ATM's in Argentina are much more accomodating than they are in the States with regards to denominations available. May I recommend to others what I do? Instead of withdrawing $400AR, withdraw $390AR (or some total ending in -90). At least that way you have some smaller denomination notes to work with until you can get those hundreds cashed out.

Great tip ! I do this very often whenever at any ATM in Argentina, to avoid the change issue.

This is a great tip, but you do have to be lucky and find an ATM that has recently been loaded, else it will probably only have larger denomination bills.

New years in BA
 

I'm very new to this and I don't know whether or not i'm posting this in the right place... BUT, does ANYONE have any advice for what to do in BA on New Year's eve? My boyfriend and I plan to be there and it's proving to be very difficult to make reservations long distance. We have tried to make reservations at El Trapiche and Katrine and they are both CLOSED!

We are looking for a place with good food and a very "bustling" ambiance. In other words, we don't want anything too stuffy or traditional or anything too romantic. We'd rather go somewhere that has a good bar scene--somewhere that's kind of trendy and fun. That said, we still want a good meal.

Any/all suggestions are appreciated.

thanks!

Sounds like the most generally lively place to be is in the Palermo district around Plaza Serrano - lots of restaurants, many good to great. Just take a pick. Hardly anyone reports a really bad meal anywhere.

Somehow I don't think you will have a hard time finding something that will feel like a celebration in this already lively and late keeping city. I bet you will have a great New Years.

Best wishes,

sbagal

Are Shorts Acceptable Attire in Argentina?
 

The materials we received from our travel agent says women should not wear shorts in Argentina. Is this true? What will be the reponse, if any, if I wear conservative shorts in Buenos Aires?

Thanks

I agree....no shorts for women in Argentinian cities.....response may be no admission into restaurants, places of interest......

Gaucho100K, this thread has been an incredible resource of valuable information regarding Buenos Aires and related topics that have greatly assisted many FlyerTalk members, including myself — and I thank you for launching this thread.

However, due to the sheer length of this thread, finding information in this thread can be increasingly difficult, especially for new FlyerTalk members. I know this would be a major project for you, but is there any way you can outline pertinent information in the first milepost of this thread to help make information that much more conveniently accessible? It would help in reducing future redundant requests for information pertaining to Buenos Aires.

Another idea is that you could create a separate thread with a list of bulleted information, with a link from this thread, if you like. Each milepost in that thread would be a different topic — for example, dining, transportation, how to dress, currency issues, etc. I, in turn, will lock the thread and make it a “sticky” thread here in the South America forum, and comments about the “sticky” thread could be discussed in this thread. If you need to change or update any information, either let me know and I would temporarily unlock the thread for you, or you can give me the information and I will update it for you.

The main goal is to have the valuable pertinent information as conveniently accessible to all FlyerTalk members interested in Buenos Aires as possible. Of course, any ideas that can help improve achieving this goal would be greatly appreciated.

What do you think?

Shorts are (very rarely) worn but principally for select activities, which does not generally include activities such as wandering around Buenos Aires as an out-of-towner or in-town resident. Shorts being worn in Buenos Aires is very unusual and will more clearly flag you as a tourist.

I never saw shorts on women either, but I did see a lot of short skirts on younger women, often with high heels. Below the knee length casual pants were seen on the street and plenty of sleeveless blouses on the warmer days.

So rather than shorts, how about a short skirt with a sleeveless top as a good BsAs substitute -- if you are young and promise to wear the whole thing with high heels. (!)

I personally would leave the shorts at home. There are other ways to stay cool.

sbagal

Short skirts, certainly yes. Shorts, no.

One can only speculate about the chauvinist distinctions. Of course it is odd - micro minis are okay, but shorts not. Go figure.

A lovely example was the young, very gorgeous gal who would play classical harp near the intersection of Florida and Lavalle (the street theater is one reason it is fun to be located in this part of town).

Seated with short, short black skirt, high, high black heels she played her classical harp to the delight of the surrounding crowds. Only in Argentina, I thought: Love, music, passion, aesthetics and entreprenurialism all coming together for fun and a little street-side profit as well.

The shorts distinction may not be as much a chauvinist thing since it's uncommon to see adults -- including men -- wear shorts in Argentina, much of Europe and most parts of Asia. Something about shorts being akin to underwear while skirts being just shortened dresses (in places where that is acceptable).

In any event, here's another option for Palermo besides Malabia House and the Bobo Hotel: La Otra Orilla

http://www.otraorilla.com.ar/

It's very cheap in USD terms and may be useful for those looking to stay in that "trendier" area instead of Puerto Madero, Recoleta or Retiro/Centro.

In Buenos Aires, sometimes I have a longing for "foreign" food. Where do I go?

For SE Asian food, I go a lot to Empire Bar and they have some fried ice cream dessert that I just love but the food is not as spicy as I like it. It's run by, I believe, an Australian expat who is generally there and a rather friendly fellow.

For sushi and Japanese, there is nothing that I truly love, but Nihon Bashi is certainly very popular for good reason and has good shabu-shabu. Yuki and also Ichi Sou are also decent and quite a value compared to Nihon Bashi.

For a flavor of c. Middle Eastern and North African, there are a few good Armenian places and one good Moroccan place called Berber -- I think they spell it Bereber maybe and it is located in Palermo -- with a rooftop terrace that should be good at this time of the year.

For Indian food, there is Kathmandu or something like that -- with an elephant on the sign. I was not a big fan of the food but would go back if longing for Indian food. Alternatively, there is the restaurant Mumbai (Bombay sounds better to me) -- which has the same owners, I believe, as Kathmandu (spelled Katmandu or something like that).

please - dont divide this thread
 

Thanks for the kind words.

The downside to what you are proposing is that information is a perishable commodity. What I mean is that places close, move location, change, get better, get worse.... hence, I dont think that redundancy is a bad thing. I dont mind answering the same question, since this forces me (and of course the many other EZE experts that help me maintain this thread) to be updated in the facts that we post.

I would rather keep this thread alive... I personally dont like the idea of having multiple threads.... as a matter of fact, I did start a separate F&B thread but that never got as popular as this one, so now most Food and Drink related issues get discussed here. Again, I think this proves that the division would make things worse, not better.

Seasons greetings to all and a special thanks to all those EZE experts that help me with answering many questions that are posed here... I believe that its very important to have the insight and perspective of both locals and visitors to a city, that is the whole picture and is the best source for others to make a well informed decision.

Cheers,
Alejandro (Gaucho100K)