The Big Bang

...And one day there was Buenos Aires. Stoic there, waiting, along the Rio Plata, strategically located right along your path of travels. You thought to wonder, the frequency with which reputations live up to their titles. Deliberating over the footwork of Tango or the verticalness of Obelisco, you arrived. You saw the masses of travelers line the streets of San Telmo on Sunday afternoons. You saw a tango show, right? But you are traveling along a different path, more consumed with the habits of old Portenos, sitting street side, or in a cafe. You want to follow your nose, and hound dog your way amidst the hidden streets and the places behind closed doors. Smell your way through Capital Federal, or touch, or hear, or you know the others, either way, the city lacks neither art nor culture, nor sport or politik. Whatever you want to put in the pot, Buenos Aires will cook it up all spicy like.
Now, as this marks number one, for the SAE blog, it seems proper to start at the beginning. Which means, the entry point, the "where are you from, how long have you been traveling, I just got to Buenos Aires" beginning. One thing a recent arrival might gather about this city, is just how long it goes. In fact, it doesn't seem to stop. Necessarily, and quite wonderfully, public transport in Capital Federal is quite regular, quite vast, and generally effective. Between the subte and colectivos one can get just about anywhere they intend to go. To adequately traverse the labyrinths of public transit, find el Guia"t" (for around 8 pesos you will get a city map guide complete with each and every bus, its rout and locations-in pocket or notebook size). Such vastness adds the sort of dilemma children often find themselvs in candy shops, so my fellow children, where to go? True to word you will find the "authentic" locations (or whatever that word means these days) but the idea is to discover Buenos Aires, and not the all inclusive paid vacation. So, leaving your destinations up to yourself (or the binders and leaflets and endless suggestions here at SAE), walk the streets, the collectivos, the parks, the cafes, but remember to keep one thing in mind, the goal is to uncover that special place hidden behind the facade. So when you find it, love it and cherish it, be that respectable traveler you call yourself. Buenos Aires is full of Argentinians, full of Latino and European culture, when you find your little piece, share it, but not so much it is lost of the reason you went there to begin with.
That truly is the mission of an independent traveler: to discover, to see, to participate, and to keep intact what wonders have been untapped. Remember this city will offer you everything you could possibly want, but be mindful that you are privileged for that opportunity, and many Portenos do not have the all night party lifestyle the place is so well known for. Life here is hard, and it is beautiful. The SAE blog will in that vain provide you with little bubbles to hold gently in your hand, or to pop, just know which is which, and you will be fine.
-elia