They say that Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America, and they're right. The city is beautiful and well-planned, with efficient mass transit and spacious avenues alike. In fact, when I arrived in the city 2 days ago by bus, I didn't feel any of the disorientation that I did when I first arrived in Brazil. To me, Buenos Aires seems and feels just like a major European city.
After arriving, I took the useful, but antiquated, subway to the neighborhood of San Telmo, and walked to a intimate hostel squeezed in between a hotel and a business. I visited Avenida Florida, a pedestrian street of both expensive and bargain stores which is famous in the city. Even as tourists and middle-class Argentineans crowded the streets, it was shocking how many beggars, both old an young, competed for space and asked for money.
That night I joined up with Karina, who I met in Iguacu Falls, for dinner with some of her friends at the "early" hour of 8:30. Porteños (people who live in Buenos Aires) typically don't have dinner until 10 or 11pm. We went to a great steakhouse that served a "Lomo" cut of beef that was absolutely delicious, and it only set me back the equivalent of $7 U.S. dollars. Everything is cheap here.
It was great to have a familiar and interesting group to hang out with on my first night here, and, as is typical here, the night lasted until 4 in the morning. While Buenos Aires is not as rhythmic and carefree as Rio, I think there is a great chance I'm going to enjoy my time here quite a bit.
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