It appears the "posh" section of Retiro is not as safe as it is
upscale. A similar incident occurred in December of 2007 on Arenales
near 9 de julio at about 9 in the evening. Two elderly Argentine men
were returning to their apartment from a nearby cafe. As they unlocked
the front door,they were pushed from behind and into the foyer of their
apartment building. The apartment was robbed and one of the men died
that night from a blow to the head. This area is closer to villa de
miseria 31 than most realize, but the perps could have come from almost
anywhere. I live on Arenales in a much busier section of Recoleta (a
lot more pedestrian and auto traffic), but I am still very
cautious...with good reason.
In April (2008), while I was out of the country, two "normal" looking men
approached two girls (residents) of my apartment building as they were returning
home late at night. They told the girls they were there to see the
Yankee who lived on the fourth floor. The girls let them enter, and the
men pulled knives at the lift. Muggers and thieves don't always look like
thugs...or tell the truth. Fortunately, the girls were not hurt. They
didn't really have anything worth stealing, but the perps said they had a
van waiting outside and had looked through the keyhole of my apartment.
The suggestion to carry some currency in a shoe is good.
Perhaps a
spare key as well, if not a full set in a money belt at the waist or
ankle "hideaway". That would save a lot of trouble if your keys are taken. Since
muggers take keys, don't carry anything with your address, either. A
photocopy of my passport and my insurance card with emergency phone
numbers (locksmith) is all I carry, along with a minimum of cash. I
also try to be aware of who is behind me as I walk
through the streets, but a surprise attack is always possible from a
recessed building entryway, and they are everywhere. I always check in
both directions as I approach the front door of my apartment building, especially late at night.
If someone I don't recognize is loitering in front of the
door, I wait
at the corner where there is a 24 hour kiosko/drugstore until they go in or are met by someone from inside...before getting too
close.
Recently, in Avellaneda, my girlfriend had her shoulder bag stolen by a
man on a motorcycle. When she would not let go of the strap, saying
NO, he cut it with a knife, saying YES. It looked like a computer bag,
but did not contain a computer. Today in the street I say a young man
with a computer style bag that was unzipped, revealing the plastic rings of spiral notebooks. Perhaps he was sending a "not worth stealing"
message. I've stopped wearing my leather jacket on the subway and when
someone in the street asks me for the time, I shrug in castellano and
say "No se. No tengo reloj." with my best accent. I never show a watch, and I wear an inexpensive one in any case.
