Unlike a lot of place I go, I know quite a bit about Buenos Aires already. This is in part because of my childhood obsession with Evita (I love Andrew Lloyd Webber and I’m not ashamed!) but mostly because my handsome Argentinean-American boyfriend has not shut up about the place since we met.
This city is his second home, and he is incredibly eager to share it with me. According to Michael, Argentina has the very best steak, the best nightlife, the best ice cream and the best looking girls. I can’t say for sure yet about any of those things, but after a week in town, I do have some impressions:
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It’s HOT
I know we were arriving right in the middle of summer but damn you guys. Apartment hunting in 100 degree heat is brutal and the subway is like a toaster. As a result we haven’t really done much sightseeing yet- we’ve spent a lot of time laying like dead fish in front of the AC.
By the way, I’ve also noticed that if you complain about the heat to your friends back in the dead of winter at home, they don’t have much sympathy for the fact your face is melting off.
The Food is Epic
After the very repetitive menus of roast chicken, rice and beans up north in Ecuador and Colombia, Argentinean food is a real treat. I’m sure I’ll go on about it at length as a later date but my first week here I’ve gorged myself on empanadas, pizza, pastries and of course, steak. When I left Ecuador I had to buy a bikini because my old one was finally too big, now if I get out of this country weighing less than 300 pounds it will be a miracle.
Sophisticated People
The people here, as well as the atmosphere feels very much more European than South America. Everyone is super classy looking, stylish and THIN (which is a little puzzling considering what I wrote above). It’s just an entirely different vibe.
Ice Cream!
Mike didn’t lie on this one- the ice cream here is freaking amazing. And they sell it in giant liter tubs, for maximum pig-out-ossity. Dulce de Leche is of course a major favorite but there are crazy flavors too like Pineapple Champagne.
Evita
They really do love Evita here! It’s just like I imagined. I’ve had don’t cry for me Argentina stuck in my head all week, much to the annoyance of one Argentinian-American boy I know.
Shallow yes, but the good news is that after a week of running all over town, we’ve finally settled on a pretty sweet (11th floor! Inside BBQ!) apartment and rented it for the next two months. So prepare yourself for a slew of Buenos Aires articles!
Nice I see you went to Siga La Vaca, love it there.
Oh and yes I left there 10 lbs heavier.
I can’t wait to hear more about Buenos Aires and/or Argentina! Planning to take some time off from work to be fluent with my Spanish over there! Looking forward to your future posts!
You just HAD to post that photo of the pizza, didn’t you? Don’t you remember what life is like in Asia where you have to sell your soul for cheese? Sheez. And now I’m going to be walking around all day wanting cheese. (Not that this is hugely different from most days… but the want will be a little more intense today.) Thank you very much.
The horrible horrible irony is that I would like nothing better than some legit Chinese food now. Life is cruel.
This sounds awesome Steph – Buenos Aires is a place I’ve always wanted to go to, so super jealous that you’re there haha (also zero sympathy about the heat during this European winter!) but I’m excited to read about your and Mike’s adventures in the city over the next couple of months 😀
And damn that food…it sounds AMAZING. I share your fear when it comes to Argentina – I’d have to fly out in the cargo hold of the plane.
But yes yes yes to lots of pictures of food. There are never too many pictures of steak online. NEVER.
Have fun and enjoy this great city! I’m homesick now 🙁
I’ll be there in April, so thanks for the preview. 🙂
One of the greatest cities in the world. Enjoy every single second!!!
We spent two months in Buenos Aires at the beginning of 2010 and one of my favorite aspects of the city were the cafes. Loved the quality of coffee and how they always served coffee with little treats.
I have to admit that I got tired of pizza, empanadas and steak after a couple of weeks and found myself stocking up on spices in the small Chinatown. But, I never got tired of Argentina’s wine 🙂
Sounds very similar to my first impressions of the city 🙂
And yes, I did learn that friends don’t care that your face is melting off when they are dealing with icy roads back home.
Disfrutas!
Mi buenos Aires querido!!!!!!! Hermosa ciudad!!!!!