When navigating the City of Buenos Aires, broad avenues define the limits between different barrios in Centro or Downtown. The city is set out in a grid system that still manages to baffle us and it is easy they
tell you, when only five minutes from home but still very lost.
Downtown means the city centre; but parents have visions of a more dangerous district with bandidos, pistolas, and rough looking gauchos on every corner, as it is not a term used much in outside of the USA.
On writing this review, the boss is nursing a very sore right foot, which brings us to another important piece of information – look down! Poor infrastructure hampers the City of Buenos Aires and needs lots of investment and tender loving care. The electioneering Kirchners’ achieved much in the last 24-months and some of the parks and avenues look truly fabulous, but the streets are an assault course of ‘doggy pooh’ left by an army of dog-walkers who control packs of up to 20 pooches (portenos do not poop-scoop) and pavements are broken, rising up and sometimes dangerously potholed.
During rush hours, the traffic-clogged avenues are something to see, buses called the colectivo, an Argentine invention and centrepiece of ‘Latin-hooter-rage.’ Smaller than a typical city bus, the colectivo is usually crammed with people and barely stops as passengers leap on and then off again to freedom. The drivers, usually one of the socios, or owners, of the cooperative that operates the line, are often colourful characters who provide some shocking commentary on everything from the weather to politics and their taxi driving counterparts to Argentinean football (soccer). Their ‘assertiveness’ is legendary and they are fast but competent. The colectivo driver has become a symbol of the frantic pace of city life. At first, we thought we might die on one of these marvels of modern transport or choke to death on the fumes, but one does get used to them, we think. Hold on tight, remember that a pinched bottom might be the removal of your wallet in the squeeze and do not play chicken with these ‘babies’ as they take no prisoners!
The cabs are cheap in Buenos Aires and you round up or down the final fare, according to your budget. Drivers do not carry much change and will not change a $100.00 bills. Plan, get a map of Buenos Aires, and tell the driver the direction you wish to go and the road, intersection and a house number you must reach. Planning stops drivers taking you on an unofficial sightseeing tour. A good map of Buenos Aires is essential. From Centro, we never pay more than US$2-6.00 to go anywhere in the barrios we write about on this website. Be prepared, as cabbies race-drive the streets, bob, weave, and corner their cars with great speed but competence. It is an experience.
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