Buenos Aires, where do I start? I loved you before I even met you and it only grew deeper. We were meant to be! Red wine, empanadas, wide side walks, dogs, a green gated park every other block, playgrounds galore and more psychotherapists per residents than anywhere else in the world.
After getting our fill of wineries, we left Mendoza and flew to Buenos Aires. We were determined to stay in San Telmo. We learned it was the “hipster, local” area. However, after talking to numerous people it seemed Palermo was the neighborhood we actually wanted. I am sure glad we listened.
Kevin and I lucked out. We met a beunos aires tour guide in Chile where she and her Chilean boyfriend invited us over for lunch. She gave us a ton of recommendations for BA.
First of all, your plane basically drops you off downtown. The airport is so close. We rented an Airbnb that was a small studio with tiny kitchen and bathtub right near Plaza Italia. This made walking to the many sub-neighborhoods of Palermo super easy. Maybe you have heard of them? Soho, Hollywood, Chico, Freud etc.
Kevin, Otto and I walked an average of 9 miles a day when we were in BA. (Ok, Otto more likely 2-3 miles a day). We saw everything in Palermo. We were able to find oatmeal and bananas to make Otto’s breakfast at home and then we would walk to get coffee and take Otto to a playground.
A couple hours later he would fall asleep in his stroller and Kevin and I would find an outside cafe down a side alley and work on our laptops, play gin rummy or just stare lovingly into each others eyes until Otto woke up.
People loved Otto. A boutique owner taught him to blow kisses after she continued to do so towards him for 30 minutes. In the afternoon we would find a carousel or shop for playdough, get our daily empanada and pet the random little dogs who walked casually by with their owners. Otto loved the corn empanadas, I loved the spinach ones and Kevin loved the beef ones.
Running was super easy in Argentina. Kevin and I would take turns walking Otto in the stroller while the other one ran. Unfortunately our running stroller was too big to travel with. This is also where Otto learned the word “down” instead of just yelling at us while trying to break free from his stroller restraints. On the positive side, he got extremely good at walking beside us.
Buenos Aires won the award for most amazing playgrounds per square kilometer and best playgrounds per square kilometer. Hitting two playgrounds a day, at minimum, we didn’t even get to them all in Palermo.
One of the days we ventured to San Telmo. They actually have a really awesome outdoor market but given the 90 degree weather and the copious amounts of breakable glass antiques we cut our time short. But not before watching the outdoor tango lessons. Next to the San Telmo market is this indoor food hall. That is where you should go! It had amazing little food stalls. Kevin found a sausage at a Parrilla for basically a dollar.
Argentina has the most amazing cemetery. Is that weird to say? This cemetery is really incredible. You walk through and there are these tombs about 7 feet tall. One will be in disarray, the coffin exposed, the marble broken and the flowers dead and brown. Next to it will be a meticulously maintained tomb, a crucifix of Jesus, fresh carnations and the sun shining through the regularly cleaned stained glass. Its oddly comforting. I could have stayed there all day.
Kevin and I had a fancy night out at Don Julio and a drink at this weird secret bar that was supposed to be prohibition-esque but really just was a divey bar above a not very well named door. We found our babysitter through a tour guide we met in Chile.
Uber works. The public transportation we heard is good as long as you don’t have to buy a new card (the one our host left us was cracked). For some reason they didn’t seem to know how to get us a new one or get us on the metro at all. The metro lady sending us to numerous small shops who had no idea what we needed. Kevin got a SIM card in Mendoza and it provided data for us the entire time we were there.
WI-FI is readily available, in almost every single restaurant not to mention free neighborhood wi-fis as well.
What else can I say about you Buenos Aires? My time with you was too short. I am glad you closed your zoo after rumors of drugging the animals. I wish I could have eaten all of your empanadas. I will likely never learn the tango without you.
Bring your baby, bring your date or go alone. I know we will be back. Its just too amazing not to return. Plus, I know there are at least a few empanadas we didn’t try.
Tips:
Diapers are easy to find. As is craft beer
Veggies are fairly scarce but red meat is plentiful, high quality and cheap.
Some Spanish is helpful, English isn’t commonly spoken.
It seems really safe.
Unfortunately Otto subsisted mostly on empanadas but we were able to find him a lot of fresh fruit, fresh juice and yogurt at certain cafes.
Otto Sees The World 