My favorite things in Buenos Aires

Guest post by odejesus

I taught in Buenos Aires for a couple of years and here are my recommendations and advice. Use public transportation or Uber – the public transportation is awesome. October and May are my favorite times. May is autumn, beautiful to see the trees change color.

A good place to stay is Palermo – the “hip” area with lots of shops and restaurants. Great place to walk around. Note: there is not much variety for food in Buenos Aires – almost all have the same menu.

• Plaza Serrano – the place for clubs, bars, and nightlife. The nightlife is huge, but 3 AM is when things really get going.
• El Boliche de Roberto – they sing Tango there, younger crowd. Very cool place.
• Sarkis – my favorite restaurant in Buenos Aires. Armenian food, have to get there before 8 PM when it opens.
• El Ateneo Grand Splendid – awesome bookstore in an old theatre. The stage is a café.
• Vamos Spanish Academy – Spanish school where you can just drop in and take one class if you want.
• Take the train up into Zona Norte – a little bit outside of the city. The only place where you can access the riverbank. Peru beach in Martinez, lots of shops and restaurants. Great to watch the kite surfers and a bit different than in the city.
• Teatro Colon – one of the best opera houses in the world. Very beautiful, take a tour.
• 9 de Julio Avenue – the widest avenue in the world. The Obelisco de Buenos Aires is on this road (huge tower/monument) and is worth seeing.
• Downtown pizzerias – one of my favorite things to do with people visiting is take them to several of the downtown pizzerias and get a slice at each.
• See a Tango show with dinner, anywhere from $50-$100. The expensive ones are absolutely worth it. The music and food is great.
• La Boca – the part of town where all the Italians migrated. Very touristy, the multi-colored area you think of when you imagine Buenos Aires with Tango dancers, artists, people sitting outside eating and drinking wine. Leave by 6 PM, however, as this is a dangerous area.
• If time allows, take a trip to nearby Iguazu Falls – can do it during a 2 day weekend, 3 hour flight.