I will be in Bs As for a week the beginning of Jan. I have been a number of times before. Sadly I am not able to able to travel to other points in Argentina during this trip.

Any ideas for obscure activities / day trips from Bs As. I have done all the touristy things several times, am looking for more obscure activities.

Thanks

You can if TAM checks your bags all the way through to JFK. If not you will have to clear customs, and I assume pay the new "reciprocity fee" claim your bags, and recheck them with Mexicana then pay your departure tax etc.

Suerte
SAM

thank you, SoFlyOn and samftla, for your responses.

do you know if TAM has that type of interline arrangement with Mexicana?.. also, if TAM is able to check all the way through, am I able to get my Mexicana boarding pass airside in EZE at a transfer desk [or do I just have to wait until they open the gate]?

- DD

Not sure what your definition of obscure is.... care to elaborate a bit?

I'm not sure exactly what kind of New Years experience you are looking for: whether it's an all encompasing dinner, dancing, etc, or just a nice dinner set and then bars afterwards. I was in Buenos Aires for New Years Eve as a tourist a couple of years ago and operating under similar circumstances. Though we arrived a few days beforehand with the plan to check things out around town for something suitable.

The hotels seemed, as you have found, expensive. But the celebrations there were comprehensive. (We were staying at the Park Tower btw.) We found several restaurants listing dinners with some entertainment, priced anywhere from $50 and up. Most still had availability up till right before NYE.

In the end we decided to just wing it and I think we made the right decision. We ended up at one of the very nice restaurants in Puerto Maduro. We made the reservation on the afternoon of the 31st for their dinner set which was comprehensive including drinks for, if I recall correctly, was no more than $35 per person. Screaming bargain. There was no issue securing the reservation for the 3 of us and most of the restaurants were still showing available that afternoon.

After dinner (which included midnight obviously) we strolled down to the large club at the end of the harbor (the one in the tent) and proceeded to have a fine time. There was a nominal cover charge that night even.

The night continued with a wild taxi ride with a couple of Texan gauchos (who knew Texans were buying ranches in Salta??) We ended up at some of the bars in Recoleta facing the cemetary. Touristy, but fun. The sun was well up by the time we stumbled back to the Park Tower.

Keep in mind that in the early hours of New Years Day you will NOT be able to find a cab if you wander too far from where you're staying.

Have they told you what wines they are serving at the Alvear...? I suggest you check this out and report back, I will be happy to give you my thoughts.

On the issue of the other option where you are commenting on the wines... Im not sure what you definition of 'ordinary' is... care to elaborate. Just to give you a little background, the sparkling wine that you are mentioning is one of the 4 four most expensive sparklers made in Argentina.... it retails for almost AR$200 a bottle, and the rest of the lineup, while perhaps not top of the line in each category are no means wines that are made in bulk.

In order to properly evaluate the prices... I suggest you find out if there is free flow of these wines or if you are assigned a certain amount of bottles per person or table, etc.

And yes... prices for New Years Galas at the top EZE hotels is always pricey... especially if you are booking late.

Sleep. Dinner is at 11pm, drinks and party till 8am or so.

Something not typical. Not the run of the mill touristy things (did most of them). Something a bit off the beaten track, an interesting neighborhood to spend the day in, a nice local market, a nice park outside of the centre, something to get me out out of the center and to see another side of Bs As, that may not be in the guide books.

The comment about "ordinary" was more about the varietals they're serving, and not a comment about quality. We get plenty of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay here in California. It's just that, going to Argentina, I'd really like to enjoy something like a Malbec, Torront�s, Tempranillo or Syrah. I know you have great wines there. For such a special occasion I'd like to do something different!

We're not really party people. My bf and I are pretty boring. I'd say, between the two of us, that I'm much more likely to be in the mood for staying up all night. Both of us are more inclined to go to a good jazz club and not so much the go out and dance type. I suspect I'd have a hard time finding jazz on New Years Eve, but I'll see if I can find it.

We're much more likely just to go for a long walk around the waterfront area, and then back to our hotel. Any idea how safe it would be to walk around the city after midnight on New Years Eve?

We might just take your advice and "wing it". It might be more fun that way doing things at the last minute.

Understood. And, BTW, I completely agree with you that its shameful that they would serve Cabernet Sauvignon and not Malbec, especially if speaking of Angelica Zapata!!

I agree that Jazz that evening will be hard, alas... ask your hotel concierge to double check this for you. Regarding safety, the same rules apply for NYE as they do for any night in a large city... use street smarts & common sense and you will be fine.

Yes... NYears day will be slow... maybe a few cafes and restaurants will open but everything else will be closed.

Hi,

I am arriving 3 hours after my dad into Buenos Aires. He arrives on American Airlines and I arrive on Continental.

Is there a public coffee shop outside of security or some other comfy location that is easy to find and comfortable to wait for me?

Thank you!
Heidi Raynor

Hi Heidi. Welcome to FT!

EZE is not a very big airport so there aren't really that many options for your Dad in terms of comfy places to relax. There is a coffee shop in the terminal where he could wait for you - after passing through immigration and exiting customs, he needs to turn right and walk through the terminal towards the check-in area. There is a coffee shop on the left-hand side but it's nothing special I'm afraid.