Last Updated: 10/20/09
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 Buenos Aires Travel Deals
Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls
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 Buenos Aires is often referred to as "the Paris of South America," but it's so much more than that. It's like Paris and Vienna, Rome and Barcelona, Havana and San Juan, Miami and Los Angeles, Rio and London ... and yet unlike any of them or any other city in the world. Buenos Aires stands alone, a sprawling metropolis of over 12 million, located well below the Equator (closer to Antarctica, in fact) at the upper-east quadrant of Argentina.
Anyone who has seen the stage or movie version of "Evita" has some small idea of the recent colorful history of the city. Buenos Aires (which, roughly translated, means "fresh air") was founded originally in 1536, but the Spaniards sent to colonize the mouth of the Rio de la Plata were forced away by the native indigenous population. A second, more successful attempt was made in 1580, and it wasn't until the early 1800's that the city and then the country emancipated itself from the Spanish crown, becoming the Republic of Argentina.
One might think that planning by the French, buildings by the Spanish and statuary by the Italians would lend a schizophrenic air to this sprawling capital, but it doesn't. The populace is an open, cosmopolitan melting pot of European and South American cultures (fully half of Buenos Aires' citizenry are of Italian descent).
"Portenos" -- as Buenos Aires residents are called, in honor of the port city they call home -- are a proud lot, as well they should be. More than anywhere else in this large country, Buenos Aires felt the effects of years of 2,000-plus percent inflation, and when the Argentine economy collapsed in 2001, the portenos took the opportunity to make lemonade out of the lemons they were dealt. In the tourism sector alone, the plucky folk single-handedly rose above; displaced hotel and restaurant workers, facing unemployment, formed collectives to purchase and run their places of business. The devaluation of the Argentine peso made a visit to the city appealing, and tourism thrived.
Oddly enough, this very resourcefulness created a sort of double-edged sword. While most of the city's goods and services remain a tremendous bargain for visitors from Europe or North America, the prices of hotel rooms and tourist-oriented restaurants have soared as visitors flock to the now very affordable city. Still, compared to other world-class cities -- New York, Rome, London, Paris -- a stay in Buenos Aires is a bargain. The only problem is that once you visit, you'll want to return ... again and again.
Ultimately, it isn't the architecture you'll be drawn back to, the acres and acres of the city set aside for woods and parks, the fabulous meals of traditional grilled meats, or the hearty Argentine wine. What will entice you is the Latin sizzle, the soul of the portenos, and the genuine warmth and humor of the people you'll meet. It will be the automatic camaraderie you feel at a sidewalk cafe (even if you don't speak Spanish), the thrill you get from watching a couple performing a tango on a San Telmo street corner, the smile of a child wearing a Boca Juniors T-shirt. Maybe you'll be privileged to be offered a sip of yerba tea from a stranger's mate (pronounced mah-tay) cup, a social tradition in Argentina. Maybe a shopkeeper will point you in the direction of a fabulous tavern. And maybe you'll be taught the tango in an after-hours social club.
Whatever it is, we promise: you'll be hooked.
 What to See
 The Tango: No one should leave Buenos Aires without taking in a tango show. The Argentines have perfected this dance to its most seductive and romantic. Small, intimate tango bars can be found throughout the San Telmo and La Boca districts, but the larger shows frequented by tourists at places such as La Ventana, Casa Blanca, Senor Tango or El Viejo Almacen, are also wonderful spectacles. If you are smitten and want to learn the dance, spots such as Club Almagro and La Estrella offer lessons, guaranteed to be a fun experience.
Recoleta: The city's swankest neighborhood is lined with handsome apartment buildings as well as fine shops, art galleries and restaurants. It grew up around the Recoleta Cemetery, where the ancestors of the city's aristocracy are buried. Begun in 1822, this amazing cemetery is a virtual crypt city of tall and elaborate tombs and mausoleums covering four square blocks, and is one of the city's most visited attractions. The monument most people seek out is the simple dark marble crypt belonging to Eva Peron, the wife of the late dictator Juan Peron and the heroine of the city's working class because she was one of their own before her rise to power. Ironically, she rests surrounded by the very families who once despised her lower-class origins.
Plaza de Mayo: The city's stately historic center includes the Metropolitan Cathedral, dating to the 18th century, and a host of stately buildings including the Casa Rosada, the pink palace where Eva Peron addressed adoring crowds from the balcony. The May Pyramid, guarded by tall palm trees in the center of the square, commemorates the 1810 revolution.
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