OK ... so we've been here about 3 weeks now ... between Buenos Aires and Uruguay. And I feel like it's time for a Top 10 list or something.
Things I really like so far:
1. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city. Lots of parks and plazas and verdant vegitation all around and because the weather is so mild, lots of things happen outside and there's lots of sidewalk cafes. We eat almost every meal outside. It's also a very pedestrian friendly city ... cheap cabs all around, lots of busses and trains and subways and generally solid transportation options. Add in interesting architecture (old and new) as well as a very forward thinking design aesthetic, and this place is pretty easy on the senses (though there's also a lotta stuff that's super dirty and run down as well). Plus, the whole neighborhood-ism that you see in places like New York where every 5x5 block block is a cohesive unit with pretty much all the services and stores you would need (and mostly run by independent small businesspeople). It's a very cool city in a lot of ways.
2. Amazing restaurants and food. Lots and lots of them and they're often very beautifully done and have amazing food. Even the crappiest food at the local corner cafe is very good compared to the average McFood in the US (probably due to much better ingredients). And the food is very cheap ... often like $5-10 for entrees. There's a fair bit of diversity and also a very solid traditional culinary culture around Spanish and Italian influences and lots of stuff that's local to here like great beef and so forth. Lots of very simple and very traditional stuff that works super well. Also ... you can dine well into the evening (most restaurants stay open at least until midnight) and people really love to eat out here so places are often pretty jumping.
And if you want to eat at home, that's even cheaper. Food in general is smoking cheap here and it's super good cuz the corporations haven't bleached all the flavor out of everything. Fruits and veggies are super SUPER good (and like $1 for a half kilo of the best strawberries you've ever had) and things like eggs are even way more flavorful than I'm used to. Possibly cuz they don't refrigerate their eggs here. And produce likely is fairly locally produced as opposed to our cryogenic mega long tail food distribution system in the US.
It's a mixed blessing to a degree cuz there's things you can't get at all (like iced tea, and tortilla chips) ... but what they do have they do a really great job at (like salami and pasta and veggies and sweets). Super good coffee, too. Always well made. I generally didn't drink much coffee in the US but I've been drinking it here for sure.
And mate' ... mate' is everywhere and it's hella cheap. Big bag of it the size of your head costs like $1.50.
Delivery. Lots and lots of delivery options all around, including lots of take out/delivery only kind of kitchens. People deliver on mopeds and rollerblades, it's cool. Even the grocery stores deliver, so it further makes it easier to not have a car.
3. Weather. It's awesome and allows for all kinds of outdoor options ... and because it's pleasant enough most of the year, restaurants and so forth are built for outdoor action. Lots of sidewalk and rooftop terraces and stuff you don't really see in colder climates. Plus lots and lots of tropical plants all over. This place is just drop dead gorgeous in the summer.
4. Nightlife. Though we haven't seen too much of it yet, I can already tell that people get AFTER it here and well into the dawn. Though there doesn't seem like there's a huge amount of diversity in the music scene. Some traditional kinds of stuff, and the Euro house/trance club scene, but I haven't seen much hip hop or other eclectic forms of electronic music yet. But people certainly go out and very late and the bars and clubs are very nicely done up. And the people are SUPER easy on the eyes. OMG, some really hot people here. Lots of potential for good times.
One downside though of the clubs is that they basically allow smoking so it's a choking smoke fest all night, yuck. And people smoke like it's going out of style.
5. Art. Street art and traditional art. Even just in the brief time we've been here we've seen some great stuff and it's clear that the art and theatre scene here is flourishing.
6. Internet. The internet is well connected here.
7. Chillout vibes. People are pretty chill here (exept for the cab drivers) and nobody's in much of a rush. This is good and bad, but mostly good. Plus, everyone does the kiss kiss thing, even guys ... even cops. Kiss kiss. It's sweet. People have an easy grace and self assuredness here that's very refreshing. And it makes for a very cool and developed cafe culture. People sit around a lot and drink (great) coffee in any of the numerous and very cool cafes all day. It's great.
8. New World Culture. To a degree, this place is definitely New World. Cultural mash-up of Spanish and Italian (among others) influences with a dash of indigenous South America and Andean culture, with other influences. Makes for an interesting and forward thinking kind of vibe and an interesting mash of languages into something new and unique.
9. Open Space. Argentina is just MASSIVE and it's like ... almost completely uninhabited. Very easy to get some fresh air and space and stunning scenery. And the transportation system is very advanced ... it's easy to get a bus almost anywhere in the country for very cheap and the busses (and trains) are really nice compared to stuff in the US. Makes for lots of options that don't require a ton of cash. I feel like the transportation system in the US is weighted against people w/o a lot of money.
10. Futbol!! People are CRAZY for it. Never seen anything like it. Spirit like you've never seen!
And the things I'm less than stoked about:
1. Materialist wants. Lots of stuff you can't really get here and certain things are mega expensive (like imported electronics). It's not a big deal, but I find myself craving things like bagels and salsa and french croissants and Mexican food and iced tea and wi-fi routers. But what they are doing well more than makes up for the things they aren't doing at all.
2. Diversity (lack of). This ain't New York. Pretty homogenous (which helps us to stick out like sore thumbs). The people mostly look pretty similar and it's rare to see a black person or an asian person or a non Spanish looking white person. Plus, the culture is very homogenous ... with lots of traditional types of things. Food, as an example. The menu on like at least 1/2 of the restaurants is exactly the same and if you ask for something done differently they look at you like you're from another planet. Tradition has a bit of a grip here.
3. Inefficiency. Lots of things are charmingly frustrating and inefficient, but I'm taking it as a lesson in chill. But when you have to wait in line for two hours for a ferry ticket you kinda want to kill someone. Time is definitely not money here like it is in the US.
4. Grime, dirt, urban decay, smog, gridlock, trash, dog poop. There's lots of it. BA is a huge city.
5. Porteno attitude. Argentinians, but mostly portenos in particular (people from the capital) have a rep for being kind of aloof and not so nice. And I've found that to be true to a degree. Certainly there's lots of exceptions of really nice people around, but there's some aloof and/or unhappy people around for sure. I'm sure the peso crash hasn't been good for people's worldview and this is just a big city. Usually people will warm up, but you still have a lot of stone faced interactions w/ people with little eye contact and few smiles. I hear it gets a lot better outside of the city, though.
Overall, this place is vibrant and irresistable and amazing and elegant and hard edged and stylish and proud and really represents an apex of human culture, for sure. It's such a privilege to be able to spend some time here.
