Been down here 3 months and got beat-up & mugged

[gouchobob]

I'm sorry for what happened to you. But really, how many warnings do people need about this area? Read any travel guide and the same thing is said about La Boca. This is the third story I've heard about people getting beaten and mugged in a year.

Last year, I met a group of young women who were here doing internships, and I warned them about La Boca. They just rolled their eyes and said, "Oh yeah, we'll be fine." They took the bus there with some Brazilian tourists. Whatddya know, they get off the bus, and all of them get attacked. The other story is pretty much the same.

I would come to Buenos Aires, CF. It's such a wonderful city. But take the warnings seriously. People in the guidebooks and here aren't just saying "Be careful!" to amuse themselves.

Sorry it happened but Bradyhale is correct. Its just human nature for people not to listen. It reminds me of parents warning their children not to play near the cactus in Arizona. The children rarely heed the advice and sooner or later fall into a patch. However, once they have fallen in and suffer the consequences the parents don't have to remind them again.

 

[Hellek]

I think some of the people here are way to negative. Yes, there is a lot of crime in BsAs. Nevertheless, I think the majority here is able of enjoying life and does not suffer THAT much from crime. I think that the couple who created this thread had quite a bit of bad luck for that to actually happen. We all know that Boca is dangerous, but we all know as well that it is a major tourist hot spot and most of the tourists don't suffer anything. I lived in Avellaneda/Gerli for 10 months, which is way worse than Boca and never suffered any assault there (I was robbed in Lanús though). It is all about taking care, and of course, luck.

PS: Concerning province, Bahia Blanca, etc. it all depends where you live. I have a friend who lives in the west part of Bahia Blanca and her problems are not that different from those people have around capital. Generally, all over the world, life away from the big cities is slower, safer and more boring (the world is big though, so there will be exceptions to that rule). In the same way I think that my home town, Salzburg (Austria) might feel like paradise when I'll be retired in 40+ years for being a quiet and beautiful city, but all my youth I almost hated it because nothing happens there.

 

[Liam3494]

I think some of the people here are way to negative. Yes, there is a lot of crime in BsAs. Nevertheless, I think the majority here is able of enjoying life and does not suffer THAT much from crime. I think that the couple who created this thread had quite a bit of bad luck for that to actually happen. We all know that Boca is dangerous, but we all know as well that it is a major tourist hot spot and most of the tourists don't suffer anything. I lived in Avellaneda/Gerli for 10 months, which is way worse than Boca and never suffered any assault there (I was robbed in Lanús though). It is all about taking care, and of course, luck.

Just want to sympathise with the OP about what happened on Sunday, but I do agree with Hellek about the negativity of some, Steve especially -

I would take issue with Hellek's comment about Avellaneda. I have lived here for nearly two years now, and find it a perfectly safe place to live, work, go to school etc. Maybe it's because it is so far off the Tourist Trail, there are no "Tourist Type" robberies, i.e. nobody comes here, nothing to see... Not saying there isn't any crime, but it certainly is NOT "way worse" than Boca by any stretch of the imagination..... just sticking up for my barrio ....

 

[nikad]

For some weird reason most of these posts about robberies, mugging etc are by people that have just joined and never ever post again. I find it very strange honestly.

 

[jayjane]

I don't find it that strange. There are probably a lot of people that lurk around without joining until something compels them to. An experience like this makes one want to act. I think it probably helps to feel like you've warned someone else. It is in our nature to share negative experiences.

Another example is that I never write product reviews of things I like or, at least I rarely do. On several occasions though I have felt ripped off by a company and I immediately felt like I should tell others not to purchase with them.

 

[texxaslonghorn]

Something like this surely sours you on BA. I'd be willing to bet that if I got attacked a short time after arriving in a new city (foreign or not), I would want to go straight home.

But I sincerely hope that the OP and her boyfriend stay. As many have said, there are tons of wonderful things about the city. Try to keep your heads up.

 

[sesamosinsal]

I think some of the people here are way to negative. Yes, there is a lot of crime in BsAs. Nevertheless, I think the majority here is able of enjoying life and does not suffer THAT much from crime. I think that the couple who created this thread had quite a bit of bad luck for that to actually happen. We all know that Boca is dangerous, but we all know as well that it is a major tourist hot spot and most of the tourists don't suffer anything. I lived in Avellaneda/Gerli for 10 months, which is way worse than Boca and never suffered any assault there (I was robbed in Lanús though). It is all about taking care, and of course, luck.

Well, judging the crime situation here is tough -- I'll give you that. I think the amount of crime here tends to be a pretty subjective calculation. But regarding La Boca, the general consensus for several years has been that it's not safe to walk around the area and that taxis are recommended to go there and to return. There are numerous posts on TripAdvisor and elsewhere that alert people about violent attacks on the street in broad daylight. It seems to be fairly consistent, and it would be shocking if similar attacks occurred in broad daylight in Recoleta, Palermo, Caballito, etc. I'm not saying I'd ever rule out the possibility, but La Boca is a different animal.

Most tourists probably don't have any problems because they follow the advice that is in every major guidebook about Buenos Aires.

 

[PhilipDT]

I had a taxi refuse to take me to patagonia sur last week, at night, because it was in la boca. Had to call a remis. Never been to la boca between dusk or dawn before that and trust me, it didn't look like a place I'd like to hang out.

I have walked a couple times through la boca during broad daylight without a problem, guess I just got lucky. I'll definitely be looking over my shoulder more often if I'm there again.

 

[mobri1130]

I hope this story will stop people from going to La Boca. It's just a tourist trap!

While I don't disagree that La Boca can be a tourist trap, there are two very important museums there: Museo Benito Quinquela Martin and PROA. Both are worth the trip down there (via taxi) and any visit to BA for art lovers would be incomplete without a stop there.

 

[dr__dawggy]

Just want to sympathise with the OP about what happened on Sunday, but I do agree with Hellek about the negativity of some, Steve especially -

I would take issue with Hellek's comment about Avellaneda. I have lived here for nearly two years now, and find it a perfectly safe place to live, work, go to school etc. Maybe it's because it is so far off the Tourist Trail, there are no "Tourist Type" robberies, i.e. nobody comes here, nothing to see... Not saying there isn't any crime, but it certainly is NOT "way worse" than Boca by any stretch of the imagination..... just sticking up for my barrio ....

I have a good friend who lives in Avellaneda/Wilde. She tells me the same thing. But I still feel a little nervous when I ride bus number 17 or 10 down that way. Probably because of preconceived bias on my part. However, I will at least go to Avellaneda at night...I wouldn't even consider going to Boca, so I guess I agree with you that it is not way worse than Boca...in fact, I would say way better.