Time Out Buenos Aires (Time Out Guides)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 288 pages
• Published by: Time Out
• Edition: 4th Edition July 28, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1846700582
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1846700583
• Book Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 12.8 ounces

Product Review
"* "I am intensely loyal to the Time Out guides. Nightlife, good inespensive restaurants, the best shopping, insider tips - there really is no other book that's as good." - Laura Begley, Travel & Leisure (US)" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Sprawling and strange, magical and melancholy, continually veering between triumph and disaster, Buenos Aires is an irresistible destination. Written entirely by residents, Time Out Buenos Aires casts a cool, critical eye on the places, people, and culture that have made this metropolis great and the contemporary trends that are conspiring to make it greater still. Bypassing the "Paris of South America" clichés, this guide cuts through the confusing jumble of influences that is Buenos Aires’ trademark. The book sharply profiles century-old cafés and world-famous steak houses; word-of-mouth bars and back-street bistros; late-night tango salons and all-night clubs; prestigious cultural landmarks and improvised warehouse galleries. Candid, current, detailed, and informative, Time Out Buenos Aires is the perfect companion for visitors both new and seasoned.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Time Out Buenos Aires 1 (Time Out Guides) (Paperback) I packed this guide along with the Lonely Planet Buenos Aires guide on a recent trip (year end 2001-2002) after a ten-plus year absence. The city is quite different from what I remember, and this Time Out guide is much better than the Lonely Planet guide at pinpointing the recent changes. I used both because they cater to the younger, more budget-oriented and culturally hip set, and though I am no longer so young and certainly don't need to be budget-oriented, I want the most culturally attuned guides possible because that is the one thing that has increased along with age and resources. Generally I respect Lonely Planet's country and city guides for providing that sort of info (places to stay, eat at, visit, shop, etc.), but this time I was let down. I have also used Time Out city guides many times before and they are usually reliable on good places to check out, especially if you are into good food, bars and cafes, the party scene, the architectural and culture aspects, and daytrips from your main destination. The Buenos Aires version of this series is an excellent example. I was in Argentina during a critical and turbulent moment, with world-newsworthy events happening every day I was there, so one would expect a number of disjunctions between travel guide description and on-the-scene street reality, and there were certainly some (mainly in the form of places that are supposed to be packed and lively being much less so due to the general economic problems affecting the locals). I went to a number of restaurants and bars and cafes and clubs highlighted by the guide, and stayed at some of the hotels most recommended. All were wonderful, and from my discussions with many locals (including those I would consider to be the most informed about these things, journalists of all ages), the places that they recommended meshed well with the places in the guide. I stayed at Hotel Castelar, then NH Jousten. I dined/drank at places such as Abril San Telmo, Milion, Divino, El Federal. I highly recommend a visit to the El Ateneo bookstore (a converted theatre), an English-language tour of the opera house teatro Colon, a walk along the financially-doomed waterfront development Puerto Madero, the bars and cafes in Palermo Viejo and San Telmo, a quiet walk around some of the leafy residential areas such as Belgrano, a visit to MALBA, the fabulously airy and glassy new modern art temple. And for a bit of touristy stuff, check out a tango dance show. Never mind that most of the younger (i.e. under age 45) locals appears not to be interested in tango (it's an old thing for them); it's the (generally older, but if you can't enjoy it at age 25 your mind's too old)) foreigner's gain of a wonderful art form. I cannot say the same for MOST of the places recommended by the Lonely Planet guide. Granted, BA is a large city and there are tons of alternatives, but I hit practically every interesting neighborhood and could've come up with better choices than LP's guide on almost every street, whereas Time Out definitely pointed me to the creme. I caution those who are going to visit BA post January 2002: the economic conditions are deterioating, so prices will undoubtedly be quite different, though probably favoring the dollar-carrying traveler. The infrastructure is great, so you'll be getting near-first-world experience for low prices. Of course, inflation may be on the horizon ... I would suggest going online and reading some of the local papers online to get a sense of the situation. I do have a minor quibble with the guide -- the maps. This is one area where LP really excels, in combining on one map information about places to stay, eat, visit, etc. The Time Out maps are just maps, with no annotations, so one has to constantly flip back and forth. My suggestion: spend a little extra on the book's production and come up with more pages of such annotated maps.