In the City of Fury 2025

I haven't been in Buenos Aires in years, so I decided to come back and see what has changed.

I flew in on American Airlines from Miami. The day I went, American sent three 787's overnight on the route about two hours apart. Getting through customs in Argentina was a cinch. I had a private car take me to my Airbnb in Palermo Soho. The apartment was okay. Apartments in Argentina are basic and small compared to the States. Not many on Airbnbs have both a king bed and a couch and a balcony, which are requirements for me. I will be switching back to hotels later in the trip.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no longer much value dealing with the cuevas and arbolitos. There is only somewhere between a 8 to 15% premium on the blue rate. Maybe grab a few pesos for tipping and the kiosks. All the chicas want dollars nowadays. For food and gifts, credit card is the way to go now because if you are excluded from paying the 21% VAT tax if you use a non-Argentine credit card. Your credit card should have competitive exchange rates. I went down to Calle Florida to check out the situation. Almost all the cambios looked like bums from Villa 31. Either this was because it was a Sunday when a lot of businesses who do cambios were closed, or the blue market isn't as lucrative as it was years ago. I used to deal with some Brasilians working out of a store in the HoJo on Florida. They are gone, but there is now a guy who works out of a storefront in the HoJo named Sebastian. He is legit and won't rip you off.

I did an experiment between Uber and taxis. I took an Uber from my place to Plaza San Martin: 5,472 pesos. I took a taxi back from Plaza San Martin back to my place: 7,600+ pesos. The taxi didn't take the most direct route; he seemed to be juicing the fare after picking up my lack of the rioplatense dialect. Stick to Uber. It is cheaper, and they follow the maps on the app instead of dicking around. Most of the Ubers were crappy cars, but the taxis are always crappy, dirty cars. Get an eSim card so you can call an Uber from anywhere. I got a free 2GB eSim when I bought a bus ticket on Busbud. No need to buy a physical sim card for Argentina.

I couldn't really tell if the homeless situation is the same or worse now; it might be a little worse than my last trip pre-pandemic. Be prepared to deal with beggars and smell urine and feces on the streets. Supposedly, this past year has been the worst ever for dengue fever in Buenos Aires.

I took a girl out to La Fabrica del Taco in Palermo. My date ordered tacos and I ordered quesadillas. They brought out identical plates that both looked like tacos. They actually tried telling me quesadillas and tacos looked the same. Food sucked, service sucked, and they "suggest a 10% tip". Before eating I went to the washroom to wash my hands. There was no soap. I told the manager who was blasting American hip hop from his manager desk. He told a waitress to stick a bottle of hand sanitizer in the washroom. I am guessing the cooks don't wash their hands either.

Everything shutdown early on New Years Eve. I went to Retiro bus station around 17:00 to scout out bus schedules and platforms. Most of Retiro was shut down already. Most businesses were shut down by 18:00. I had to get a shitty ham and cheese calzone from a kiosk. It seemed after midnight, some bars and clubs were open. I went over to El Alamo in Palermo. It finally got going after 14:00. This El Alamo is quite different than the one in Recoleta, which is more of an expat bar. Lots of people in their twenties drinking buckets of fernet and Coke. A lot of stuff was closed on January 1 as well. I tried to get some girls to hang out, but it seems New Years Eve and Day is family time for Argentines.

To be continued...

I went shopping for leather jackets on Calle Murillo. There is a stretch of two blocks between Avenida Raul Scalabrini Ortiz and Calle Acevedo that are all leather shops. Most of the leather jackets are thinner than what I was expecting. They would be good for a winter day in Buenos Aires, but not a winter day in Tierra del Fuego. Prices weren’t as good as what I was expecting. Prices were similar to what you’d pay at Wilsons Leather in the United States.

I still haven’t seen the 20.000 peso note that came out in November. I have been carrying around bricks of smaller denominations, which is a pain in the ass and uncomfortable.

