I know I've said it before, but living in BA has been such a culture shock, having come from the jungle life of Costa Rica. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what sets this place apart from other big cities, but I'll try to describe a few of the things I've noticed that are unique. Here goes nothing, in no particular order:
1. First of all, the weather is perfect! For it being the middle of winter, I've barely even needed a jacket at all! Sunny days and breezy nights, with the occasional 10-minutes of rain once a week. The fact there is no crazy humidity is huge! We're gonna miss the weather here for sure!
2. There is much better plumbing here than in Costa Rica. We can actually flush our toilet paper! Woo! Hoo! However, in most establishments, they still ask you not to. I'll let you in on a little secret: I flush mine anyway!
3. Lots of places, buses and streets are named after dates. The famous "widest street in the world" is called "9 de Julio" (July 9th). Lots of buses have date names (I found an August 7th the other day, woop woop!). It's really confusing and weird, but what can I say, Argentinians like their dates.
4. People drive like maniacs here! I guess that's not different than the rest of this part of the world, but it's crazy because there are so many cars here, I don't know how there aren't more accidents. People are constantly passing each other and street lines mean nothing. You can drive in the middle of two lanes or two cars can drive next to each other in the same lane, it's chaos.
Not only does everyone drive like they're blindfolded, but cab drivers don't even know places in their own city! If you name a business or location without street names, the cab drivers usually have no idea where it is. It's insane! Half a cab driver's job is to know the city they're driving! Here they only know street names. Aaron and I had the hardest time getting to the movie theater the first time because multiple cab drivers had no idea what Cinemark was, even though it's the only theater in our neighborhood and everyone goes there! I'm sorry, it's just inexcusable.
5. If you thought driving was bad, parking is the worst! To get in and out of tight spaces, you can literally bump the cars around you to get in/out. You can hit other cars to get a parking space! Madness. This is how people park here:
You have no choice but to whack the car in front of you to get out! Once we actually saw a guy going forward and back, hitting both cars around him until he had enough room to squeeze out. Our jaws were on the floor and no one even batted an eyelash.
6. The Blue Market makes US dollars a hot commodity. ATM's don't give out USD, the only way to get any is to go to an ATM in Uruguay (or another neighboring country), or to bring them with you from home. Trust me, if you can, it's worth it to do just that. BUT don't be too flashy with your USD because it could make you a target. There are cambio (exchange) shops and people on the street shouting "cambio!" and believe it or not, those are usually safe places to exchange. Don't walk around flashing your USD or try to spend it anywhere because that's like wearing a sign on your forehead saying "ROB ME!"
7. The food here is interesting in that it's completely UNINTERESTING. There's a huge cafe culture here, with a cafe on every corner and each one has the SAME food: pizzas, pastas, steak, burgers, sandwiches, pastries, coffee and wine. Most of the time, none of the food is done well. In my opinion, cafes are good for taking a break with a coffee and a small snack. We haven't had ANY remarkable food in a cafe. Even most restaurants are the same. I've had to really research to find restaurants serving something different. I guess Argentinians know what they like and want to see the same stuff everywhere. Not to say they don't have good food, the steak and pork quality here is amazing. Even the meat we buy in the grocery store is some of the best we've ever tasted. Aaron also loves the dulce du leche and we've heard the wine is top notch (I haven't tried any yet, we're not wine people). My favorite restaurant since we've left home has been Sarkis, the Middle Eastern restaurant South of Palermo. Aaron's favorite food was the grilled chicken he got from the hole in the wall BBQ joint in The Center. So, I guess you just have to know what to look for when choosing a restaurant. Expensive and fancy doesn't necessarily mean better here.
Interesting fact: all restaurants charge a service fee (for silverware and bread). It's totally lame, but it's usually only a couple extra bucks per person.
Tip here is generally no more than 10%, even if they try to make it seem like it's more, IT'S NOT! They know Americans are used to tipping more and they try to take advantage, but don't be fooled! Tip also always has to be paid in cash, they don't usually accept tip on your credit card.
8. The people here are less friendly than we were used to in Costa Rica. I have to say, we don't mind one bit. Costa Ricans are very fake-friendly because you're a tourist and they want your money. Here, they don't care. In fact, they're generally annoyed that you're even here. They don't typically try to accommodate English-speakers and they could care less about your money. I'm aware this is a huge generalization, and I don't speak for all Argentinians (as we've met some amazingly sweet people), but this is the attitude we typically encounter. I think people here are more genuine, which is really refreshing. I'd rather have rude, then fake-nice.
