza Dorrego, held every Sunday, weather permitting.

Another Sunday option is the Feria de Mataderos, a gaucho arts and crafts fair with folk dancing and traditional food from Argentina's north - about half an hour from the city center. The free fair is held Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. unless it rains, and is well worth the short trip.

A nighttime diversion is walking along Buenos Aires' luminous theater strip, Corrientes Avenue. Catch a show or movie (English-language films are subtitled rather than dubbed) and then eat some Argentine pizza - a delicious missing link between thin crust and deep dish. Sweeten the night with a dulce de leche ice cream.

You'll have to sleep some time, and boutique hotels are surprisingly affordable in Buenos Aires, with double rooms for around 500 Argentine pesos (U.S.$150). Check out: Hotel Home; Hotel Bobo and Malabia House.
wonderful

So this is it....

Dr. Feld officially discharged me for good yesterday.

I have already made arrangements to start driving again on Monday, hopefully everything will work out OK. We are so darn broke and we need to start working the financial side to get the heck out of the USA and on our way to Argentina.

The other drivers I've spoken to say that the job is so slow, but I know I'll do fine... Just need couple of weeks to get used to the beat again.

I guess that if my blogging was slow, now it will be once a week or so, unless I take the laptop daily, maybe I will. AFter all, if it that slow, I may as well take the Laptop.

N

700 billion of confused thoughts

700 Billion dollars, that is more than the cost of the Iraq War since it started, what the heck did Wall Street do?

Who the heck dropped the ball or decided to look the other way? How long did they think that the US economy was gonna hold?

What I want to understand is...

How is this 700 Billion dollars going to help me and my neighbors, how is that money going to help the 2700 ex-employees of Bill Heard Chevrolet, that out of nowhere where told yesterday that the company was shutting down and yesterday was the last day of work and pay?

How is this 700 Billion dollars are going to help people like Horacio and I, we work driving taxis in a Touristic Area, if there are no Tourists...then we have no income.
We are the entrepreneurs that try and survive with the breadcrumbs of what the Hospitality and Theme Parks Industry leave on the roadside.

The parks are so empty... It's ridiculous, the people that are in town for the Neurosurgeons Convention (that normally would create a very good economic week for the taxi drivers in this town) have been provided Bus transportation by the convention center.... sucks!!!!

Then at night the convention has also arranged for bus transportation to wherever they will meet that night, let it be Downtown Disney or CityWalk....

Ahhhh and speaking of how much more bad can it get? Pleasure Island will close down for renovations on Friday or Saturday!!!! I know it is needed, but it will definetively put more strain in the drivers income or possibility of income.

While people go to Downtown Disney because of the restaurants and shopping, thursday thru sunday Downtown Disney is the center of the quick runs and easy money. What else is this country going to do to kill the independent self employed citizen?

Breakthrough!!!!

I went "out" yesterday, for a whole 6 hours, with Horacio (well, he basically told me.. " get up and get dressed, you are going with me today, you are cooking yourself in this house, you need to get out of here". What a smart man I have!

Well, I'll be darned, he was right!

I was rather uncomfortable for a bit there, sitting straight in a van is nothing I have done in about 2 months, but I got used to it after a while.

He asked me to go because after his regular shift he had to go get all his van tires replaced and that would bring him back home rather late and he did not want me to stay alone for all that time. So there we go.... I went with him.

I felt good, strange (maybe because of the actual outdoors) but good. He treated me with fast food dinner (what a delicacy after 2 months with "diet" food, the fries tasted heavenly), which he normally he avoids with passion, he's not really a fast food eater, so it was a double treat for me.

I thought that I was going to regret it all this morning, but seems that I was wrong. I feel rather fine today (except the normal belly bloating, I have surrendered the complaining about this), have ate a healthy helping of grapes and other finger foods, yeah, I can't think about cooked food done by myself yet. That is still Horacio's department, but I still have to eat, no?

Well, seems that my recovery is actually jumping leaps and I'll be back running around in circles in no time.

Ohhh another thing, the relocation seems to have been rescheduled, We are looking now towards March, April 2009. We need to recover financially of this economic disaster that my illness has tuned out to be.

Until next,
N

Argentina is the best place to buy property!

This article was written by Doug Casey of The Casey Report for the Daily Wealth newsletter.

Why Argentina is the best place to buy property

11.08.2008

I've been to about 175 countries, and lived in 12. All the while, I've felt the US and Western Europe in particular (but also Canada, to a somewhat lesser degree) are on a slippery slope. So I've always had an eye open for a real second home.

My longtime subscribers will recall my enthusiasm for New Zealand back in the late '90s. Since then, its currency has risen about 75% against the dollar, and well-selected property has roughly doubled or tripled in addition.

