If only I had known I would have just bought some USD's in Australia before I came over and converted on the fly.

A very useful website an argy friend recommended me: comoviajo.com
Tells you how to get from one point of the city to another with subte, colectivo, taxi etc.
You have to register first. Website is obv in Spanish, but with basic Spanish you should be fine.

hmmmm so it let me withdraw 600 pesos today. weird.

Hey guys, I'm currently reading and digesting this thread and the old one. I have a few questions, and they're obvious so please forgive me because I'm sure they've been answered before and I just haven't seen them.

I've moving to BA in Feb for a year with my girlfriend. At first I was excited about playing poker from a different country, but it seems like without a bank account that it's not really an option, and from what I understand to get a bank account I need to jump through some hoops and many banks don't even offer them to non residents (I plan on just getting a visiting vista, getting an extension, going to Uruguay for a bit, then getting another extension). So, is there anything I'm missing, or is that pretty much how it is?

Second, can you guys recommend any other resources for expats? Good forums or blogs or whatever.

Thanks

You don't need a bank account here to play poker. That's silly. Once you're here, you get a Moneybookers with your Argentine address. I'm not saying that it's as perfectly simple as being European, but it's not a massive issue. Don't worry, I can promise you that I or someone else will help you.

As for expat resources, I'm not really sure I understand. there's baexpats, but just do a google search for buenos aires expats. Still, I don't recommend that you move here to hang out with other expats. If that's your focus, there's a pretty decent chance you won't like it. It's not like this is the USA, only cheaper.

I thought I read in this thread that you needed a bank account for Moneybookers. Maybe I have it confused with Neteller or something, I've never used it.

I meant more like information on things such as places to stay, more in depth neighborhood information, or other misc tips/information for people moving to BA for the first time. Maybe I phrased the question poorly.

Basically, my girlfriend is a little apprehensive about the move (though she's also excited) and I'm trying to find some good information to look over. She's done a crap load of searching and probably knows everything there is to know, but if someone were to say "hey check out this site, it's the best thing to find out info about blah blah blah" she'd be happy.

The other day I typed out a long rant about people moving to Buenos Aires and the lack of figuring **** out they have to do for themselves. I deleted it because I thought it wasn't such a wise idea. I feel compelled to write it again, so what the hell; I'll give you the cliff notes.

Anyway, short version, I'm kind of saddened that people don't really have to figure anything out for themselves anymore. I'm guilty of it myself, but reading about a place too much in depth can really ruin a lot of the experience and sense of accomplishment. Figuring out for yourself that no one has change ever is a hell of a lot more interesting than being told about it and just always carrying a ridiculous amount of change. Bad example, but you get the point.

For people moving to BsAs (or anywhere)... do you have a place to stay for the first night and internet? If so, then stop worrying about it and go. You'll figure stuff out soon enough and doing it yourself will be 100x more rewarding. Sometimes, I regret making the original BsAs thread because despite the fact it has gotten a lot of people to check out this awesome country it's made a lot of them lazy.

In fact, this is a large part of the reason I'm not so sure I'll be moving back to BsAs as planned. It's far too comfortable and like home for me and I sometimes feel like I'm too young to not have those crazy experiences of being on your own somewhere new anymore.

Anyway, that's all I really have. Also, try to meet some Argentines and have real conversations with them. I don't know a lot of the new arrivals personally, but I knew people who moved to BsAs and never learned Spanish and pretty much only hung out with expats and English-speaking Argies. That really cheapens the experience imo.

[edited]

Oops, I pooped.

I said it was a general observation and not directed at you or anyone. Look at the edit. That post had nothing to do with you. Also, like I said in the post, I'm guilty of what I ranted about to an extent as well.

You use Moneybookers to transfer between sites. Then you get money sent to you by check or bankwire from your poker site. This can be annoying, but getting money isn't that difficult.

I think you should have her read these threads. Not to be flip, I just doubt there's some other site with this much info. Plus you can ask questions and get different answers and opinions pretty quickly. I was pretty apprehensive about moving here too, but it's just a matter of pulling the trigger.

Hey guys,

Just spent the last few hours re-reading both threads, great info, thanks. I'm a mid-high stakes poker player, moving out to Buenos Aires in February. Going for 3 months initially and we'll see after that.

My spanish is hopefully okay-ish from traveling in Central/South America for 9 months, but I'll certainly be looking for lessons. And I wouldn't survive without a weekly fix of playing soccer. Seems like I'll get info from you guys on things like that when I get there at the weekly dinner. Looking forward to meeting you all at that.

If anyone is doing something similar and looking to get a baller poker house, I'd be on for that. (I'm Irish, early thirties, chilled out, sociable.)

Cheers.

Make sure she doesn't find this blog.

http://bloggersinargentina.blogspot.com/ for a pretty good list of english language Argy bloggers.

Seems over board and self righteous to draw qualitative conclusions about how the BsAs threads have altered people’s motivational resources or their general open mindedness. There are always going to be people who lazily abuse message boards with questions that have been answered ten times over. But what you’re saying doesn’t make logical sense for a lot of things that have been discussed here. An apartment might have internet but a lot of people need a backup connection and it is incredibly practical to know that you need a DNI to get a contract for a second connection.