There are two companies offering the hop-on hop-off tour buses. Gray Line (operated by Andesmar) operates red buses and Buenos Aires Bus (operated by Flecha) has yellow buses. They go to many of the same sights, but their routes do have a few different stops. If this is your first time in Buenos Aires, taking one of these buses is a fun way to get your bearings and see the touristy stuff.

I am now staying at an apartment in Recoleta. It is a lot nicer than the first place I stayed in Palermo Soho, but there are too many gringos and tourists because of the Recoleta Cemetery. Newport is now a Brazilian bar and restaurant called Cinico. There are some hookers that hang out there in the evening at the outdoor tables. On weekday nights, Cinico is the last place to close near the cemetery. I went out for a walk one night and saw some good-looking street meat at the intersection of Azcuenaga and Vicente Lopez.

To be continued...

I bought a few years ago on Calle Florida or San Martin, and Av. Cordoba.

[QUOTE=Vampire;461774]I went shopping for leather jackets on Calle Murillo. There is a stretch of two blocks between Avenida Raul Scalabrini Ortiz and Calle Acevedo that are all leather shops. Most of the leather jackets are thinner than what I was expecting. They would be good for a winter day in Buenos Aires, but not a winter day in Tierra del Fuego. Prices werent as good as what I was expecting. Prices were similar to what youd pay at Wilsons Leather in the United States.

I still havent seen the 20.000 peso note that came out in November. I have been carrying around bricks of smaller denominations, which is a pain in the ass and uncomfortable.

There are two companies offering the hop-on hop-off tour buses. Gray Line (operated by Andesmar) operates red buses and Buenos Aires Bus (operated by Flecha) has yellow buses. They go to many of the same sights, but their routes do have a few different stops. If this is your first time in Buenos Aires, taking one of these buses is a fun way to get your bearings and see the touristy stuff.

I am now staying at an apartment in Recoleta. It is a lot nicer than the first place I stayed in Palermo Soho, but there are too many gringos and tourists because of the Recoleta Cemetery. Newport is now a Brazilian bar and restaurant called Cinico. There are some hookers that hang out there in the evening at the outdoor tables. On weekday nights, Cinico is the last place to close near the cemetery. I went out for a walk one night and saw some good-looking street meat at the intersection of Azcuenaga and Vicente Lopez.

To be continued...[/QUOTE]

In case You did not see the whole City.

[QUOTE=Vampire;461774]I went shopping for leather jackets on Calle Murillo. There is a stretch of two blocks between Avenida Raul Scalabrini Ortiz and Calle Acevedo that are all leather shops. Most of the leather jackets are thinner than what I was expecting. They would be good for a winter day in Buenos Aires, but not a winter day in Tierra del Fuego. Prices werent as good as what I was expecting. Prices were similar to what youd pay at Wilsons Leather in the United States.

I still havent seen the 20.000 peso note that came out in November. I have been carrying around bricks of smaller denominations, which is a pain in the ass and uncomfortable.

There are two companies offering the hop-on hop-off tour buses. Gray Line (operated by Andesmar) operates red buses and Buenos Aires Bus (operated by Flecha) has yellow buses. They go to many of the same sights, but their routes do have a few different stops. If this is your first time in Buenos Aires, taking one of these buses is a fun way to get your bearings and see the touristy stuff.

I am now staying at an apartment in Recoleta. It is a lot nicer than the first place I stayed in Palermo Soho, but there are too many gringos and tourists because of the Recoleta Cemetery. Newport is now a Brazilian bar and restaurant called Cinico. There are some hookers that hang out there in the evening at the outdoor tables. On weekday nights, Cinico is the last place to close near the cemetery. I went out for a walk one night and saw some good-looking street meat at the intersection of Azcuenaga and Vicente Lopez.

To be continued...[/QUOTE]

I went to the 1175 Bar and Lounge (formerly the Alamo) in Recoleta to see some of the college football playoff games. It was my first time here, and I liked it. I ran into three other Americans there. This was the only bar open late in this area of Recoleta. Supposedly, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner still has a place in Recoleta.

