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The Draw
• Beef and other local ingredients, melded in a fusion of European styles by star chefs to create one of the world’s best cuisines
• South America’s finest hotels, along with great shopping for designer clothes, leather goods and antiques
• Parisian-style architecture on wide tree-lined boulevards, and a population that stays out in cafes, clubs and bars until the sun comes up over the Rio de la Plata river
The Scene
Porteños, as the locals are known, don’t seem to know what continent they’re on. The map says South America, but the culture, architecture and local attitude are distinctly Mediterranean. A strong Italian influence on the outlook, rhythm of language and even hand gestures is readily apparent. Young Argentines, male and female, take pride in their appearance, and you’d almost imagine most of the people you’re seeing on Avenida 9 de Julio or in Palermo Soho just got off a Milan runway. Still, good food rules, with steak king of the plate. Argentines are rapidly rebounding from the country’s 2001 economic collapse, and the vibrant city of Buenos Aires is now awash in creativity and exciting entrepreneurial endeavors. To know the new chic boutiques, designer galleries and trendy dining spots, like those run by celebrity chefs Fernando Trocca and German Martitegui, is to know the new “B.A.”
To Be Seen
• Puerto Madero. Once an abandoned port district, this rapidly developing industrial area is alive with restaurants and nightlife. The anchor is the new Philippe Starck-designed Faena Hotel, where the label-conscious come to outdo each other Argentine-style.
• San Telmo. Can a neighborhood be sensual? When you dream of the Buenos Aires of old, you think of the gently decayed streets and balconied buildings of this part of town. Visit this neighborhood -- famous for tango and antique shopping -- at sunset, when the facades glow gold.
• Palermo Viejo. Whether you’re looking for the latest local fashion or the latest designer eatery, this neighborhood is the place. Divided into Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, it’s where the young and the hip come on nights and weekends. Low-rise, ornate stucco houses from the turn of the last century, cobblestone streets and leafy oak trees give a village charm to the high-glamour quotient.
• Recoleta. When they call Buenos Aires the Paris of South America, this area is what they’re talking about. Shop on Avenida Alvear, bringing your booty back to your suite at the Alvear Palace Hotel. Don’t forget to pay your respects in nearby Recoleta Cemetery to Evita, or Eva María Duarte de Perón, the politically powerful (and legendary) second wife of Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón, who governed from 1946 to 1952.
For The VIP
• Don’t just drink the wine, immerse yourself in it at the Four Seasons health spa, where wine (or vinotherapy) facials and massages are the specialties. Even better, don’t return to your hotel room -- rent out the onsite mansion and have the place to yourself like Madonna, Michael Jackson and other stars do.
• November is polo championship season. Hobnob with British royalty, such as Dutchess Fergie, at the Campo de Polo, off Avenida Libertador. The titled British here seem to forget Argentina and the United Kingdom ever had a war with each other.
• The Alvear Palace Hotel, which regularly ranks as the top hotel in South America, has a wine-tasting program (by appointment only) with Buenos Aires’ best sommeliers, held in an intimate dining room in the cellar of its French restaurant. Ask about the country’s well-known varietals, Malbecs and Torrontes.
Overrated
La Boca. The brightly painted buildings in Buenos Aires’ historical Little Italy might be featured in all the tourist brochures, but these days the neighborhood offers nothing but overpriced souvenirs and lousy food.
Underrated
Abasto and Once. Buenos Aires has one of the world’s largest Jewish populations, and these neighborhoods were the first stop for refugees from Europe and elsewhere. Jewish and Middle Eastern restaurants and grocers abound, with kosher food so good and creative it almost feels sinful that so few people know about it.
Don’t Miss
San Telmo Antique and Tango Fair. Sundays only, the streets around Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo are full of antique vendors, crafts and other assorted only-in-Argentina wares. Check out the live tango shows, especially those with the tall, mysterious dancer El Indio, the star of the Plaza.
When To Go
October and November, the beginning of Argentina’s spring, promise the best weather and the blossoming of the city’s purple-flowered jacaranda trees. Summers, which last from December to February, can be oppressively hot. It is also when many locals flee to beach resorts. July and August can be cold and rainy. There’s great weather and fewer crowds in late March and April, the beginning of fall.
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