I love living in Belgrano. I am speaking of the part of Belgrano between Cabildo and Libertador...

Its peaceful here, quiet and safe.
There is Barrio Chino nearby for my exotic-cooking needs and my spicy dining desires. El Pobre Luis is a parilla that rivals La Cabrera, with not-so-long-a-wait. Cheaper alternatives lurk in every corner. My favourite Peruvian restaurant is here - Primavera Trujillana. Cafe de la Esquina and Cafe Jonathan serve my coffee and cider addictions...

Transport is plentiful - Barrancas takes you to Retiro, Zona Norte and Tigre; there are numerous bus routes for all the city; the Subte is not far.

So why do expats shun Belgrano? Those i know that live here find it hard to adapt to other places if forced to move or if they stay they find few reasons to leave...

I realise that Recoleta and Palermo have more fame and have appeal internationally. Personally i find Recoleta a little enclosed and over-priced; Palermo designed for the foreigner and lacking in that original Argentine feel.

I believe that a tranquil residential area like this, with all the services of a city deserves a little more attention. Maybe i am wrong, maybe Belgrano is being discovered... i just wanted to ask what everyone thought of my barrio...

Belgrano is a beautiful barrio with an incredible variety of differences all in the one neighbourhood. For me its the pulsating heart of Buenos Aires and also one of the cleanest areas of the Capital Federal.

Yes its true that most expats are not familiar with this barrio but once they know its hidden secrets they are hooked.

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My current real estate listings

If we didn't live in Recoleta we would probably live in Belgrano. Nice neighbourhood.
I love going to palermo to shop or to dine but to me it is too turisty to live. I especially hate it when people start speaking English to me (that only happens in Palermo). It makes me feel like my Spanish is not sufficient...
Belgrano has real nice houses, yes, I would not say no to that!!

I'm very comfortable in Belgrano and particularly like parts of Belgrano "R"; it's where I generally stay in Bs.As. On the other hand, had I the money, I might choose to buy in Barrio Norte.

I lived in Palermo for six months and then Recoleta for 33 months. I am now in Belgrano (actually just west of Congreso and two blocks south of Cabildo). As I walk to the southwest (into Nunez), the high rise apartments vanish, as does the traffic.

I am happier here than ever...and still only two blocks from the Congreso de Tucuman station of Linea D of the subte. It is almost always possible to get a seat when using the subway (rather important if headed to the other end of the line). I can walk to Barrio Chino in about fifteen minutes and can also take the train from there directly to Retiro (very convenient when going to migraciones).

The people working in the shops in Belgrano are noticeably more relaxed and friendly than in Recoleta, but perhaps that's due to the more tranquil (and breathable) atmosphere. There are far fewer shops that keep their doors locked during business hours here. Though there is a school next door to my building and my terraza is "open" to the echo chamber of the playground below, the sound of children playing (sometimes screaming) is far more preferable to the roar of screaming buses in Barrio Norte as well as the drunks whopping it up into the wee small hours, especially on (but not limited to) the weekends. At least the children are home at night and it is SO VERY QUIET (oops, please forgive me for shouting).

There are lots of great cafes and restaurants (some with white tablecloths) in Belgrano, including a Peruvian restaurant (Imperio del Sol at Amenabar 2409) that offers a 1/4 chicken dinner for $17 pesos. It is also very easy to find a plumber, electrician, flete or remis. For example, I bought a hot water heater on Mercado Libre one day, rode with the flete driver to pick it up the next morning, and had it installed that afternoon. The same plumber also fixed all the other problems in my apartment for a few hundred pesos (plus the cost of materials).

Living in Palermo and Recoleta were good experiences, but if I knew then (2006) what I know now, I would have settled in Belgrano in the first place and I would have bought a PH (as opposed to a "regular" apartment) as well.

There is no "why not Belgrano"! I know just as many people who live in Belgrano as live in Palermo & I work there once a week. Belgrano is lovely. We would have lived there but Palermo is closer to my husband's work & it was easier for me to find studio space in Palermo. For us it was just circumstance. But Belgrano is definitely a wonderful (and popular) barrio.

My impression was the Belgrano was more expensive than Palermo.

Are you referring to real estate prices or something else?

If you compare apartments by the square meter price, I think you will find Belgrano less expensive than Palermo. There are many individual homes in Belgrano, and they are also less expensive by the meter than the few casas to be found in Palermo.

Check out the listings for Belgrano and Nunez and compare them with Palermo. Here is the site I used to find my PH:

http://www.enbuenosaires.com/propiedades.html

Exactly, wouldn't it come in third behind Palermo and Recoleta for popularity among expats? Either way, it neighbours expat central and even with the reluctance of many foreign nationals there to explore beyond their confines, its hardly a secret.

Steve, I think you need a new compass.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you think I need a new compass. I moved to Belgrano after living in "expat central" for over three years and having walked extensively through the city. Given my personal preferences, I knew I wanted to be close to linea d of the subte and not on a bus route.

I recently returned to "expat central" for a few hours (without a compass). I didn't need to be reminded why I fled that part of the city, but the noise, exhaust fumes, and congestion served well to reinforce my decision to migrate to Belgrano.

For those expats who work there and don't wish to commute, living in "expat central" may be a necessity and of course some do prefer to live there. As a full time resident who does not have to work in that part of BA, I simply find it a far less desirable place to live than Belgrano or Nunez. There is no substitute for peace and quiet as well as blue sky and fresh air (while having all the amenities I need within a few blocks).