Argentines casually refer to scams with words that convey a widespread cultural conception that it is clever to hose someone in a business transaction if they can get away with it. Is it a 100 times more rewarding to get hosed by a local real estate firm firsthand because it is a more authentic/exciting way to experience Argentine culture than seeking out references to avoid a common pitfall?

I agree that you can get a lot more out of the city as a Spanish speaker, but if you read through the entire thread and went to a couple dinners down here you would know that an overwhelming majority of them are seeking Spanish teachers or are already taking classes. Any country that you’ve been to for a while is likely to get progressively more comfortable and though the convenience allows lazy people to be lazy it also allows motivated people to be more productive.

Not sure what you mean about wanting to have "crazy experiences," but different people are naturally looking different for things. Now that your favorite band has signed with a major record label and everyone is lazily listening to them without having to do all of the work that true fans did to make them famous in the first place, it’s time to find something that no one else knows about yet. It sounds like Mogadishu might be a good match for your adventurous personality. Try to do as little internet research about it as possible other than getting a cheap apartment. Reading too much about the city online is a lazy shortcut that will taint your expectations beyond repair and make the experience approximately 1% as rewarding.

Hi guys,

Does anyone know if there is a shop where I can find the book "The Poker Mindset"? Or is it eventually anybody here who has read it and wants to sell it?

Let me know.

Thanks.

I dont think you will find it here, unless it is from someone who has red it. Or from Amazon.

I just moved to Buenos Aires and I'm interested in playing poker online again after a hiatus of a few years.

If the weekly Tuesday dinner is on for this week, I'd love to come and meet everyone. This thread (and the previous one by TheMetetron) have been very helpful in getting a feel for what it would be like to live here.

I do have some questions, however. Forgive me if these are basic questions, but I'm still trying to figure out the best way to fund and withdraw money from the poker sites.

I last played online poker several years ago. Once the UIGEA was passed, and just before Neteller was no longer a viable option, I withdrew nearly all my money from Poker Stars, Full Tilt and Party Poker (leaving less than $1 in each account), transferred the money to Neteller, then withdrew all my money from Neteller and closed the Neteller account.

Now, to transfer funds to my poker accounts, I figured I would just open an account with an Argentinian bank, and then use that account. To withdraw money from the poker sites, I planned to receive checks, and then deposit them in the my AR bank account.

But, I've learned that opening an AR bank account as a non-resident is not so easy. So, how do I best fund my poker accounts and what's the best way to withdraw money so that I can spend it in Argentina?

LozColbert mentions that I should set up a Moneybookers account, but I'm not sure solves the whole problem.

* If I open up my Moneybookers account as a resident of Argentina, what do I need to prove that I am living here? I'll be renting temporary furnished apartments where all utilities are included, so I won't have any monthly utility bills to offer as proof of residency.

* If I open up my Moneybookers account as a US resident, can Moneybookers be used by US citizens for transferring money to gambling sites? Their rules and regs. say no.

* If I do set up a Moneybookers account, do I fund it with a US bank account?

* If you don't have an AR bank account, how do you cash checks from the poker sites when you are in Argentina? Or, do you have Moneybookers electronically transfer money to your bank account? (Your US bank account?)

Again, forgive me if these are basic questions. I've done quite a bit of searching on the 2+2 forums and haven't been able to find any definitive answers. But, if I've missed any helpful posts on these topics, I'd greatly appreciate pointers to them.

Looking forward to meeting everyone on Tuesday!

Hey I'm thinking of going there over xmas break. I'll have about 5 days before and 5 days after a trip I'm going on. Any recommendations for what to do? I'd like to spend at least a few of those days just somewhere idyllic, sunning myself, living the good life.

Also what US cities can you fly direct to Argentina from?

Don't have an exhaustive list, but I'm 99% sure you can fly from Miami, Houston, Dallas, DC, and NY.

It sounds like you want to spend some time on a beach. If so, I wouldn't come to Argentina.

I hate beaches, swimming pool and sun is great tho.

what do you people think of san telmo in relation to palermo, i havent seen many comments about the first and currently looking at a pretty great place overthere, so any advice would be very welcome

San telmo is a good distance from palermo and is in the city next to a crappier part of town (la boca). I don't think I'd live there personally.

San Telmo is probably the neighborhood with the most tourists after Palermo and Recoleta. I have friends who visited here years ago and it seems to me like they never left San Telmo. There should be decent restaurant selection as well.

I haven't spent much time there and I doubt I'd ever move there, even though it is near La Bombonera. It just doesn't compare well to Palermo on the things I care about.

This week's Tuesday dinner is at Sirop, 9pm. Vicente López 1661 in Recoleta.

For some reason, mapabsas.com can't find that address, but it's pretty easy to find on my GuiaT. Still, you might want to leave a little extra time to find this place.

Is it necessary to confirm attendance? I plan on making it this time around.

Numbers have been experiencing quite a bit of variance. I like it when people tell me when they are coming, but it's not mandatory.