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After a very restful night, slept like a baby, I did, Jerry did not but he never really does, we were up at 7:15 and down to breakfast by 9:10. Somehow, we ended up being an hour behind schedule, so the first cut on the itinerary was the Cementario de la Recoletta. In hindsight this was probably an omen of the day to come. The day was planned to be “Evita Day” from her plot in the cemetery to the museum founded in her name. But before I get there, back to breakfast.
The breakfast room is actually the same as the restaurant we ate in the night before. The spread is what you would expect from a hotel of this quality, lots of pastries, juices, fruit, cheeses, etc. The standard hot dishes were also available. The did have a made to order omelet station, which will be on a future breakfast plate. We were expecting the coffee to be very good; it is South America; don’t they grow coffee here? Unfortunately, it was not very good nor was it very strong. On the positive side I did order a cappuccino which was much better and stronger.
Buying a Subte Card
As with most travels one of our main sources of transportation when we visit any city is their public transportation. In Buenos Aires, the subway is Subte. There are 8 lines (A – H) that run through the city. Our hotel is on the C line and easily connects to several of the other lines. The fair is the equivalent of about 30 cents. In order to ride the Subte you need to have a Subte Card, like all major cities you pay for the card then recharge it as you need. This is where the fun begins.
We walked to the nearest station to us expecting to find a booth or machine where we could purchase and charge the card. That is of course not how it works here. First, you have to buy the Subte card from a corner store, news stand or other establishment that sells them. Back up on the street we struck out at the first store (they were out of the cards). A few blocks further we found a place to buy the Subte Card.
Travel Tip, cash is king here. You cannot buy the card or recharge the card
with anything, but pesos and you must have exact change when filling the card. The current price of the card is 1050 pesos (gives you 1000 pesos of emergency use, not sure what that means or how it works.) We then put money on the card to get us through several days. None of this would have happened if the very helpful young man at the store would not have helped through the entire process. Once you have your Subte card and it is all charged up, the Sube itself is pretty easy to use. The stops are well marked and the maps underground easy to follow so you know your going in the correct direction. Unlike New York, you don’t have to enter on one side of the street for uptown and the other for downtown. On entrance gets you access to both directions. It is fairly clean, and the D line is much more crowded than the C line, the only two lines we have been on so far. There is not a mask to be found in all of Buenos Aires, even though they had a very severe lock down during Covid.
With our Subte cards
now in hand, another hour behind schedule, we were off to the Evita Museum. There is a lot, and I mean a lot I could say here, but in order to keep the international peace, all I have to say, is we didn’t end up visiting the museum, there was some blatant hostility towards us, and don’t believe anything on any website. The price on the website said one price and when we went to buy the ticket it was 4 times that, ok it went from $1.50 to 6 dollars, but that isn’t the point. I am gong to end it there, but the day did not get better (yet).
We were so far behind schedule now; it was lunch time. We had a reservation at the restaurant in the museum, fortunately the entrance was actually around the corner. Do not ever eat here. The food was worse than lunchroom cafeteria food, yet lots of locals seem to be eating there, and our waiter, well his attitude got to the table about 30 minutes before he did. Pictures were taken and I have not decided if I am going to post them or not.
Fraud Alert With our horrible lunch over, I went to pay and just as I pulled out the credit card I was going to pay for the meal, I got a fraud text from the bankcard. Remarkably, at exactly the same time someone was trying to make a purchase at something I never heard of. The card was immediately locked, and I paid with an alternative method. This made us go back to the hotel to deal with the fraud issue. Fortunately, all went well, and a new card should be here by Monday. Fortunately, Jerry has a separate card with a different number on my account, so we are not locked out entirely.
Our itinerary now shot to hell, we did manage to do one thing we had planned and took a taxi to the Museum of Latin America Art of Buenos Aires (the MALBA). Yes, the museum has nothing but Latin American artists. The museum was the perfect size, especially today as I am not sure my brain could have taken anything larger. Now I of course no absolutely nothing about Latin American Art, Jerry of course is more refined in this area and at least heard of some
of the artists. The highlight for me was the Frido Kahlo and Diego Rivera section. I will let the pictures say the rest.