9. There are dogs everywhere here! I was surprised that even in a big city, everyone has a dog. There are professional dog walkers all over, walking up to 10 dogs at a time. I personally wouldn't want to raise a dog in a big city, but it seems to work out well for the folks around here.
The other surprise is that there is no law or courtesy here about picking up the poop! Dogs poop all over the sidewalk and NO ONE PICKS IT UP! There's poop smeared everywhere! AND NO ONE SEEMS TO NOTICE! I have to look down when I walk to make sure I don't step in a pile. They have people sweep the sidewalks (that's a real job!), but there's way more shit than sidewalk sweepers!
10. The fashion here is very trendy, hipster and somewhat grungy. The one thing everyone has in common is skinny jeans or leggings and LARGE platforms. Platforms are huge here, both in size and epidemic. You're basically a total loser if you aren't wearing giant platforms that make you 5-inches taller and make loud clunking sounds when you walk. Aaron thinks it's the most ridiculous thing ever and I can't say I totally disagree.
11. BA is very gay friendly. From day one, we've seen guys holding hands and people seem very open about their sexuality. We've met a number of gay guys here, who experience no ridicule or discrimination. In this sense, they're way ahead of us. Shame, shame America!
12. The health care here sucks. Even at private hospitals, if you go to the doctor with a problem, you get a "consult," meaning they sit you down, ask you questions and diagnose you by guessing what's wrong without ever doing any tests or even checking any of your vitals. It's complete madness. I got misdiagnosed 3 times before I got fed up. It's an inefficient and idiotic system.
However, once I wised up and went to a specialist, I got the best care I've gotten in a long time, even including back home. Shout out to Dr. Lacour! If you need an ear, nose, throat guy (or allergist) (or friend) in BA, he's the best!!
13. Protests are a big thing here. There's always a protest going on for something somewhere around the city. Most take place in Plaza de Mayo. There's even a weekly protest of mothers called The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. It's a group of mothers whose children disappeared during the Dirty War, about 40 years ago. They began to march in protest and still do so every Thursday afternoon.
14. Even though it's a big city, there are surprising lots of green spaces. Wildlife is non-existent, but there are lots of parks and plants throughout the city. Right across the street from us is the botanical garden, the zoo and several parks, the largest being Parque 3 de Febrero, with a lake in the middle.
Even though Buenos Aires is a somewhat typical large city, it's definitely got it's charms and we will miss it dearly when we go. We've visited many historic sites and beautiful landmarks sprinkled throughout the city and Argentina is rich with both culture and food. It's a place I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun, cultural, big city getaway. Start planning your trip to BA!
1. First of all, the weather is perfect! For it being the middle of winter, I've barely even needed a jacket at all! Sunny days and breezy nights, with the occasional 10-minutes of rain once a week. The fact there is no crazy humidity is huge! We're gonna miss the weather here for sure!
2. There is much better plumbing here than in Costa Rica. We can actually flush our toilet paper! Woo! Hoo! However, in most establishments, they still ask you not to. I'll let you in on a little secret: I flush mine anyway!
3. Lots of places, buses and streets are named after dates. The famous "widest street in the world" is called "9 de Julio" (July 9th). Lots of buses have date names (I found an August 7th the other day, woop woop!). It's really confusing and weird, but what can I say, Argentinians like their dates.
4. People drive like maniacs here! I guess that's not different than the rest of this part of the world, but it's crazy because there are so many cars here, I don't know how there aren't more accidents. People are constantly passing each other and street lines mean nothing. You can drive in the middle of two lanes or two cars can drive next to each other in the same lane, it's chaos.
Not only does everyone drive like they're blindfolded, but cab drivers don't even know places in their own city! If you name a business or location without street names, the cab drivers usually have no idea where it is. It's insane! Half a cab driver's job is to know the city they're driving! Here they only know street names. Aaron and I had the hardest time getting to the movie theater the first time because multiple cab drivers had no idea what Cinemark was, even though it's the only theater in our neighborhood and everyone goes there! I'm sorry, it's just inexcusable.
5. If you thought driving was bad, parking is the worst! To get in and out of tight spaces, you can literally bump the cars around you to get in/out. You can hit other cars to get a parking space! Madness. This is how people park here:
6. The Blue Market makes US dollars a hot commodity. ATM's don't give out USD, the only way to get any is to go to an ATM in Uruguay (or another neighboring country), or to bring them with you from home. Trust me, if you can, it's worth it to do just that. BUT don't be too flashy with your USD because it could make you a target. There are cambio (exchange) shops and people on the street shouting "cambio!" and believe it or not, those are usually safe places to exchange. Don't walk around flashing your USD or try to spend it anywhere because that's like wearing a sign on your forehead saying "ROB ME!"
