Really!?! Compared to where? I spent the past 2 years in Lima and would put B.A.'s safety >>> Lima's, albeit, like everywhere, you learn where not to go in Lima. As an example, sure Argentina's poverty levels are at 40.9% of the population as of 2 weeks ago, yet I nonetheless felt more comfortable biking today (a Sunday afternoon) in the villas over here, while I never set afoot in the poor barrios of Lima Also, I feel much more safer in B.A. (I am presently living in a non-touristic - like not at all - neighbourhood while I would not venture in the poorest places in Manila or Bangkok.

Stories of petty crimes are of course common right now, but I feel more comfortable venturing out in B.A. then I would in most American big cities

The winter was decent (for a Canadian) and did not venture lower then 6c. Most days were 14-18c with spouts of 20c Summer is looking like it will be REALLY hot and humid. We have not yet entered the summer season and just had a HEAVY af day of 26c with a TON of humidity.

Sounds awesome. How much do you think a 1 or 2 bedroom condo would cost in BA?

To rent or purchase?

I might eventually be looking to buy a place, but it certainly would not be in B.A., but either on the coast, in the countryside or perhaps across the rio in Uruguay somewhere in a small coastal town... This said, if you are looking to purchase, prices will most likely be in USD$ and slightly less vulnerable to the devaluation of the peso. I bet it is still darn cheap though

Btw, I got a reservation for Osaka this WE :

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura..._District.html

Now that summer is knocking at the door (temperature of 26c last WE yo ), I would be taking somewhat advantage of the patios and trying out a few restaurants. This thread needs a little food porn, right, as all threads do

Not yet. We did technically leave the city borders by going on a 40kms bike ride, but cannot yet legally travel again, unfortunately. We will definitely be taking fully advantage of visiting nationally some destinations once the COVID cases go down (we yet again reached a new peak of daily new cases tonight with 18.5k new ones ). I will also be doing some live MTT stops once that gets going again, probably in 2021 or even 2022

Petty crime is rampant in Buenos Aires, but one notable thing about crime in Argentina is that there seems to be some sort of honor among thieves in which it's really not cool to hurt people. Not only is violence relatively rare in the commission of crimes, but even the presence of weapons is somewhat uncommon. I've been pickpocketed twice and it's happened at least three times to other people who were with me at the time. Three people I know had someone just snatch their phone from their hand and run away. A couple different people told me about being swarmed by a group of apparently unarmed people. Some of my friends were victims of conventional muggings, and only in one instance did I get the impression that the victim was seriously shaken by the experience. One of my female friends (and her roommates) were even held for ransom in a home invasion and the guy didn't do anything to them. And once I returned from vacation and found that someone had busted into the safe in my bedroom which fortunately was empty, and some time later one of the building's security guards was caught red-handed burgling an apartment. So a lot of crime, but very little force.

By contrast, when I was in Lima I remember seeing a report on the news about vicious gangs that would savagely beat people that they were mugging just for the hell of it (although I must say that the two gentlemen who mugged me there were really quite professional about it), one poker player told me that when he got mugged in Bogota he thought the guys were going to kill him, and another friend in Bogota told me that a mugger started hitting her when she told him she didn't have her phone with her.

Side note: I think a lot of us instinctively judge an area's safety by observing the behavior of other people, and this can lead to some misleading signals in Buenos Aires due to the fact that getting mugged is more of a nuisance than a serious threat to personal safety. I routinely see foreigners make claims that Recoleta/Palermo/Belgrano are 100% safe and that you can walk around alone at any time of night on any street there. It certainly feels that way when you observe locals wandering around alone at night paying little attention to their surroundings, but I know people who have been mugged in each of those neighborhoods, including one as early as 7pm. That said, I've always been willing to walk alone at night on almost all streets in those areas, because the risk is certainly low in those neighborhoods, but it's not zero. I mean, there's a massive slum right across the train tracks from Recoleta, and most criminals operate in the vicinity of their homes, so it just makes sense to try to at least avoid the really deserted streets after dark. And don't carry things with you that you don't actually need to use, like your passport and driver's license.

Bottom line is that if you spend enough time in Buenos Aires, someone will rob you. But you'll be okay. I chalk it up as part of the cost of living.

