Made in Argentina?

One of things I love about Buenos Aires is that you come across shops like this little women's shoe store. Interesting designs at a reasonable price. ($35 USD for a pair of all leather "tennis shoes.") And when we asked if they are made in Argentina, the woman said "Yes, of course. In the back," and opened the door to the rear of the store, to show us the workshop where the shoes are made.

Where: Lineal at El Salvador 4380 in Palermo, just a few blocks from Casa Palermo.

Dining on budget?

Lunch in Buenos Aires is still a bargain (11-28-13). I had steak (bife de chorizo) with fries, a basket of breads with butter, a glass of wine and desert for 67 pesos (excluding tip). That's about $10 USD at the official exchange rate or $7.50 if you can exchange dollars at the "blue rate."

Where? Los Remanseros. Around the corner from Casa Palermo, at the corner of Medrano and Costa Rica.

p.s. the fries were perfect … crispy on the outside and like mashed potatoes inside.

Tres Tintos Muy Rico

 

Licuados (Smoothies)

You can get licuados at many cafes and restaurants, but Baraka, in Palermo Soho, offers some unusual and interesting varieties. The photo above is a portrait of our favorites, Vehemente and Carmin, respectively. The Vehemente is made with strawberries, mango, black pepper and ginger. In contrast, the Carmin, which is very different, is made from ginger, carrots, beets and orange; perfect if you want something that is not too sweet.  Baraka is located at Gurruchaga 1450, between Gorriti and Cabrera.

The menu below describes all the options in English. Remember, the $ in BsAs means pesos, not USD.

 

Visit the studio of Ardiana Bozzi - Artist

Adriana has a remarkable talent for drawing and painting the human form. Her specialty is nude males, but she renders other subjects with equal beauty. Her studio is at Thames 1484 (near Gorriti) in Palermo SOHO (Buenos Aires). Visit her website . . . the link is HERE.

 

Below, a sketch of polo competitors.

Just how to you say “to live in a cloud made of farts”

Like every language, Argentine Spanish (called Rio Platense Spanish) includes numerous slang phrases and words that adds a richness, color and depth that tourists (and even schooled Spanish speakers) will not understand and probably not use or learn during a short trip to Buenos Aires. Nevertheless, these words are interesting to read about. A good introduction appears at the website Gringo In Buenos Aires.

Quaint and different practices in Buenos Aires

We occasionally hear of quaint differences in the way things are done in Buenos Aires, compared to what we’re accustomed to in the U.S. Here is an interesting one:

Julia (the youngest of the daughters) has been living in Buenos Aires for a year now, working for a translation company. She has been interviewing like crazy recently, looking for a better paying and challenging job. Suddenly, she was presented with an offer that she immediately accepted. Her next step was to follow this custom: She went to the post office and sent a telegram, giving her employer formal notice. I didn’t even know that you could still send a telegram!