Buenos Aires

The land of good winds and tufted concrete.

When I first came across one of these benches I was convinced someone had left a nice piece of furniture on the sidewalk. As I got closer I realized it was bolted down and thought that was even more curious. It was only then I realized it was made of concrete. It certainly is a nice looking bench. They are all around the city, some with little ottomans.

Don't Forget Your ID

We arrived in the early afternoon, unaware that our flight had conveniently landed at the smaller airport very near downtown. Immigration was only a brief wait, but they did check our vaccine and government forms before stamping our passports. Since we were so close to town, the car ride to the rental was less than $8 USD. We dropped our bags and headed out for coffee and to explore the immediate area. It was a pleasant sunny day at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. After a short walk we found a nearby grocery store to stock our fridge. We wandered the aisles marveling at the 1 liter bags of yogurt and milk for sale and I spent far too long looking for a pesto sauce to use with my fresh gnocchi package. There was no pesto to be had. We proceeded to the check out where the cashier began to ring up our groceries and then asked for a passport. After calling for the supervisor it was clear we needed some sort of identification to purchase our groceries. It is still not clear why. I rushed the 2 blocks to the apartment and retrieved my identification and returned to find we had become the center of attention at this medium sized market. The hired security was intently focused on my every move. The supervisor retrieved the cart of groceries that had been set aside and we waited to start the check out process once more. They input some data from my drivers license into their system and we completed payment just in time to learn that they do not bag groceries or even have bags to use. They did offer use of some produce bags so we shoved our items into as few as we could without shredding the bag and returned to the apartment recounting our confusing grocery experience and vowing to not return to that particular market. We have since learned that shopkeepers ask for identification regularly, especially when paying with credit cards.

Get Some Cash

We set out the next day for a city tour by foot. I mapped out some of the popular areas and notionally planned a circular route to pass through some highlights. This time I brought my ID. It was another pleasant sunny 75 degree day and we made our way through the Recoleta neighborhood towards the famous cemetery. We noted the distinct European feel to the buildings and plazas albeit with a somewhat lower number of cafes as I recall from larger European cities. Eventually we made our way to Florida street, a pedestrian only street in downtown lined with shops and an endless stream of people shouting about money exchange. We ignored the shouts and poked into various shops that appeared interesting. It was clear the prices are significantly higher than Rio de Janeiro for consumer goods like luggage and shoes. Based on current conversion rates the listed prices were about in line with what I would expect in the States, if not slightly higher. Eventually we came to a Doner stand and decided it was time for lunch. The attendant proudly exclaimed we had found the best kebab in all of Argentina. Sales pitch was unnecessary as we rarely need talked into a kebab. As we sat and ate our kebab we watched the four solo money changers nearby continue their sales pitch. One guy had a couple people stop and talk with him but I am pretty sure one of them was a family or friend and he simply gave them some cash. Almost as if he was giving his kids a few bucks to get some lunch. I had read that the street money changers was not a good idea and saw an official money change business a few shops down from the kebab stand. I had about 120 Brazilian Real still which was of no use to me. Based on current rates I calculated it was worth around 2200 Argentine Pesos. We stopped in the money changer shop and he offered about 1400 Peso and I was prepared to accept it but the transaction was not allowed without a passport. A little annoyed I went back in the street and found the nearest shouting money changer. I showed my Real and he offered nearly 4000 Peso. Intrigued by this near 2x expected rate I followed as he ushered me up some nearby stairs and around a corner. As we continued to another corner I began to wonder more about what was going to happen next. If we went around one more dark corner I was prepared to turn back but he approached a door that opened to a small waiting room with a desk behind glass. Another person came from somewhere behind the desk and saw my Real, ran his cash machine, and counted out my 4k Peso. We headed back to the street unsure if we had just received counterfeit cash (why else would we get double the rate?) but figured we will find out soon enough when we try to use the cash. It looked real enough after all. A little later in the walk we found a small French press in a shop we decided to acquire as our rental had no coffee making options. I handed the shopkeeper my recently acquired cash and held my breath as he held it up, I assumed looking to see if it was counterfeit. He quickly decided it was fine and we headed back onto the street still feeling like we got away with something. Once we got back to the apartment we began a little more internet research and learned there is a large local market for USD, Euro, and a few other international currencies and the street exchange rate is quite a bit different than the official international bank exchange rate. I still don't quite understand why this is.

The Subway

SUBE is the Buenos Aires underground train. Apparently it was the sixth subway built in the world. Interesting but not important. The main thing we learned is the fare is really cheap (30 peso) but you cannot purchase single tickets or fare cards in the stations. You have to find a shop that sells the SUBE card. After failing at several places we eventually found a shopkeeper that sold us a couple cards. They had zero balance from purchase but you can load value at the recharge machines I found at every subway stop. There is also normally an attendant station that can add value to your card if you prefer.

Historic water pump building and the plaza outside Theatre Colon. I like how the plaza shows the many layers of Buenos Aires, historical and modern, tropical and temperate. The city feels familiar but with its own unique character.

Came across an old palace that was converted to apartments some years ago. I like the mailboxes. Also included my modern day still life.