Buenos Aires — NOT only am I not a shopper, I am \o7so\f7 not a shopper. But on my recent trip to Buenos Aires, it just made \o7so\f7 much sense.
There were three main draws: first, price. I quickly realized that I would lose money by not shopping here, what with trendy suede sneakers for $20, dress shirts and casual pants for less than $25 and antiques, housewares and fashions by young local designers for a fraction of what they would be stateside.
Chalk it up to the exchange rate. The Argentine peso used to be pegged one to one with the U.S. dollar, but the peso dropped after Argentina's economic collapse of 2001. Although the peso has risen (about 3 pesos to the dollar compared with 4), local prices have stayed constant, meaning that Buenos Aires remains a value for Americans.
Meals in Argentina's signature \o7parrilla\f7 (grill) restaurants top out at about $9, including wine. Artful, midrange hotels run around $80 per night, a taxi across town costs about $4, and the subway costs about 23 cents a ride.
Second, Argentines dress to the nines. Wear shorts and sneakers and you're sure to look, well, ridiculous. So, I had to get busy.
Third, Buenos Aires has unique ways to shop. I quickly grew weary of the better-known shopping districts. The pedestrian street Calle Florida was a jostling experience with tourists being given handbills every few steps. Nearby, I loved the Beaux Arts design, handsome murals and high-end clientele of the Galerias Pacifico mall, but I was less enthusiastic about the number of boutiques you could just as easily find in any big U.S. city or even at the outlet mall in Cabazon: Christian Dior, Cacharel, Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, Sony and Timberland among them.
Instead, I focused on three neighborhoods that offered a bit of local culture along with the shopping: a giant street market, a stylish design center and bars that were transformed into bazaars during the day. Go on a Sunday to see them all in full swing.
The result: Buenos Aires turned out to be something like a museum with benefits, and my shopping friends found it irresistible.
San Telmo
San Telmo calls itself the birthplace of Buenos Aires and remains its most prepossessing neighborhood; squint and you might think you're in Rome. Many of the grand buildings began as aristocratic homes during Argentina's colonial period, but a late 19th century yellow fever epidemic led to an exodus, and San Telmo became largely tenement housing.
