Boring expats

[qwerty]

3 beers, 1 Speed con Wodka and for 40 peso a bottle of New Age.

I am not a heavy drinker and normally when it's not fun I will probally just stop drinking and go home after a while

If money was a factor I would probally drink at home and only buy 1 or at most 2 drinks and I would go to places where there is no covercharge(again non-expat bars, most seem to have them)

 

[SaraSara]

Never thought beer could be cheaper than coffee. I'll consider switching addictions.

 

[Liam3494]

Beer in The Gibraltar works out at 2 ponts for 20 peso's for the good stuff, and comes in at I believe 7 peso a pint for Quilmes - During Happy hour. I'm off to a class this morning, in a cafe, and a coffee here is 15 peso.... And this is in Avellaneda, not the tourist centre.....

So the moral of this story, is sod caffeine, drink beer!

 

[syngirl]

The after office hours do pretty good, it was never a big thing with foreigners and it's kind of office-thing but now it seems there are even less foreigners

I think that most places are as crowded on a friday or saturday as they were 5,3 or 1 year ago. I just don't see a big change there

I can go out for something like 30-50 peso and probally spend around 80 to 100 if I really have a good time. I don't think that's all that expensive, if you go out with locals you quickly spend around the same they do and that's normally not a 3 digit figure.

The typical expat bar is probally more expensive but that's mainly because nobody spends money there.

How long have you been here? When I was arrived I was young and exciting I guess, lol, I went to After Office all the time and there were lots of foreigners. But this was when Opera Town was Opera Bay so that really dates me... haha.

But look, my husband and his friends also used to go out more, now they all have girlfriends so if they're getting together they're going to have an asado and play truco or pasarela or poker until 3 in the morning and then maybe the couple of them that are single (or just a%$holes) will go out to a club. When we go to friends for dinner we'll usually stay until about 3 - 3:30am but we don't usually then want to pay go to a boliche.

It's a stage in life that I think everyone goes through at some point -- when you realise that you only get 2 days off a week and if you're out until 5am then you're going to lose one of them. I'm also an insomniac so if I alter my sleep schedule that much at the weekend, I'm going to mess myself up for the week that follows.

The typical expat bars are more expensive because they usually have international alcohols on offer. If you want local Argentine vodka and a really bad hangover you can find that anywhere. But most people I know who have been overseas have realised drinking gasoline isn't too fun so they're going to shell out the 25-30 pesos for a proper drink.

For 30-50 pesos I take it you're not eating at a restaurant and you're probably on either beer or one of the 3 horrible drinks that they'll have on offer -- usually a local vodka & orange, Fernet & coke, which I hate, or Speed for a premium, and I hate Speed even more than I hate Fernet. I don't like any of those drinks actually because the beer is usually Quilmes which is gut-rotting, or Brahma which is even worse.

 

[JoeBlow]

Pretty much the only way to move those people is if you invite those people at home for a party and normally if there is a birthday party everybody shows up and if you propose other things you get pretty much ignored

This reminds me of the time I wanted to have a party when I first came to Argentina. I had been working for six months at a company in a town in Entre Ríos. I invited close to 20 people to come to my party; 0 showed up! Well, my one friend who I knew from before I came to Argentina showed up.

I know the thread is about going out, but I just remembered that little incident.

By the way I don't personally think the percentage of foreigners who "do things" is any higher or lower than that of locals.

 

[AlexfromLA]

lol,

someones having a mid life crisis.

 

[cruizes]

Interesting comments today. I am an American living in Mexico for the past 3 years. I have been complaining that it is no longer cheap to eat out or drink. I remember years ago how far the MX peso went. After reading these posts I think I will never complain again. I am visiting BA this weekend and hope to stay 3 to 4 months. However, that being said, if the restaurants and bars are that expensive and the food at the supermarkets are that expensive and the macho idiot drivers aim to drive you over as I read about this morning then I will probably cut my trip short and come back to the land of affordable eats and drinks (Dos Equis and Tecate $1.50) and stop complaining and enjoy my siestas! Sometimes you don't know how good you got it unless you don't have it any longer.I think the differenece between Mexico and Argentina is that in Argentina you always have to be viligant, look over shoulders for the pickpocket or crazy driver and in Mexico you just hope that you are not having dinner in the same restauant as cartals. That could create a problemo!

 

[sketchyblueeyes]

Hi all

I am exactly that type of person described in the beginning of the post, but I am not boring or unfun - its just that being new in a city is hard, especially when you don't meet friends in normal places like work because you work on your computer either at home or in coffee shops. Once you're not a student anymore, its a lot harder to meet new people and new expat friends. Especially when you move here for your bf or gf, its a lot less fun to just go alone to a bar that you hear expats hang out in, and meet a bunch of study abroad students who are like, 19 years old. And when you hear of an event for expats, sometimes its like oooh well i'd rather stay here and make dinner with the significant other than awkwardly bumble around a big group of people who may already know eachother, etc.

anyways - I have been in BA for a little under one month, I spend at least 6-10 hours a day on my laptop working for a company in the US, and I'm trying new things like classes etc to hopefully meet new nice people to be friends with. SO if you are a new nice person, feel free to invite me to things And if you meet people who are here for a bf or gf, invite them to things too! then there will be less sad, computer-attached expats.

 

[citygirl]

I am totally one of those people lately But honestly, for me, it has nothing to do with it being too expensive. I'm just over the bar scene. I did it to death in my early 20s and have zero interest in doing it anymore. Staying out late in a smokey bar, spending money to fill like shit and be chatted up by annoying people isn't my idea of fun anymore.

And I know I've mentioned before but bars/clubs are young here. no offense to all the 20-something people on here but I don't want to be in a bar filled with 20 years olds. (I'm sure they don't want to hang out with me either.)

So my "going out" these days usually involves dinner with friends, maybe a drink and then home. It's just a different expectation, I'm not looking to get drunk or pick someone up so a dinner or chilling out in someone's house suits me perfectly. And I find fun in other ways, pilates or the gym or walks in the city or brunch with friends - it's just not so much about the wild nights out anymore.

And yes, for many people - foreigners or locals, the financial issue is a big one. I know lots of people are cutting back on going out to save some money. And winter sucks anyway - not exactly motivating to go out when it's rainy and cold

 

[cindyze]

For all of you that are bored, you have until 2 August to visit MALBA and see the truly fabulous Robert Maplethorpe exhibition. The museum opens at 12noon Thursday thru Monday, Wednesday open until 9pm. Closed on Tuesday.