Discovering Buenos Aires: 10 Things That Caught Our Eye
On our way from Quito to Bariloche, we spent a week in beautiful Buenos Aires. As newly arrived gringos, we were struck by several things different from the United States…
1. Gelato Shops on Every Corner: Argentina has a seriously delicious gelato scene going on. Apparently, a good chunk of Argentinian people are of Italian origin, and very sensibly they brought their gelato with them. It’s not only excellent, it is everywhere! You can’t go two blocks here without bumping into a shop. We approve.
2. Argentinians Like Artisanal Beer: Along with gelato, “artisanal” small-batch beer is a big deal here. The beer is good (or so Matt tells me) and these cervezarias are very family-friendly. Even better, every one we’ve been to has allowed us to bring our dog!
3. Yerba Mate is Really a Thing: So, we knew before coming here that Yerba Mate was a popular drink in Argentina. But “popular” does not even begin to describe it. People drink Yerba Mate literally everywhere and seemingly at all times. Even our Cross-Fit instructor keeps his mate cup filled.
4. One Kiss Culture: Argentinians give one air smooch to say hello, with everyone aiming left. This cultural norm did not seem to be affected even a little bit by fears of COVID-19 transmission until the lock down took effect.
5. Friendliness: Before coming to Argentina, I had heard from other Latin American friends that Argentinians were “arrogant”. We have not encountered that even a little smidge! The ones we have met, including waiters and people in shops, have been overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming.
6. Kids Here are Waaay Better at Soccer: First of all, they play soccer – I mean fútbol – constantly. At the park, young guys stand in circles juggling soccer balls between them. Kids around Wolf’s age – which is only FIVE – show up at the park ready to play with cleats and pads. And those same kids are at the park every single day, so no wonder they’re so good.
7. Nobody Stops at Stop Signs: If people don’t see someone coming from the right-hand side, they just blow through stop signs without even slowing down. It’s a little nerve-wracking.
8. Stray Dogs Everywhere: There are a surprising number of stray dogs roaming the streets of Argentina. And yet, none of them seem particularly mean or aggressive. The most they’ll do is bark at your car as you roll by. They seem to be even more prevalent outside of the city where many presumably have an owner that lets them roam.
9. Good Looking People in BA: Argentinians come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, many of them European. The resulting mix is very attractive!
10. Getting Money is Hard: So, it costs ten bucks in ATM fees to get cash out. Ten! And even when we’re willing to spring for the ATM fee, it can be hard to find ATMs that actually have money in them. Meanwhile, a few places don’t even accept credit cards – especially international ones like ours. On the other hand, prices overall are still a lot lower than we’re used to.