7. The food here is interesting in that it's completely UNINTERESTING. There's a huge cafe culture here, with a cafe on every corner and each one has the SAME food: pizzas, pastas, steak, burgers, sandwiches, pastries, coffee and wine. Most of the time, none of the food is done well. In my opinion, cafes are good for taking a break with a coffee and a small snack. We haven't had ANY remarkable food in a cafe. Even most restaurants are the same. I've had to really research to find restaurants serving something different. I guess Argentinians know what they like and want to see the same stuff everywhere. Not to say they don't have good food, the steak and pork quality here is amazing. Even the meat we buy in the grocery store is some of the best we've ever tasted. Aaron also loves the dulce du leche and we've heard the wine is top notch (I haven't tried any yet, we're not wine people). My favorite restaurant since we've left home has been Sarkis, the Middle Eastern restaurant South of Palermo. Aaron's favorite food was the grilled chicken he got from the hole in the wall BBQ joint in The Center. So, I guess you just have to know what to look for when choosing a restaurant. Expensive and fancy doesn't necessarily mean better here.
Interesting fact: all restaurants charge a service fee (for silverware and bread). It's totally lame, but it's usually only a couple extra bucks per person.
Tip here is generally no more than 10%, even if they try to make it seem like it's more, IT'S NOT! They know Americans are used to tipping more and they try to take advantage, but don't be fooled! Tip also always has to be paid in cash, they don't usually accept tip on your credit card.
8. The people here are less friendly than we were used to in Costa Rica. I have to say, we don't mind one bit. Costa Ricans are very fake-friendly because you're a tourist and they want your money. Here, they don't care. In fact, they're generally annoyed that you're even here. They don't typically try to accommodate English-speakers and they could care less about your money. I'm aware this is a huge generalization, and I don't speak for all Argentinians (as we've met some amazingly sweet people), but this is the attitude we typically encounter. I think people here are more genuine, which is really refreshing. I'd rather have rude, then fake-nice.
9. There are dogs everywhere here! I was surprised that even in a big city, everyone has a dog. There are professional dog walkers all over, walking up to 10 dogs at a time. I personally wouldn't want to raise a dog in a big city, but it seems to work out well for the folks around here.
The other surprise is that there is no law or courtesy here about picking up the poop! Dogs poop all over the sidewalk and NO ONE PICKS IT UP! There's poop smeared everywhere! AND NO ONE SEEMS TO NOTICE! I have to look down when I walk to make sure I don't step in a pile. They have people sweep the sidewalks (that's a real job!), but there's way more shit than sidewalk sweepers!
10. The fashion here is very trendy, hipster and somewhat grungy. The one thing everyone has in common is skinny jeans or leggings and LARGE platforms. Platforms are huge here, both in size and epidemic. You're basically a total loser if you aren't wearing giant platforms that make you 5-inches taller and make loud clunking sounds when you walk. Aaron thinks it's the most ridiculous thing ever and I can't say I totally disagree.
11. BA is very gay friendly. From day one, we've seen guys holding hands and people seem very open about their sexuality. We've met a number of gay guys here, who experience no ridicule or discrimination. In this sense, they're way ahead of us. Shame, shame America!
12. The health care here sucks. Even at private hospitals, if you go to the doctor with a problem, you get a "consult," meaning they sit you down, ask you questions and diagnose you by guessing what's wrong without ever doing any tests or even checking any of your vitals. It's complete madness. I got misdiagnosed 3 times before I got fed up. It's an inefficient and idiotic system.
However, once I wised up and went to a specialist, I got the best care I've gotten in a long time, even including back home. Shout out to Dr. Lacour! If you need an ear, nose, throat guy (or allergist) (or friend) in BA, he's the best!!
13. Protests are a big thing here. There's always a protest going on for something somewhere around the city. Most take place in Plaza de Mayo. There's even a weekly protest of mothers called The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. It's a group of mothers whose children disappeared during the Dirty War, about 40 years ago. They began to march in protest and still do so every Thursday afternoon.
14. Even though it's a big city, there are surprising lots of green spaces. Wildlife is non-existent, but there are lots of parks and plants throughout the city. Right across the street from us is the botanical garden, the zoo and several parks, the largest being Parque 3 de Febrero, with a lake in the middle.
Even though Buenos Aires is a somewhat typical large city, it's definitely got it's charms and we will miss it dearly when we go. We've visited many historic sites and beautiful landmarks sprinkled throughout the city and Argentina is rich with both culture and food. It's a place I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun, cultural, big city getaway. Start planning your trip to BA!
You'll have a great time in Europe! Keep enjoying.
ReplyDeleteWhere is your next stop??
ReplyDelete