Why, indeed? We've talked about traveling to many other countries (France and Italy first and foremost), yet our only travels outside the United States have been to Canada.
The biggest factor that moved Buenos Aires from off-the-radar status to the top of our "let's go there" list was the number of coworker-friends (mostly J's) who traveled there last year and had great things to say about the city.
So we did some investigating, and quickly committed to the idea. Since airfare to Argentina is expensive, but staying in Buenos Aires is not, we decided to get the most bang for our airfare buck by staying for two weeks. (Note: J tracked airfares with laser-like focus during the turbulent high-fuel-cost months, finally nailing well-priced tickets.) We're renting an apartment in a quiet residential area of the trendy Palermo neighborhood, close to a supermarket and lots of small restaurants and cafes. Mass transit is plentiful, and the city is described as being very walkable.
Never having headed south for the winter, we are beyond ready to trade what has been a particularly gross Seattle winter for two weeks of sunny, warm cosmopolitan living. While we slowly creep toward spring in the Pacific Northwest, Argentina is gently sliding toward autumn.
Other things we are particularly looking forward to experiencing in Buenos Aires:
- Beef. Argentinian beef is reportedly high quality and grass-fed. We can't wait to compare it to the share of high-quality, grass fed beef we purchase from a local small family ranch each fall.
- Shopping. The value of the peso continues to drop relative to the U.S., dollar, which means our buying power may be growing (although, BA has been experiencing rising inflation, so it may be a wash). Leather (duh!), soccer jerseys and unique fashions are high on our list.
- Cafe culture. With some four out of 10 Argentinians being of Italian descent, cafes are king.
- Ice cream. Some of the best in the world, or so we hear. I suspect this also has something to do with the country's Italian heritage.
- Tango (again, duh). We'll choose dance hall and street fair dancing over the big, glossy tango productions.
That's only a sampling, of course. There will be so much to do and see, two weeks won't be enough. Whatever we go do and see, we'll be blogging it here, so stay tuned.