Nice exhaustive post soah and I love how you insisted on the distinction in between general safety levels and petty crime If B.A. is usually rampant with theft, times are much tougher now and while I am not one to be too paranoid about getting robbed - even if it has happened more times then I can count over my travels, but not once here -, I am taking extra precautions right now by locking up all my credit cards, passport, extra cash in my safe and only carrying stuff that I can easily lose.

But as far as safety concerns, nah, everything is fine. And this is with notorious poverty levels (beyond 40%). There has been a few incidents of homicides in between couples and whatnot (not one tourist though), all of which can be considered expected for peeps being locked up for 7 months inside.

Speaking of which, during a live coverage yesterday, a reporter gets his mobile stolen : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7xgl3Ds7xo

Are Argentinian citizens allowed to fly internationally to countries that are open for tourism?

I'm just on about renting not on about buying.

The reason I asked about crime is there's a lot of bad stories about BA on google. I was reading a review site and people mentioned it a lot. Maybe they are just naive and shaken?

Just got back from San Isidro/Tigre. Post to come. Am bumping/trying to keep this thread alive in a dying forum, you know

Edit : my gf and I have also been trying at least 1 new restaurant per week. So I might update this thread with our new found discoveries, if there is any interest shown...

yea very interested here anyway. Send in the beef pics

+1

Update pls!

There is not going to be much beef pics tbh as, as much as I do not limit myself from eating meat when exploring new cuisines, my diet is more one of tenptative vegetarian + seafood

Thx folks, I have not been posting much on 2 + 2 in comparison to my yesteryear-daily-wall-of-texts standards, as life and other projects have consumed my time. This said, am quite happy to see this thread is not completely dead.

Anyhow, we live in a touristic neighbourhood (Parque Chacabuco), so obviously do not have access to all the gastronomic riches that Puerto Madero, Recoleta or Palermo has to offer (which we explore on the weekends). This said, our neighbourhood (and nearby barrios), has a few gems to offer. My favourite thus far has been Rose Bar :



It reminds a lot of the laid back/electronic music lounges that you can find on Le Plateau Mont-Royal in Montreal to chill out and have a drink/grab a bite



We always get the seat by the WIDE open bay window which, in pandemic times, is even more alluring




The bread with beet dip is quite original/a good indication of exquisite things to come




As in any respectable restaurant, the presentation matches the taste




All the dishes thus far have been simply delicious, although I have been avoiding octopus as it happens to be one of the smartest creatures out there, you know



If this gets sufficient interest, I will be reviewing other restaurants

Smart but tasty af

Indeed man : I use to indulge in octopus twice a week back when I lived in Vietnam which was curiously served cooked in an egg

I did not reread/edit my post above, but I meant to say "we do not live in a touristic neighbourhood" and thus have less access to international cuisine.

For those that do not follow my travel blog, here was my Tigre post :

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/s...&postcount=626

Just posted this in my PG & C, but seems (more then) appropriate for this thread

187 on da Mama F**king Cop

Well that was an interesting 24h, all of which happened off the felt First you have a debit card that I almost never use get somehow hacked, which would be a nuisance in normal times and most likely my biggest issue in your standard day, you know, but not this time around Nope, nope. Because you had that old senile man that, in typical Argentina fashion, did not mind his own fracking business and criticized my decision to be cycling with my dog running by side I mean, this is by far the highlight of my dog's day She dashes like a mama-fracker in the Buenos Aires streets, half the time loose (in the quieter streets) and if not on a (3m) leash And. She. F**king. Loves. It To the extent where she begs to head out a few times a day, is hard to keep up with in the (colder) evenings, and I even caught myself speculating "perhaps we should find some sort of dog races for her!?!" as she at times does 6km+ a day (when the heat/humidity are moderate) like a mama-fracking bullet But anyhow, as I saw the old man criticizing (for the second time) my/our decision to let our dog roam (apparently for cardio/heart issues ) and calmly tried to rationalize with him, he would not listen. I mean... odds are that he is unfit in the head and most likely mentally challenged, but I nevertheless had to warn him to mind his own business, especially later when he again publicly tried to shame me when we were within a crowd... Ohhhh Argentins can be a very special type at times

