Jaunted - ar

Where The New Luv Guv Should Have Gone in Buenos Aires

JetSetCD — 2009-06-25T13:50:13-05:00

What a day yesterday was for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who after having been "missing" for five days, turned up deplaning after a flight back from Buenos Aires in Argentina and not the Appalachian Mountains, as his staff was lead to believe. Within hours of being caught on arrival, the Governor admitted to carrying on an affair while away in Argentina and resigned as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

So aside from knocking boots with a hottie South American woman, what was the Governor up to in Buenos Aires? Five days can't all be spent in bed, and so we've compiled our guide to enjoying Buenos Aires in Sanford style:

Stay: Hotel 1555 Malabia House
As BA's first design Bed & Breakfast, the focus is on intimate interiors, garden spaces, and the historic neighborhood. This are, the Palermo district, is also where Sanford's mistress' apartment is located, so you're just around the corner from the luv guv's little love nest.

Nightly rates here average $170 for a room with private balcony; it's perfect for tawdry kisses and nighttime whisperings like "My heart cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch of your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul." We're sure Sanford would have felt right at home chillin the balcony as if he were back on a porch in South Carolina.

Little Italy, Southern Hemisphere Style

BS — 2009-05-01T11:56:47-05:00

Hey, Little Italys aren't just for the states.

More than 1/3 of Argentina's population is of Italian descent, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that one of the continent's oldest Italian nabes is found in Buenos Aires.

The main draw of "La Boca" is the scenery, particularly the brightly-painted houses along Caminito, the main street that's packed with artists, tango dancers and all kinds of hawkers every evening. The strip elicits the same complaints as Manhattan's Little Italy—too noisy, full of chintzy souvenirs and too many tourists—but a little further into La Boca, there are some genuine Italian-Argentinean haunts to be found.

This Weekend in the World: Anzac Day and Book Fairs Galore

JetSetCD — 2009-04-24T16:26:43-05:00

· Buenos Aires: Beginning this weekend in the La Rural exhibition complex, the Feria Internacional del Libro de Buenos Aires brings over 1 million people together for the Spanish-speaking world's largest literature festival and book fair. Whether you're in the market to beef up your home library, tracking down signatures of your favorite authors or taking in a free lecture, the Feria is fun for all. Fluency in Spanish is of course highly recommended, but then we're sure they'll have language instruction for sale as well. Check out the full schedule for the fair, which runs until May 11, at its website.

Blessing the Wine in Mendoza

egw — 2009-02-25T15:31:11-05:00

As the Northern Hemisphere prepares for the arrival of spring, parts Southern await the harvest. The vines just starting to bud here are ripe for the picking in Argentina, where the annual Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia in Mendoza celebrates those all-important first fruits.

Anytime is a good time to visit Mendoza's back-country wineries; it's basically the Napa Valley of South America. But during the fiesta nacional, which begins Saturday, the vines are blessed in the Benedicion de las frutas, and a queen of the vines is elected from among the local lovelies. And don't miss the Carrusel Vendimial, a combination dance and parade that fills the streets on March 7.

Oh yeah, and if you don't like all that pageantry, there's also plenty of wine available. We hear.

Related Stories:
· Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia schedule [Mendoza.gov.ar]
· Active Travel: Horsing Around on Beautiful Back Roads [Jaunted]
· Wine Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dr Vino]

Where to Beef in Buenos Aires: Soberbia 22

EricRosen — 2009-02-20T13:24:35-05:00

Dining options abound in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, but most restaurants are good old-fashioned parrillas, or grills, where you’ll find menus featuring steak, steak, and more steak. Folks in Buenos Aires really love meat. Soberbia 22 is no exception, but a few things set it apart from the...herd.

First, it's not too difficult to get a reservation, or even just walk in and get a table, unlike some of the better known steakhouses in the city, like Caba�a Las Lilas in Puerto Madero, or La Cabrera in Palermo Viejo.

You won’t have to contend with a pack of tourists, either, since Soberbia 22 is more of a neighborhood place popular with the residents of leafy Palermo Hollywood, with the low prices to match. That’s right, you can get a whole steak dinner, including a glass of wine, salad, appetizer and dessert for under $20 by our last check.

Argentina Entry Fee: Don't Call It a Visa

pbb — 2008-10-09T15:30:42-05:00

Last month, we were worried that the fallout from this Hugo Chavez speech might lead to new fees for American tourists brave enough to travel to Venezuela. But instead it's Argentina that's planning to levy an entry fee on Americans, Australians, Canadians and others, starting January 1.

Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo says charging foreign nationals $134 upon their entry into Argentina is payback for the visa fee his people have to pay when heading to other countries:

We feel that it's an injustice that an Argentine goes to the United States and has to pay $134 for a visa.

For what it's worth, this doesn't mean visitors have to actually apply for a visa; the charge, which covers you for 10 years, is simply a "fee of reciprocity" that will ostensibly go toward "modernizing immigration posts throughout the country."

Related Stories:
· The New Tax on Tourists [La Nacion, in Spanish, via]
· Election Day in Argentina [Jaunted]

[Photo of Buenos Aires' Immigration Museum: Wikimedia]

Americans Abroad Travel: Election Day in Argentina

pbb — 2008-10-08T13:45:41-05:00

Jaunted editor Paul Brady has been hiding out in Buenos Aires and won't be back to vote in the US on November 4. Instead of just mailing in an absentee ballot, he went to the embassy for today's Voting Party...

This city is all about standing around waiting for stuff. There are lines at the bakery, lines outside the bank to use the ATM, lines at the post office, lines like you could never imagine at bus stops. So I shouldn't have been surprised when I showed up for today's democracy fest at the US embassy and there was a queue of Americans stretching way down Avenida Colombia.

At least those of us waiting to get in could enjoy the tunes from the jazz combo that Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne hired to play in the courtyard while we made small talk about our hometowns, our impressions of Argentina and why in God's name this was taking so long.