Buenos Aires – an extraordinary trip that didn’t break the bank

Buenos Aires –  A Delightful Interlude in one of South America’s Premier Cities

Looking for a sophisticated, European-style vacation that won’t break the bank?
Try Buenos Aires.

On a recent trip there I discovered an exciting city where the tango, great wine and $10 steak meld together to form a vibrant culture.  The fact that it’s one of the few cities with a great U.S. dollar exchange rate made it that much more fun.

At first glance you might think you’re in Paris, Milan or Rome.  Buenos Aires looks like a European city with its belle époque architecture, sidewalk cafes and smartly dressed men and women.

It’s a city of neighborhoods (barrios).  Walking through them you get a taste of the culture and green spaces and exciting buzz of life in the city.

There are many places to visit and experience: museums, markets, strolling through the various neighborhoods, craft fairs and of course tango shows and lessons.  Many web sites will give you the information.

We ate well in BA and our most expensive meal including great wine was $40.00.  Our most memorable meal was $28.00 for two at El Pobre Luis.

Here are my restaurant picks:
La Cabrera
Cabrera 5099,
(Palermo)
011-54-11-4831-7002
The steak here is so tender they cut it with a spoon.

Oviedo Restaurante
Beruti 2602
011-54-11-4821-3741
Old world elegant food, feels like bistro of the 1930’s. Best known for it’s seafood from the Tierra del Fuego.

El Pobre Luis
Arribenos 2393
Belgrano
011-54-11-4780-5847
He’s football crazed.  That’s actually soccer. It’s a neighborhood place with both sport celebrities and fans enjoying the fun atmosphere.

La Brigada
Estados Unidos 465
(San Telmo)
011-540-11-4361-5557
Busy, crowded, excellent steak

Sucre Restaurant
Sucre 676
011-54-11-4182-9082
Trendy and fun.

Nectarine
Vicente Lopez 1661
Pasaja del Correo
(Recoleta)
011-54-11-4813-6993
Regional ingredients, with French Asian influences

Here are some travel tips:
Places to visit
Recoleta Barrio
Recoleta cemetery
This is where Eva (Evita) Peron is buried.  It’s an amazing city of the dead with the graves, really large tombs, of many rich, important, influential people.

Craft Fair
Each Saturday, just outside the gates of the Recoleta Cemetary. No need to go early, they don’t start setting up until late morning and the fair goes on until way after dark.

Museo Nacional Arte Decorativo National Museum of Decorative Arts
Av. Del Libertador 1902
Open Mon-Fri 2-8 pm; Sat-Sun 11 am-7pm
Admission $1.00

We arrived at what seemed to be a beautiful 18th century French design mansion. It was like taking a peek at what life was like in the mansions lining Av. Del Libertador at that time.  Sculptures, paintings and furnishings make up the collection.

MALBA Collection – Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires
Av. Figueroa Alcorta 3415
Wed-Mon Noon to 8 pm

This was one of my favorite museums.  The modern building was opened in 2001.  It’s a private collection that’s open to the public.  It’s a treasure of Latin American art.  Even the benches are modern pieces of art.

Areas to wander through:
San Telmo Market
961 Defensa or Bolivar 998
Sundays
This large street market reminded me of Portobello Road in London.  It’s filled with antiques, junk, food and tango dancers.