And yet, this pales in comparison to our mama-fracking group of neighbours who, in a building of 200 apartment units, gather up several times weekly in alternating flats in the vecinity to party like no tomorrow. Fine. Sure. But when THEY BLAST THE MUSIC LIKE A F**KING DISCOTHEQUE, then that crosses all boundaries. Thus far, the 2-3 times a week this happens, we have resorted to getting the security guards to help us, writing to the building administration, criticizing them publicly on a FB page and knocking on their door. Thus far they have somewhat cooperated. But not yesterday. So we headed out on their door my gf, the puppy and myself and I must admit that I str8 up had no patience and rage-spewed "LOWER THE GOD DAMN MUSIC" - "Bajo la puta de musica" - with a few additional threats, when the fellow was being defiant, in the tune of "you will see what will come out of this if you don't".

4:00. We phoned the cops. The music stopped. Only to blast off again 30 minutes later Our dog was clearly disturbed, sparsely barking (something she almost never does). And we were fracking losing our cool. Soo we go back, POUNCE on the mama-fracking door, only to have the fellow get into my face, tell me to get the eff out, and engage - all fists out while establishing clear fighting intentions - towards me (with his buddy behind, equally ready to fight), to which I had to reluctantly retreat There was that spark in his eyes... A spark I had initially picked up on, one that shines in dudes that are quite familiar with brawling, or the street life in general... I knew that he was either a gangsta or... a mother-f**king cop Which turned out to be the latter Perhaps more desirable then the former, but I still felt fracking powerless in being able to impose any kind of will/power moving foward We did, of course, smash shut his fracking door and pounce nonstop on it before heading back

Vegetarian & seafood in B.A.?!? Get your **** together son and start livin' like the carnivore God created you to be!!

How much was that dinner for two in the Rose Bar? In pesos and dollars please, and tell us what it included--apps, entre, and drinks?

Yes to more restaurant reviews & food porn pics por favor.

Sorry to hear about your living situation and inconsiderate neighbors--that sucks. Guy turns out to be a cop...jajaja...oh man, you're screwed! But surely you can't be the only people in the building that are pissed off, surprised others aren't complaining to management as well...

I've just read through this thread and thanks for doing it, your efforts are appreciated.

I was drawn to it as I'd been reading about the English historic influence in Argentina.

Sorry to hear about your asshat neighbours. But don't worry too much as things like that are never permanent though I understand you will look for somewhere else.

So when we reserved a table for Osaka for a Saturday evening in Puerto Madero, I did not think much of it, as Lima has 2 such restaurants, one of them that was literally 4 blocks away from my apartment in San Isidro, so I instinctively classified it as a good-restaurant-with-a-solid-reputation, much like La Mar for instance, but not top notch - obviously - like Maido. So much to my surprised, when one of the guys from the No Dunks podcast crew (previously The Starters), Leigh, who is married to a Peruana lady, went out of his way to say how Osaka was the fracking shyt, it came as a BIG surprise Like the best restaurant he ever tried. Now I don't think that Leigh is much of a foodie, but given the lol Sushie that is offered in B.A. - think A TON of cream cheese with small salmon portions and oftentimes f**king canned tuna -, Osaka was quite a delight




The inside part of Osaka was quite charming, albeit we still elected to eat on the patio and have actually only eaten indoors a handful of times.




I don't feel that Osaka's sushi was anything to write home about, that said, as opposed to your usual standard options in B.A., it felt more like what I usually indulge in Canada/Peru/good sushi restaurants




Of course, as most Peruvian restaurants, it is Nikkei cuisine, AKA a fusion in between Japanaes and Peruvian


A few posters have asked about pricing and while I do not remember exactly how much the bill added up to (nor how much has the peso devaluated since then...), but I believe the addition fell short of 100USD$ (and perhaps even in the 70-80$ region...

