info from Terrence

hey all!
I emailed JJ's (and my) friends Terrence and Alicia about our trip. They spent 4 months in BA last year (and he is a food writer). Here is what he says....


Terrence sent a message in reply to a thread.

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Re: the skinny on Argentina

Hey Jess -- sounds like a killer trip. The best spots for photos will be the Recoleta cemetery and any of the big parks, Palermo as well but take caution and don't go out alone. Be VERY careful if you go to La Boca, stay in the real touristy area and best to probably leave your camera at home for that one. Colonia is very picturesque, and Punta is a nice beach town. I would skip Montevideo, we stayed with relatives there and other than seeing them there wasn't really anything to do. It's a small-scale version of BA.

For your second week, Mendoza is fun for a 2-3 day trip, mostly for drinking wine and there are also some fun excursions (rafting, ziplining) around. Our friend went to Cordoba and wasn't thrilled. Lake district is supposed to be beautiful, especially in summer. If you have the funds to do it, Patagonia and the glacier are supposedly amazing, and that would be the perfect time to go. We never made it.

Other than that, consider taking the luxury buses between towns -- it's much cheaper than flying and you get to see the country. They have stewardesses, movies, meals and booze and you can get to Mendoza for $50. You can go overnight from BA, so you arrive early the next day. Flights for gringos in Argentina are really expensive, unfortunately.

Let me know if you do Mendoza, I can set you up with a winery guide/driver that will take you to some small, out-of-the-way boutique wineries that will make your trip.

For food, the two steak places are La Cabrera in Palermo (more Americanized and touristy, but really good) and Las Cholas in Las Canitas (crazy cheap and full of locals). There are some good pizza joints, and decent bakeries with pastries everywhere you look. And the wine! Cheap as water and quite good.

I'll try to think of some other recs - but hit me with any more questions you have, too.

Salud
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