English writer ready for battle

[BenH]

Hi everyone,

Like others a huge thank you for the footsteps I've been walking in this last few days visiting the forum; I now have a handle on accommodation, yoga, pilates, cycling, personal trainers, socialising, dating, learning Spanish, budgets and more; crowd power, I just love it.

There are some things where if anyone has thoughts I'd love to hear:

I'm coming in October to finish one book (tweens) and complete the first draft of another (adult); as such I'm often writing 5/6 hours 5/6 days a week and my home environment is important - I need to be somewhere I like, somewhere that's a home, been loved to be loved, not one of these laminated floor rectangles with a black leather sofa and an ikea rampage like I'm seeing with every agency. Are there areas people would recommend me looking for quality spacious accommodation (no paper-thin walled new builds), with light and air, outdoor space - where there's good stuff outside the door (or at least not far from nightlife etc, because when i'm not writing I like to be out meeting people, listening, learning, watching). Is San Telmo's connection to artists, writers etc still current, or is that trading on the past? Many have said about getting a place for a few weeks from online and then search when there - I am seeing one in a 100 I'd be interested in at my price point - would people recommend against jumping from here? My accommodation budget is reasonable US$1500/month for a one bed (after discount for taking six months), I don't mind streetwise areas (I've lived in South Africa and Harlem among others) but the flip is I hate living somewhere where I have to heavily watch what I wear all the time (I'm stubborn about being me - as many of us are).

One thing that concerns me a bit is that I like women's company, I was brought up by 20 of them (and some men), it's my natural space - it sounds like this might be trouble in BA unless I join 360 clubs. Am I going to have to tread delicately (a learning experience) - I know culturally I may be in for a shock and that perhaps my behaviours/attitude might be equally so for locals (not that they are weird but unusual in Latin males). Is it better with the younger generation, say 20's early 30's (I have friends from every age group)?

A few random questions for anyone inclined who has knowledge:

1) Are there good house, tech house, techno nights? (I love all music but...)
2) Can you get the South African brand Environ skincare products in BA?
3) How easy is it to get out of the city to beaches etc for the weekends?
4) If I'm living a little away from Palermo (say), what are taxis going to be costing me - what's a rough cost per mile/km in the evening? Is an average city hop going to be costing me US$5 or US$15?
5) I love photography and have a small Canon G11, anyone a member of a photography groups?
6) Are there good areas/cafes for political debate, learning, meeting interesting and challenging views?
7) Is there a centre/area for the local fashion industry?

Thanks for all previous and future posts, truly a quality forum - made by its members.

Ben, who can't wait to experience BA

 

[fred mertz]

Boy, are you going to be for a surprise!!

 

[BenH]

Life Fred, is best lived in wonder

 

[mini]

Life Fred, is best lived in wonder

"Life, Fred, is best lived in wonder" but not in blindness.

It certainly is clear you are a writer! LOL.

The problem with "off the beaten path areas of the city is that there aren't so many furnished temp apartments in those areas. & when there are they tend to be cheap student places which I'm sure you won't find too "homey".

The type of place that you are looking for that is not the boxy laminate furniture type is few & far between & highly coveted. You are just going to have to put your nose to the grind stone when you get here.

Recently there was a really really nice apt in Abasto for rent from one of our members. I think her name was Heather. You should check if that is available for your dates.

ETA: Here is the apartment I mentioned. Heather G is the member name:
http://baexpats.org/apartment-rentals-roommates/9545-2br-apt-almagro-500us-month-bills.html
I'd move in there myself if I didn't have a place already. It's sweet & homey.

suerte!

 

[Ashley]

To answer your questions, your budget seems reasonable for long-term temporary accommodation but you will find it hard to find the type of place youre looking for - most tourist rentals are decorated pretty standardly...unless your budget is immense! Try byt Argentina or Craigslist for the most variety. If ambience is really important to you, you might even want to look at renting a room in someone's house - I think that's where youre more likely to find something more "lived in".
In my opinion, San Telmo really isn't that bohemian anymore. It's got some great old buildings but can also be a bit of a tourist trap. Places like Almagro or Congreso offer similar accommodation, more centrally located, for less money.
RE:
1) Probably - Argentines seem to be big on house - But its been at least 5 years since I've been to this type of club. Certainly then, it was attracting big name european djs.
2) doubtful/almost certainly not - Beauty products/cosmetics are thin on the ground here and variety is non-existent. You can get basic drug-store brands and a few French brands (at a 50% mark-up)...bring what you need.
3) Fairly easy
4) This really depends where you live. If you're in San Telmo, it'll probably cost around 20 pesos to get to Palermo or somewhere like that. If you live closer, probably around 10/15.
5) There should be loads of courses/groups you can join. Theres a photography museum/cafe in Chacarita on Rosetti and Federico Lacroze (more or less)
6) It's not 1920s Paris!..I guess you could find a group that meets in a cafe to debate but you'd have to really look for it. I wouldn't have thought that this kind of group would be more prevalent here than in any other capital city.
7) Buenos Aires Fashion is not what it was 5 years ago - I think most of the emerging designers have taken off! The main shopping streets are Santa Fe (Palermo) and Cabildo (Belgrano). Palermo Viejo has some over-priced highstreet stores, interspersed with some Argentine designer labels - I think that would be the closest there is to a fashion district.

Hope this helps!

 

[Eternalnewbie]

Re your #6. This city if filled with literary-style cafes, and most, outside the half-dozen obvious tourist haunts, seem to attract a regular group of people who know each other, and speak Spanish. It can be fun to try out a variety of the wonderful cafes here until you find a fit.

Meanwhile, there is an English-speaking writers group that meets regularly in a cafe -- every week, I think. I have never attended this group or been to this cafe, so I cannot speak for it directly. Here is a website about the group, and somewhere on the site there are directions to the cafe.

http://bawriters.wordpress.com/

 

[BenH]

Ashley - that's a fabulous reply, thank you. With 6) I didn't think there'd be an area par se - perhaps I was more thinking around the types of discussions that can be found; some countries, bars and cafe's can all be sports, others places there are wider interests of the mind. Thanks again.

 

[Eternalnewbie]

Ashley - that's a fabulous reply, thank you. With 6) I didn't think there'd be an area par se - perhaps I was more thinking around the types of discussions that can be found; some countries, bars and cafe's can all be sports, others places there are wider interests of the mind. Thanks again.

This is an artistic and literary city with a long history. It will take you maybe a week to scope out the areas that interest you. But it is worth noting that except for distinctly expat groups, like the one I mentioned previously, you will need to be very good in Spanish -- this is a Spanish-speaking country and it's arts scene (film, literature, painting, music) is a reflection of this linguistic culture.

English may be (reasonably) widely spoken among educated people, but the art world reflects the native language. If you are fluent, or at least conversant, in Spanish, you will have no trouble finding the environment you want. If you do not speak Spanish, you will be relegated to whatever you can find among the expats.

 

[BenH]

Eternal - makes perfect sense, all the more reason for me to drag my butt through lessons with purpose and by next year be able to join in - thanks for the writers group tip.

 

[HenryNisental]

If you want quiteness you could rent a waterfront home in the Tigre area.
You can commute by train to Retiro in 30 minutes, and you will live in a clean, safe area, surrounded by trees, rivers,boats, swimmers, etc.Henry