A spotlight on Buenos Aires
The Paris of the Americas on under $60 a day
When our waiter in crisp white shirt and black bowtie served my companion and me the bill, it was nothing less than astounding. We had each savored a pre-dinner lemon liqueur, an entree of the choicest, tender, grilled Argentinean steak and salad, shared dessert and a bottle of fine wine and followed it all up with after dinner drinks. For all of this they expected us to pay less than $20.00 per person! This seems unbelievable in today’s economy but is the typical fine dining found throughout Argentina.
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, the 3rd largest country in South America, and famous for its succulent beef, midnight dinners and exotic tango. Generally safer and more secure than many U.S. cities, this very European city used to be an expensive place to visit but a succession of devaluations over the past 18 months changed all that. A 4 star hotel that used to cost US$200.00 now costs less than US$59.00. And shopping bargains are everywhere from the elegant clothing stores and their beautifully dressed windows showing exquisitely stitched leather coats for under $100 and designer handbags and belts for under $15 to jewelry stores that feature local precious and semi precious stones in stunning settings for prices starting at $15.
| A very convivial people, Portenos (as the locals call themselves) take their recreation in the city's many parks and plazas seriously. This is where the people watching is a spectator sport and all the action is: Dog walkers with a dozen eager canines in tow; oblivious lovers entwined on park benches shaded by purple jacaranda trees; families relaxing on a Saturday afternoon, the children playing ball; dignified middle aged couples taking a stroll. |
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Nature flourishes within the city and no place has richer natural diversity than the Ecological Reserve of Costanera on the eastern riverfront. The reserve is alive with exotic birds and flowering plants as well as joggers, bird watchers and walkers all enjoying the peace and beauty.
Fine and performing arts feature big in the lives of the people and they take their elegant and sophisticated style from the many galleries and theaters that dot the city. The city’s architecture is an extension of this sense of style with its late Victorian, Beaux-Arts and Italian Renaissance mansions interspersed with sleek, avant-garde buildings that play up and complement them. There are streets so reminiscent of Europe that the city has long been known as the Paris of South America. Style doesn’t stop at the door. Polished marble and granite are commonly used for floors and walls complemented by heavy brass and chrome fittings and soaring hidden lights. Even the airport terminal floors and public buildings gleam with polished marble.
There are several distinct neighborhoods in Buenos Aires well worth a visit. San Telmo is in the northwest and was settled in the early 1900s by immigrants from Italy. Today it has a distinctly bohemian flavor and is inhabited by artists and antiquarians who sell their wares in the shops along the Plaza Dorrego and its side streets. Fabulous Italian rococo and art deco antiques can be had for the price of Tupperware. The Plaza is closed to motor traffic on Sundays when the whole square becomes a feria, a festival with vendors selling flea market antiques ranging from costume jewelry to copper cooking pots. Not to be missed are the actors dressed up in styles from the 1890s to the 1950s that perform skits and songs. Naturally, there are the irrepressible tango shows, both on the street and in the bars surrounding the square, which hark back to the 1920s. Of course, a visit to Buenos Aires wouldn’t be complete without a stroll through the historic Plaza de Mayo fronting the national “Casa Rosa” from which Eva Perron spoke to her people.
On the southern side of town is Recoleta where the elegant reside, both in life and in death. While tree-shaded streets front high style boutiques and the parks and outdoor cafes make for great people watching, the place to go is where the dead reside. The Cementerio de la Recoleta is the burial place of Argentina’s elite, including Eva Peron, and they rest in astonishing grandeur in mausoleums built side by side that resemble Greek temples, Gothic chapels, Egyptian pyramids, fairytale grottos and elegant little houses with wrought iron doors and marble interiors adorned with sculptures of the departed and their pets. It is a study in architecture and a place of spiritual beauty and extravagance that make for an experience not to be missed.
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One of the most popular day trips is a scenic train or bus ride to the massive river delta and the suburban town of El Tigre. It sits surrounded by a maze of jungle canals where tour boats share the rivers with cargo tugs laden with tropical fruits and products coming down from the Parana, one of the largest wetland complexes in the world.
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And all of this is only the capital city! An entire country awaits travelers seeking an inexpensive 4-star tour of jungles, pampas, Patagonia, or the southern Andes with its glaciers and wine country. Best of all, it’s toasty warm in the southern Argentine summer while we shiver the northern winter away.
United Airlines, American Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas fly to Buenos Aires via Washington and Miami and special bargain fares appear regularly making it very competitive with European and Caribbean vacations.
