BA in Smithsonian Magazine (June '09)

[Ries]

- extrememly dirty. Garbage everywhere. Polluted.
- very loud!! The buses are especially noisy, its a pretty chaotic city.
- low wages, and it is super expensive here (unless you´re here with saved money, or are paid for a job in dollars).
- a general lack of respect, of one person for another
- inflation (ouch!!)
-shortage of change (soon to change)
- worst of all, bad government. This country has tons of potential, but until they get a great leader, they will continue with hard times.

I lived in Los Angeles for about 10 years, and, except for the shortage of change part, you could be describing LA.

In Buenos Aires, they take away my garbage every night.
In LA, there are layers of plastic bags stuck to every fence, empty plastic bottles and trash everywhere.
The pollution is as bad, if not worse.
You aint heard noisy, til you lived one block from the Santa Monica Freeway, and one thing almost absent from Buenos Aires are car stereos that shake the ground from a block away.
Low wages- the range of rich to poor is much bigger in LA- with a huge population of homeless people, mentally ill, and alcoholics walking the streets, while millionaires drive by in their Ferraris, Rolls Royces, and Bugattis. A BMW in LA is considered an economy car, in some circles, while other people ride buses for 3 hours to get to work.
A starter house, 2 or 3 hours out, is around $400,000 US.

Bad government- dont get me started. One word- Arnold.

Buenos Aires has its problems, and they look mighty big thru a magnifying glass, but compared to a lot of places, its an easy city to live.