This trip took me ten hours away from New York to the southern American country of Buenos Aires.
A thing To note: Argentina’s winter mirrors when our (NY) summer is, so the highest temperature the days I was there was about 60°F. Although I packed heavy jeans, a turtleneck and cardigan, it still wasn’t enough. Do not underestimate the weather and definitely pack layers or a warm jacket. I was still cold in my light cardigan and slightly miserable.
I stayed in the modern and newly built part of downtown, away from the more typical historic and cultural buildings. If I didn’t know I was in Argentina, this part could definitely be mistaken for Manhattan.
Upon getting to my hotel, my coworkers and I walked over to a local grocery store, Jumbo. It looked like any grocery store but their wine and spirit selection was massive!
Malbec is Argentina’s staple drink and the selections were VAST. The exchange rate is about $57 pesos to 1 USD and wines were going for $3-4 for the cheapest bottles. The grocery also boasted a big hot food (aka meat) selection which my crew took part in.
I went back to the hotel to nap for a little bit and after went to one of the three resturants on my list. I chose La Pescordita, one of the beat seafood resturants in the Argentina. Since I don’t eat the typical meats, the official Argentinian dish of steak and Malbec would not have worked for me.
My other two choices were Don Julio’s and La Clabera, which are pretty popular and usually have long wait times. Don Julio’s offers champagne as you wait, so cough, cough, hint, hint.
I also learned Argentina has a very large Italian immigration history and population so Italian food is extremely popular and tastyin the country. Because meat is a big part of their local cuisine, I opted for the Italian dishes for the rest of my stay.
I utilized Uber and taxis while in Argentina but NOTE, Uber is not completely ‘legal’ or accepted by the government so they’re very tricky to connect with if you’re picking up at a hotel or somewhere that has taxi lanes. I spent about 20 minutes (See the waiting charge) trying to translate between google translate and the concierge at the hotel to inform the driver it was okay to pull in.
Also, most Uber drivers prefer cash as their payment so xepending on the area, if the driver accepts your ride and realizes you’re paying with card, he’ll might cancel or stall out until you do.
I got to La Pescordita, almost 10 minutes before closing and they were nice enough to let me eat. It was a Sunday but many restaurants close during the afternoon and reopen in the evening.
I ordered the fried seafood platter for an appetizer and frutti de mare with linguine as main course. Unfortunately, the waiter mistook my order and brought frutti de mare with risotto (which I’m not a fan of). It was good but the texture of risotto throws me off, so meh… 6/10. I can’t remember the name of the sparking wine we had, but it was delicious.
I also recommend googling restaurants before you dine so you can translate their menu online. Some restaurants have English menus available, but they might be the literal translations you need.
After eating, we headed to San Telmos market which has a flea market on Sundays. Due to the traffic on the way to the restaurant, we lost about 30 mins of ouf day and got to the market when most of the stalls had closed. The market is on the sidewalks of the narrow streets of San Thelmo in a Harry Potter like Diagon Alley.
I was able to get my mom a leather bag for about $15 and myself a map from the 1500s drawn by some Dutch explorer. Later on, I googled the map and apparently it’s going for 3000€ on some trading site.
The market hosts a variety of shops selling everything from chocolates, scarfs, trinkets, bags, food, bars and some coffee shops. I stopped to the coffee bar and tried the espresso. South American coffee is always great, potent but in need of a ton of sugar if you’re not a coffee Connoisseur.
After walking around what was left open, I went back to the hotel.
Argentina is said to be unsafe in the nighttime, especially for women. It’s recommended use taxis or hired cars when going out in the night and because of this, I decided to take a taxi back to the hotel versus trying the cat and mouse game with the Uber.
I joined my coworkers for some wine in their hotel rooms after getting back. Argentinian Malbec was the drink of choice, the brands Latitud and Trumpter. My favorite was the Latitud which is very smooth and kicked a major punch. I’m not sure if the wine was that good or if it’s just cheap.
As they drank, I looked up tango shows around the city. Argentina and Uruguay are both birthplaces of the tango and offer shows ranging from 25-120 pesos. After researching a couple tour sites and being dismayed by their touristy prices, I found one company who still had seats for the night, and for a killer price.
Palacio tango offered a tango show, starting at 10pm, and a dinner and drinks option which started earlier. It was 25 pesos for the show and well worth it. While only a small amount of dancers (5 couples), the show was very entertaining, dramatic and exciting. They were truly professionals and gave an amazing show.
After the show I took a ride back to the hotel with the Uber driver who dropped us off. (If you can hire your Uber driver for other trips when you take a ride this is great alternative to requesting different rides throughout. You can pay him the price Uber estimates, with tip of course.)
The next day I woke up and ventured to the neighborhood of La Boca in Caminito which is home to lots of shops and colorful houses. Upon walking through the neighborhood it felt like a tourist trap but it’s a good site to see, if you like photos. I ended up buying a hand painted cup for my mom, taking a few pictures then leaving.
After Caminito I attended a tour of the Colon theatre. I was tricked into this tour, thinking it was a guided outdoor tour. It was interesting and our guide was very humorous, but I definitely could have spent my $25 on something more informational.
The opera house is stunningly beautiful and if I’m ever in the country during the season, I’ll probably attend a show.
The Opera house has a small cafe on its bottom floor witha nice menu if you’re looking for something to munch on in the area. I always recommend getting smoked salmon in Spanish speaking countries. I’m not sure what’s in the cheese, but it always hits!!!
My last stop on this trip was to La Churrasquita restaurant which was a five minute walk from the theatre. Here I got the frutti de mare that I really wanted and some freshly squeezed orange juice to wash it down. The food was amazing and the service impeccable.
After lunch, I went back to the hotel and prepared for my journey to the US.
SOME TIPS FOR ARGENTINA
– Learn some Spanish phrases that would be crucial to your trip. It’s a common misconception, most people speak English but MOST don’t.
– Argentina is a little expensive. In the 30 hours I was there, I spent $200 and I’m still not sure on what. Budget accordingly
– Choonks ❤️