Calamari has been my go-to to replace it And curiously, my gf loves Calamari/squid, but cannot stand octopus for some reason

So I have been exploring a ton of Joe Rogan podcasts, one of which was with Anthony Bourdain. B.A. happens to be/was one of Bourdain's favourite destination, and he curiously mentioned how vegetarians would hate B.A. I mean... this comes across as completely utterly ignorant, something that someone that spends a few weeks at most in B.A (so only indulging in the touristic aspects of the cuisine here) and is not vegetarian might believe... None of this directed towards you Pride of Cucamonga, but I believed Bourdain's general disdain for vegetarians (and consequently the kitchen attitude in general), might cloud a lot of his perspective. Anyhow... I am not fully a vegetarian, will eat meat when the occasion calls out, but prefer to stick to seafood/vegetarian cuisines (making Peru or Japan, ideal gastronomical destinations for me ). This said, sure asado is a HUGE part of the cuisine in these parts, but when you breakdown the local gastronomy, you find that you can be fully content with your typical (seafood and vegetarian) asado, vegetarian empanadas, tartas, risottos and pastas Of course, I will also cheat more often that I want to, especially given that my gf's son LOVES meat , but when you live in these parts and shop around locally, you will not see a difference in between here and Canada/USA or anywhere in the world, really. In fact, with the local vegetable shops at every street corner, a vegetarian will be much more content over here then in Vietnam or the Philippines, for example, let alone a small northern Arctic town in Canada like Dawson City

Man, with the blue market conversion over here and the constant devaluation of the peso, a meal consisting of a glass wine each, an appetizer and 2 main courses including 10% tip, comes down to 28USD$ Yup. This is of course in a non-touristic barrio ; you would need to aim for upper-scale restaurants in Puerto Madero (like an 8 course dinner reservation in a French/International restaurant that we made) to go beyond the 100USD$ for 2

Thx guys. Not the first time I go through this whole almost-getting-into-a-fist-fight-with-the-neighbours ordeal and having to move, so am not thinking much about it, tbh. Especially that they have been silent af for the past 4 nights (and days), so perhaps the message hit home... Yes, we are a few neighbours in on this, albeit my gf is doing most/all of the writing to administration. We do have video recordings and they are being fined.

That said, while this incident is accelerating our moving process and all, we had discussed moving outside of the city prior to this incident. We might of stuck around for the full 2 years though, but you know, such is life

More on this please!!! As far as I can tell, outside of the obvious Spaniard heritage, Italian stands out (architecture and cuisine) as well as Chinese. We have a ton of Korean restaurants in our barrio (5), but this seems to be more of an outlier. There is a fair proportion of Israilian folks as well. But English?, I don't see it man, outside of it being the language used in the expat community... (I also never speak in English, so I am obviously biased...). And I assume plenty of Argentins elect to speak English as a second language, but I am not that sure if it is as common as somewhere in Mexico, for example... My gf's son took Italian as a second language and did not know any English.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Argentines

There is quite an extensive history of English influence in Argentina mostly from Victorian era through to the 20th C. Many emigrated to work on the railways and agriculture.
Cities/towns of Hurlingham, Banfield, Wilde, Temperley and Allen some examples of English influence place names.
The first football match in Argentina was played between two sides of English merchants and BAFC was founded by the English.
The English started Rugby in Argentina and it's why it has an international team today.
Polo was first played at the English Hurlingham Club.

So quite a surprising influence.

The above Wikipedia covers it better than I can.

Is there an equal demand for Reals in Argentina as there is for USD and Euros?

Apartment prices just getting cheaper and cheaper here. Studios for 100 euros a month inc. bills is insane.

Are groceries super cheap as well? I know the nightlife is supposed to be phenomenal.

Thx friend

Euros and especially new 100USD$ bills are most coveted. Am not sure what is the exact currency exchange on Reals... I can inquire to my guy, if you wish...

For the locals, it has become unsustainable, especially with the salaries that can no longer keep up with the inflation : https://tn.com.ar/economia/2021/02/1...CHzi0NKNiwHypM

I would approximate the grocery to be roughly 50% of what it is in Canada, and slightly cheaper then the Phils or Vietnam (albeit pretty darn close). The main attraction for B.A. (for those that have never been here), is that it is the nicest city in all of Americas, me thinks, with a tremendous amount of culture, beautiful af architecture, great nightlife, decent restaurants etc., and while the price tag to live here can be considered one of a third world country, NEVER WOULD I CONSIDER THIS COUNTRY TO BE THIRD WORLD. It is just too culturally rich. and it is MILES from the dirt poor areas of countries like India, Cambodia or Phils where a ton of peeps are living in the streets (the social safety nets in these parts prevent this from occurring on a widespread scale)