New Zealand is still a great place to hang out. I bought a bunch of property and still go there about three months of the year, mainly to play polo and just enjoy the mellow lifestyle. But New Zealand is no longer the bargain it once was; far from it.

I think it's imperative to have a crib outside your home country in today's world. I don't want to get into a detailed discussion of all the possibilities here; that would take a book. But my bottom line is that Argentina is simply the best place in the world right now, all things considered.

It's certainly the cheapest "nice" country in the world. Indeed, Buenos Aires is absolutely one of the world's greatest and most livable cities. The country is running a massive balance of trade surplus. The government (most surprising of all) is running a big fiscal surplus. Rich Europeans are piling in, since Argentina is now ethnically and culturally the most European country in the world. And it should be fairly insulated from WW3. All the stars are aligned for this place. Even as stupid as Argentina's government has traditionally been since the days of Peron, the bull market has a long way to run.

So I'm looking to spend around half the year there. Along with a partner, I bought a ranch in Patagonia 10 years ago, and it's been a spectacular investment.

But if I'd been familiar with Salta province – in the northwest – at the time, I'd never have bothered. The province averages about 5,000 feet in altitude, but is at about the same latitude south as Cuba is north. As a consequence, the climate is perpetually mild. And it's dry. Most of it is indistinguishable from Northern Arizona, New Mexico, or Colorado.

It's possible to buy huge parcels of land very cheaply (e.g. 100,000 acres for US$1,000,000), but that's literally in the middle of nowhere and of very little practical value. You're a feudal lord for the people living there. But if you want a latte and an International Herald Tribune, or anything to eat besides an animal some of the peons have butchered, forget about it.

It's a long-standing tradition at Casey Research that we eat our own cooking, so we've bought a lot of property in Argentina in the last few years. But frankly, I wasn't looking for a bunch more trading sardines; that's what stock certificates are for. I really wanted something I could personally use and enjoy. What we did, therefore, was buy 1,200 acres on the edge of the town of Cafayate, in the south of Salta.

Like San Martin de los Andes in Patagonia, Cafayate is going to become another Aspen. Or maybe the resort town of Taos, New Mexico, is a better analog. Located in a huge bowl, surrounded by the high Andes, it's quaint and picturesque. Especially since it's the center of a large wine region. So the area is really more like a "Taos meets Napa."

What we're doing on this land is putting in a world-class golf course, spa, health club, vineyard, equestrian facilities, and, in fact, lifestyle amenities of all types. A library, billiard room, cigar bar – you get the idea. Since good workers go for $200 a month, costs will be low, and services will be excellent. My personal vision is to take the best features from developments I know all over the world and put them together here.

I think we've got the right place, the right idea, and the right time. I also think the cost will be right. I expect it will, initially, go for something like 10%-20% of what something similar – but not even close to as nice – would go for in the US

I hope early buyers will be successful people of a libertarian character; no jerks need apply. Then, as soon as possible, we're going to raise prices as high as possible to keep out the riff-raff.

So that's the story right now. For travelling or an outright real estate purchase, Argentina, all things considered, is my favorite place in the world.

This article was written by Doug Casey of The Casey Report for the Daily Wealth newsletter.

So we told my Daddy!

So let me tell you a bit about us, Horacio is 51 years young and I am 41 years young. He is rather close to his family both here in the US and in Argentina (as much as distance allows, of course), but I have always been a loner. My familar relations (above me, not with my children) are kept to a minimum or actually ... on a need to know basis.

So yesterday we broke the news of the move to my Daddy, well actually, I kinda blurred it while I was updating him on my health.

Well, guess what? He was actually OK with it. I should not be surprised, my 64 year young father has always been a free spirit as much as his circumstances has allowed him. I guess I get that from him.

His reaction was what I was hoping for, but I was not sure what the real time reaction would be.

"That is great baby, be sure to let us know when you get settled down. We've (Daddy and my step-mom, Alma) always wanted to go to Buenos Aires but never really had a clue how to go about it."

Well.... this is one less possibly dramatic moment we don't have to deal with anymore.

My oldest daughter is still in some kind of disbelief, every time I remind her that she will have to start paying for her cellphone sometime on December-January her answer is.... "Sure Mommy, we'll talk about that when and if it is needed"

About my own Mommy, we will try to see if she hears "From the vineyard" as she will either have a heart attack or just won't care at all (hoping for the latter) as she is the DRAMA QUEEN of the family. We are hoping that someone that reads this blog comments it to her. Yeah, kind of cowardly behavior, but with my Mommy, it's about the only way to deal with things.

