My flight to Buenos Aires was delayed three hours (all of which was spent city on the plane, on the tarmac).  It was then an hour ride in pouring rain to Palermo.  An ominous start to an around the world trip.  Where was the "Good Air" of a city I've fascinated about since middle school Spanish class.  Fortunately, once I was settled in an apartment, the rain stopped and I started to explore in search of cultured citizens sat in cafes enjoying lattes and an afternoon sea breeze. 
Buenos Aires ages gracefully.  Cracked sidewalks which would be a health hazard elsewhere instead decay with character.  Red geranium flower basket balconies adorn the upper levels of the neoclassical apartment buildings that extend for blocks through the city’s northern neighborhoods.  The city's sprawling urban neighborhoods connect via wide boulevards from Palermo to Recoleta and Retiro before turning into cobblestone alleys in San Telmo and La Boca.

In the early afternoon grandmothers walk hand in hand with their granddaughters from school to home.  In the late evening diners pack small tables that spill onto the sidewalk from small restaurants.  In the early morning youth take cigarette breaks on the streets before re-entering a club for a few more rounds of dancing and drinking.  There's an energy across all ages.  Even though the city physically aged it still has a vibrant pulse.

NEIGHBORHOOD     PAGES
I visited Casa Rosada.  I walked through San Telmo to La Boca and Camantio.  I used a map to tour Recoleta Cemetery and it’s distinct above ground graves - there was no pulse, literally (of course) and figuratively.  I developed a routine.  Sleep in.  Find a bar notable, an historical and preserved drinking or dining establishment.  Stepping into a bar notable created the sensation that I’d been transported back to the Golden Age of Tango, when Carlos Gardel hits played at bars and clubs. 

CLICK OR TAP PHOTOS TO ENGLARGE
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Hangout in a Cemetery (...it is a great cemetery though)
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Or Drink a Quilmes at El Hipopotamo
Order a coffee.  Discover a starting point.  Determine an ending point.  Then wander through the city alternating between main and side streets.  Grab a coffee on the stage of an opera house converted into a bookstore.  Find an outdoor table with a view.  Order a Quilmes.  Admire the street art that commemorates athletes, political figures, and Argentine culture.  Walk through colorfully corrugated homes.  Eat really bad soft bread pizza with fish toppings, a little sauce, and no cheese.  Find another open square, order another Quilmes.  Find a neighborhood parilla.  Order a butterfly cut chorizo sandwich.  I never lasted to dance and drink at clubs.

The next day I repeated the routine in another neighborhood.  By day I searched for bar notables and coffee.  By night plazas and Quilmes.  Then return to either Palermo’s Plaza Serrano or Plaza Armenia for late night people watching.

I could take a photos of Floralis Generica.  Or I could take photos of cars parked on a street.  Buenos Aires is a city of leisure with simple sites, such as a grocer, on every corner.  I watched retirees play billiards and theatre goers snack on alfajores after a show.  They had their routines and I was starting to develop mine.   

It’s a perfect place to escape and imbibe the local culture.  It’s a wonder I didn't initially like Buenos Aires.
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Floralis Generica
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Palermo Street Scene
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
  • The city center is about an hour from the main international airport and you'll need to take a taxi...if you are flying somewhere else in the country you may want to consider flying out of Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery which is much closer to the city center and thus a cheaper  cab ride.
  • When you are planning your day, be sure to check if there are any Bares Notables in the area.  If you like the neighborhood, grabbing a drink or desert in one of these historical cafes will help you to extend your stay.
  • Each neighborhood has a Parilla / Steakhouse.  Steaks are usually available for under $10 USD.  I found that a $10 steak...is well...a $10 steak.  To really enjoy one of Argentina's national dishes it's worth paying up for better quality.  The challenge becomes finding a place that locals prefer and it's worth asking a local where they dine in the neighbor, not what they recommend around the city.
  • Argentines still follow a Spanish style daily cycle - there's an afternoon siesta so don't be surprised when stores are closed in the mid-afternoon.  They also eat dinner late, typically starting at ten.  It's worth adapting the late evening dining routine to find a gauge popular restaurants and bars.  If you're hungry and can't wait that long, walk around the night before, find a place that's busy, then return the next night.
  • Supposedly Buenos Aires has some of the best pizza in the world.  I tried three different places - the first two were horrible and I thought they didn't know how to make a pizza so I went to a national chain.  Same results.  If you find a place to eat good pizza in the city let me know.
  • If you are looking for an alternative guidebook with a quasi local flare I'd recommend the For 91 Days: Buenos Aires blog.  These two guys spent 91 days exploring Buenos Aires and do a good job of gaining an understanding of the city by visiting both top and out of the way destinations.  A book consolidating the blog entries is available for sale on Amazon.