If you are someone who wants to bring a friend or a chica back to your place, it might be an issue at some hotels and aparthotels. Most of the nicer apartment buildings have security. They may have your guest check-in with their DNI (national identity card). I got busted at my aparthotel because I brought a friend up to the rooftop pool and only registered guests are allowed up there. A security guy required everyone to show their id just to use the top floor. Some hotels will charge you extra if you bring a visitor to your room. It is very hit or miss, mostly dependent on how much the security person gives a shit.

I got rid of the last of my pesos about a day and a half before leaving. Pesos essentially become Monopoly money once you leave Argentina, and no currency exchanges will take them at a decent rate. I charged meals on my credit card, but there is no way to add tips to credit cards like in the United States. I just had to stiff the last couple servers. I assume many Argentines do the same. Generally, ten percent is considered a good tip in Argentina. The rate of inflation has gone down the last eight months, but the peso continues to devalue. The minimum wage is about 275 USD per month, so keep that in mind when you are dealing with the chicas.

I flew back to the United States on COPA. It is a pretty decent airline, and you can collect United miles with them. They seem to only operate 737’s, which is fine because they are probably the safest plane Boeing makes. I believe there are two flights between Buenos Aires and Panama City daily. The food between Buenos Aires and Panama was horrendous, obviously crafted in Argentina. The food between Panama and the United States was better. I hadn’t been to Tocumen International in over ten or eleven years. It appears that it was completely rebuilt and is nicer than alot of American airports now.

Vampire out.

Was this lady still working there?

[QUOTE=Vampire;461779]I went to the 1175 Bar and Lounge (formerly the Alamo) in Recoleta to see some of the college football playoff games. It was my first time here, and I liked it. I ran into three other Americans there. This was the only bar open late in this area of Recoleta. Supposedly, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner still has a place in Recoleta.
Vampire out.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Vampire;461779]I went to the 1175 Bar and Lounge (formerly the Alamo) in Recoleta to see some of the college football playoff games. It was my first time here, and I liked it. I ran into three other Americans there. This was the only bar open late in this area of Recoleta. Supposedly, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner still has a place in Recoleta.

If you are someone who wants to bring a friend or a chica back to your place, it might be an issue at some hotels and aparthotels. Most of the nicer apartment buildings have security. They may have your guest check-in with their DNI (national identity card). I got busted at my aparthotel because I brought a friend up to the rooftop pool and only registered guests are allowed up there. A security guy required everyone to show their id just to use the top floor. Some hotels will charge you extra if you bring a visitor to your room. It is very hit or miss, mostly dependent on how much the security person gives a shit.

I got rid of the last of my pesos about a day and a half before leaving. Pesos essentially become Monopoly money once you leave Argentina, and no currency exchanges will take them at a decent rate. I charged meals on my credit card, but there is no way to add tips to credit cards like in the United States. I just had to stiff the last couple servers. I assume many Argentines do the same. Generally, ten percent is considered a good tip in Argentina. The rate of inflation has gone down the last eight months, but the peso continues to devalue. The minimum wage is about 275 USD per month, so keep that in mind when you are dealing with the chicas.

I flew back to the United States on COPA. It is a pretty decent airline, and you can collect United miles with them. They seem to only operate 737s, which is fine because they are probably the safest plane Boeing makes. I believe there are two flights between Buenos Aires and Panama City daily. The food between Buenos Aires and Panama was horrendous, obviously crafted in Argentina. The food between Panama and the United States was better. I hadnt been to Tocumen International in over ten or eleven years. It appears that it was completely rebuilt and is nicer than alot of American airports now.

Vampire out.[/QUOTE]The lounge for Copa in EZE and PTY has very good food,snacks and coffee from approx 6am to 11 pm. First class ticket, gold status, or several different credit cards will get you admission.