After the museum we hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. As we were getting ready, the phone rang, it was room service checking to make sure we were available to accept a complimentary small bite, like I am turning down free food. We thought it had to be offered to everyone, but no, when Jerry answered the door there was no tray full of the small bites, just a silver plater for us. A prawn in an interesting potato (I think) puree. The hotel has really been going the extra mile for us, I guess they have never had anyone stay 20 nights in a row.
El Imparcial The nights dinner was at the oldest restaurant in Buenos Aires (ok you knew it was going to happen, it always does) and located a short walk from the hotel.
Aside before I go into dinner (which was nice) just a bit of tourist information. Buenos Aires is a large city, as any large city there is
a significant homeless population. The homeless are pretty passive, not aggressive like New York. Is mental illness a huge issue with the homeless? Of course it is, it is everywhere. It is a social issue that knows no borders and no country seems to know how to deal with it, or maybe they just don’t want to. During the day we feel reasonably safe on the streets and Sube, do I watch my bag, yes, but I watch it more in New York. Nighttime is a different story, there doesn’t really seem to be a lot of people walking around at night, at least not in our particular neighborhood which is Monseratt. If I were alone, I am not sure I would walk around much at night, but the two of us walking around seems pretty tame. We have not had any issues so far. I don’t ride the subway in New York at all anymore, especially alone, but I would here during the day, but probably not at night. Taxi’s are abundant and cheap. Yes, they have Uber, but I just don’t believe in Uber on any level. Taxi’s are cash only and you just need to either establish
the price before getting in the cab, or make sure they turn on their meter. We haven’t paid more than $8 for any fare so far.
Ok, back to dinner. The place was bright and pretty empty when we arrived, just a smattering of old couples, and by old, I mean in their 70’s or 80’s, so Shari, you can just stop smirking now. We were there at 8 on a Friday, and the people of Buenos Aires, much like the Barcelonians, don’t really eat until 10:00. The negative of the place was that the servers are pretty much over their jobs, and they are most all career waiters. It doesn’t have a lot of atmosphere, but the menu is extensive and traditional. It is a bit of a mix of Spanish and Argentinian.
Our tradition of Champagne to start is not really working out here, as there basically is next to no foreign food or wine offered. The import taxes are so high that the country has no trade opportunities with any other countries. In lieu, we just order our bottle of wine first and move on. Tonight, we had a very nice Malbec. This is really
Gambas Ajo
Dish of the Dayour first foray into Malbec’s and so far, I am pleasantly surprised as they have all been pretty good. This particular bottle was from the Salta region of the country, high elevations, giving the grapes and wine a very different taste than lower regions.
Dinner was in three courses. We started with provelata and garlic shrimp (Spanish Style with an Argentine twist). The little potato balls really add that little something extra and the garlic level was perfect. It really rivals what I make at home.
The second course we both went with soup. I had the sopa ajo (Garlic Soup) and Jerry had a cream of tomato, yes, I know, but no it was nothing like Campbell’s condensed cream of tomato, it had a very nice tomato flavor, and I don’t even think they used that much dairy, but it was good. The garlic soup was also good, needed a bit of paprika for my tastes, but still good. The best thing so far is that all of the food was HOT, nothing we hate more than lukewarm anything.
For the main course we split a Bife de Chorizo (New York Steak). Here they do not
ask you how you want it cooked, it just comes out the way it comes out. Our steak was perfectly cooked slightly over medium rare. We have since learned the Argentinians actually like there beef well done. This is very hard to understand for a country that is so centered on beef. Our side was papas noisette, fried potato balls, great concept, which I can make great improvements on.
That was pretty much the day we walked back to the hotel, and I was really just to tired to do this entry. In fact, I am finishing it up at the end of our Saturday. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I am sound asleep and don’t wake up until an alarm goes off. That just never happens at home, I am typically awake an hour before the alarm starts yelling at me.
The dish of the day was far and away, the garlic shrimp. Tomorrow is our cooking class.
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Connie Craddock
non-member comment
What a day
Your blog would be very helpful for first time visitors to Buenos Aries. This was a day filled with stumbling blocks for you, the experience is great informationfor new visitors or travelers. I love the little extras your hotel is doing for you! You made me chuckle with your comment to Shari, but I knew exactly what you meant!