My brother is coming over next weekend for an "Asado" and I plan to give him the news in person then. I believe he will be OK. He's my baby brother, I'm the oldest and he's the baby, baby. There's 2 more in between us. And those 2 are the ones I worry about, we have one (sister) that will probably be static because we are moving to the other side of the world. Then comes my brother Pepito, I really do not have a clue how he will react. I hope he takes it lightly.

Anyway, the only one that has rather constant contact with me is the one that lives here in Florida. The other 2 live in Puerto Rico and we hardly communicate, same issue like my Mommy.

I think I have been rambling, but I also think it is OK as this is my blog and part of what you do here is to rant away. Hope I did not bore you to death!

Argentina's Passion FUTBOL!

While immersing myself in the Argentinian culture, I can't do much about avoiding the 2nd love of this country. FUTBOL!

As I have been involved with an Argentinian Gentleman since circa 2005, it has become rather impossible to not spend at least 4 hours of our weekend watching WHATEVER ARGENTINIAN FUTBOL GAME THAT WE CAN GET IN OUR US TV to broadcast.

Yeah, yeah, I am screaming, maybe because when this weekly event is happening, the TV volume seems miraculously to make it to the max, and somehow, we end up trying to scream while talking to each other. And then we stop screaming, how rude!.... We need to hit that Asado, we don't talk with our mouths open.... Je je je

I don't mind. I have grown accustomed to this weekly ritual. And as for "Whatever Argentinian Futbol game we can get on our US TV", well that has rather changed. My fiancee has been a Die Hard hincha of Boca Juniors all his life, so after he had "indoctrinated" in the secrets of Futbol, he slowly also indoctrinated into the Xeneize culture. SO much, that we still watch every darn Argentinian Game that we can get in our US TV, as long as it is not "The Gallinas", you know, that Millionaire team.

It is amazing the Futbol Culture, the passion, the place it has in their lives. Regardless of what Club you follow or are hincha of, the game is a primordial part of your daily life. I have heard that even if you are a woman, if you don't try to hit a "balon" at some time in your life, you'd be considered weird over there.

This is a country that has passion, people that believe that if you have make the effort and your efforts have paid of, then they will pay you back. And this is in any way they can, Diego gave his entire youth and adulthood for the game and the country, now he's considered a role model, a hero, a saint, close to God, what the heck. I have a private joke that I will share; In my mind, when it comes to Argentinians, God had a son, and his name is Diego Maradona.

And the Diego worship crosses all boundaries, even now a day, no matter what club you follow, Diego continues to be the closest thing to God, (at least the God of Futbol!) According to what I hear, there are even religious altars that have the image of Diego, somewhere in Napoli, Italy.

Another thing, I don't know much about other clubs, I am hincha de Boca. I also know about the passion that rules the life of the "real Boca hinchas". Here are two examples.

A while back, I read somewhere, I can't remember where; There is an empty lot near La Bombonera (the stadium that Boca uses) and some Hinchas, I believe part of La Barra Brava (a group that has gone beyond being fanatics, they are just plainly obssesed). That was interested in getting a hold of this empty lot and wanted to make it a cemetary exclusive for Die Hard Barra Brava corpses. Kind of gory, but that is passion.

This one is courtesy of Daniel Quiroga (all the way from Ushuaia, but a huge Boca fan) in a phone call a while back.

Daniel: Horacio te tengo 2 noticias amigo.
Horacio: Bueno
Daniel: Me queda una semana de vida
Horacio: Bueno
Daniel: La otra es que me hice hincha de River
Horacio: COMO?
Daniel: Es que para que se muera un hincha de Boca, mejor que se muera un Gallina!

Gallina= chicken shit, scary cat, just plain scared out of their lives. The name the Boca hinchas call the River sorry hinchas.

Well, this is my itsy bitsy piece of Futbol Culture. I hope you learn something, a little, a lot. Just learn something like I have..... Living in Argentina either you learn or you bust!

N.

PS: Before I forget, Diego used the number 10 all his life in the teams he belonged to. The number 10 had been retired from the league until a certain young man made his debut in the Argentine league. This young man is Juan Roman Riquelme, my favorite player.... well, I am aware that he has no diplomatic skills and that he has an automatic connection between foot and mouth. But all this is forgiven when you see the skills of the player. Watch this player, he will be one for the history as well.

Buenos Aires or Bust!

So we are in the process of moving to Argentina. No, no, don't call me crazy PLEASE!

I know it will be deep cultural and social shock, but I am immersing myself with all I can find.

Something that I am doing is reading several blogs from expats (ahhh I have to define this, don't I?).

Expats.... An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (country, fatherland). Thanks WIKI....

On the left side of this blog you will see my blog list. A more or less accurate list of the blogs that I read at least once a day or when they have new posts.

I have not included there the source to most of this blogs. http://www.expat-blog.com/ . Go visit the blogs and see for yourself what a wonderful experience this can be.

N.