Great Story- Steve what do you say?

[HDM]

I don't think that Carolina was offering advice, I think she was trying to make a snide remark about someone she knows absolutely nothing about. I believe she was trying to imply that I am some naive rich guy whose positive experiences living in Buenos Aires are a result of the fact that I actually have no class and do not have real money; the implication being that she has both, and that is the source of her being constantly cheated and abused by the locals. That may be true. I will certainly not argue that I have much class, and I sure as hell don't have much money. But I am working to acquire both. I want to fit in here.

Oh, and I sure don't take it personally. This is cyberspace, we are nothing more than blinking pixels to one another.

 

[EMR]

I just do not get it, I mean good things and bad things happen all over the world, so why do people like Steve and Carolina try to make it the rule not the exception. Carolina, are you Steve's girlfriend?

Anyway, it is as simple as looking out for yourself as you would in any big city. I have never had an issue in BA and have found it really great, I am sure some have had bad experiences but in the end, if you feel so strongly about it in a negative way, leave, go live somewhere else where you do not hate the culture. You have that option as we are all free to do with our lives what we want. I do not get the strongly negative comments on the board on so many topics. I honestly believe that we all have our unique experiences and if yours have been so bad, just go somewhere else. Why stay and suffer?
I really am sorry that some people have experienced some bad things, I wish they did not, but man, the vile sometimes spewed here is unreal.

 

[HDM]

EMR. Exactly. Ditto.

miloshz. I live in Palermo Nuevo, and 98% of the time I spend here, or in one of the other Palermos, or Recoleta. Put me in a Villa Miseria and my tune would change. But then, who here lives in a Villa Miseria? When I lived in South Africa, I had a grand time, but then, I didn't live in Soweto. Doesn't this kind of thing sort of go without saying? Of course most of the people reading this live in the 1st world parts of this basically 3rd world city. We are ... at least I am ... only speaking about what I know, a reflection of my day to day living experiences here.

 

[EMR]

One more thought, I actually agree with HDM on the attitude thing. I am 40 and have traveled and conducted business all over the world. While there certainly are times when things happen (life is not perfect) my experiences have also been very positive everywhere. I agree with his take that attitude is important and you tend to get what you send out in terms of vibe and good will.

But then again, this is what can make the difference between success or failure in anything. Why do some people achieve and reach certain levels and others (those trying for the same thing, apples to apples) do not?

I think again the attitude they bring. Negativity brings negativity.

 

[HDM]

Just curious, and it's none of my business, but with a name like Milos, are you Czech or Slovak? I have lived in both Prague and Bratislava. In fact, although people think this is a bit nuts, Bratislava is one of my favorite cities in the world.

 

[HDM]

I just wondered.

Prague is infinitely more beautiful than Bratislava, which basically has a beautifully-restored old town center, with a leftover Commie fringe that is typically ugly. But I found Bratislava more livable, perhaps because there were far fewer foreigners, especially my fellow Americans, in Bratislava than in Prague.

I have passed through for brief periods some of the major cities of the old Yugoslavia -- Zagreb, Belgrade, and Ljubljana, to name the three most visited. But I certainly do not know these cities.

Thanks for answering my nosy question.

I am out of here anyway ... Saturday night, so I have to get out and see if I can get ripped off before midnight.

 

[cujodu]

Back to the original topic, sorry, the funny thing is I saw this exact same story on the local news about 2 months ago, but it was a bus driver at Retiro Bus Station. The amount was right at $30-something thousand, an elderly couple left on the bus and he returned it to them, the news crew interviewed him, etc. It just strikes me as odd, because I watch the news nearly every day (actually my partner does, I just listen and come and go) and I never heard of this. Is the validity of this story verifiable? Something smells fishy.

 

[Sleuth]

I've been here since August and don't have any personal negative experiences at all to relate. Everyone I've met has been friendly and welcoming to me as I've tried to assimilate into the culture as much as possible. Have I been overcharged? Perhaps, but in the grand scheme of things it's not that important. I've also had a taxi driver stop the meter when he realized he wasn't sure where he was going and had to look at the map.

Now, I also personally know two people who had their watches stolen off their wrists as well. The watches? Rolex. Now, obviously neither of them deserved this, but wearing a watch like this just makes you a target. A lot of things are just common sense. I left a nice watch in a safety deposit box back in the States and picked up a cheap one for here.

I also know a woman from a wealthier Argentine family who told me a story of how her family no longer allowed her to drive the BMW X5 after she was kidnapped and held for ransom. It made her much more of a target. She now drives a more sensible smaller car. Once again, just something to be aware of.

I firmly believe the same things happen everywhere else in the world as well. A little common sense goes a long way.

 

[Michelle]

Chris Rock, that wise man, once said: "A man is only as faithful as his options."

I believe something similar could be said of crooks.

 

[captdave]

Hey guys!

I have lived here almost 7 tears, and have never been a victim of street crime, but I attribute this as much to luck as any other factor. Crime does exist here, everywhere in the city. Incidents include (known first hand)
1) Robbed at gunpoint in Recoleta (about 11 PM)
2) Strong armed, knocked down and robbed on Marcelo T. and 9 de Julio (after dinner - he thinks he was followed from the fairly expensive reataurant he had just left)
3) Several variations of the mustard trick, mostly in the micro center, and mostly during the day
4) House in Palermo broken into, held at gunpoint and robbed. Thieves fled when neighbors called the police, who eventually actually showed up - not a certainty in BsAs by any means.
5) Fake Rolex ripped off wrist while inside a taxi stuck in traffic at Plaza Italia (Afternoon - I was there!)
6) Carjacked at gunpoint waiting for a light on Las Heras and Junin (late evening)
7) A number of ladies who have had there purses ripped out of there hands while on the street, frequently by someone on a motorcycle.
8) Elderly porteno friend who was punched in the back and robbed of his wallet in broad daylight on the corner of Suipacha and Cordoba.
9) My pharmacist friend was shot about a year ago, when thieves followed a customer he had just buzzed in. He was shot 3 times (through luck none life threatening) right out of the box, before he had a chance to even give them whatever they wanted.
There have been others - I could go on for a while!

These are incidents that happened to people I know and reported to me first hand.
The bottom line is that these things happen here with some frequency, so please don't think they don't. I'm sure there are things you can do to minimize your personal risk - most of us who have lived in big cities have our ideas and theories
Bottom line? Stay alert, and please be aware that there is real crime here!

I grew up in NYC, and I don't think BsAs is more dangerous then NY (at least when I grew up there), but street crime here tends to be more violent - NY muggers are generally more "business-like" and less likely to raise the stakes with violence unless confronted (again, personal experience)


Saludos,

David