Hola and a pregunta...

[monjela]

Hola,

My name is Angela, I'm 43, from Byron Bay in Australia and I am arriving in BA on Jan 4th to stay for one month..maybe 3.

I am looking for accommodation and was wondering why everyone here seems to live in the Palermo area? Friends who have visited BA have recommended to me San Telmo or Montserrat to stay in, but on this site - does any one live in these areas? It's hard to choose a place to live when you haven't "felt" it yet.

I know you can't compare, but I'm imagining that Palermo is a bit like Paddington (leafy, gentrified, but out a bit) and San Telmo is more like Surry Hills (a bit more grungy, arty and older)...if anyone is familiar with those suburbs of Sydney??

Hope to meet some of you sometime, somewhere...

 

[HenryNisental]

I have not been to Australia, but you pretty much described those areas.
I might add that Palermo is much safer than San Telmo (which used to be slave quarters during colonial times), plus the fact that San telmo is dead on weekends, while Palermo/Barrio Norte are alive until late hours in the morning.
Good luck Henry

 

[steveinbsas]

I stayed in Balmain for a month in '76. I know it's changed a lot since then. Back then I could go into a corner pub and meet many Aussie vets who knew my father in WWII (my dad never left the States during those years).

I often rode to Double Bay with my host who had a shop there. Then I took the bus to Watson's Bay to enjoy the beach...and even hiked over to Lady Jane a few times (it wasn't so gay then...just nude...or perhaps I was just naive).

I remember a party at a home in Elizabeth Bay like it was last night. Elizabeth Bay would compare to the best areas of Palermo, if not Recoleta.

Avoid Montserrat. Stay in San Telmo if you are a bit of a risk taker and want to give it a burl. Otherwise Palermo near Av Santa Fe is your best bet...fair dinkum.

I hope you don't mind taking advice from a tall poppy.

 

[Lucas]

San Telmo will be more like Newtown, as for Palermo like Paddington Humm...I don't think so, maybe more like certain areas of Kingsford or Kensington but not quite so either, hard to compare people live piled one on top of the other, no in semi-detached terraces but in flats of more than ten stories high, you will see why when you are here.
Come to Las Cañitas, from there you can catch a bus or the subway for a short and inexpensive ride to the city center.

Is a long way from Byron Bay, no beaches of those kind here and no Paul Hogan and Linda Kowalski either

 

[Andy_78]

I'm probably reasonably well qualified to answer this as a Sydneysider from Surry Hills who now lives in Palermo...

To me, Palermo is hard to characterise because it's like there are 3 or 4 different 'Palermos'. I would say you have a range of Surry Hills, Darlignhurst, Paddington and Elizabeth Bay within Palermo depending on which part you're in. San Telmo I agree is more like Newtown, but scuzzier. Maybe throw in a bit of Redfern/Darlington and you're getting closer.

Personally I prefer Palermo for the variation and yes, it feels a lot safer too.

Good luck with your search!

 

[rachlyn]

I have not been to Australia, but you pretty much described those areas.
I might add that Palermo is much safer than San Telmo (which used to be slave quarters during colonial times), plus the fact that San telmo is dead on weekends, while Palermo/Barrio Norte are alive until late hours in the morning.
Good luck Henry

I really don't see what the correlation is between San Telmo once having been area populated with slaves, and it's safety today in, almost 2012.... It's, I'd say, 100% irrelevant to the question asked and slightly racist. San Telmo also used to be one of the wealthiest neighborhoods....

But moving on.... I have lived in both neighborhoods for extended periods of time. It really boils down to the type of experience you are looking to have. Palermo is more modern, better sidewalks, gentrified, there are more restaurants and bars to frequent, it's like any trendy area in any major city I'd imagine. Palermo has great parks which is a plus during the summer!

San Telmo is also trendy but with a more authentic bohmeian edge. I currently live in San Telmo and I feel as safe as I did in Palermo considering there was a hostage situation in an apartment a few blocks from my place in Palermo when I lived there. Also, San Telmo feels more like a neighborhood, it's a lot smaller, and people know each other (but maybe not as much now since there will be more tourists). People tend to feel safer in visably wealthier areas even though many times the statitics and reality aren't always as black and white.

Almagro is nice as well if you want the bohemian thing, and far less touristy than San Telmo.

Either neighborhood is a great choice and they are easy to get to so you will have a wonderful time I am sure.

Best of luck!

 

[mkj52]

Hi there

I am an Australian from near Melbourne also arriving on January 4th from Mexico. I will be staying for 1 month in recoleta and studying Spanish.
I was in BA two years ago and loved it but things seem to have changed since then. From my recollection San telmo is grungy and trendy but probably not the place for a lady alone at night whereas palermo (all parts of it) would be a better bet.
Good luck with your stay and I hope that you enjoy the city.

 

[monjela]

ok - thanks everyone for all your different opinions.

I think I'll gamble with San Telmo -- although not sure if I'm that much of a risk taker ...or a lady I do like the sound of small, neighbourhood feel.

I spent 6 months travelling in Colombia/Ecuador/Honduras/El Salvador/Guatemala/Mexico 20 years ago (was robbed at gunpoint in Columbia but it's still one of my favourite countries) and then spent another fantastic month in Cuba + Mexico 2 years ago. I'm not into danger but am aware enough to "hopefully" avoid any situations.

Maybe see some of you around for a drink/mate if you want to venture to the otherside sometime.

 

[mkj52]

Hi

Good luck with San telmo. You will find that this place never ceases to surprise.

Michael from Melbourne

 

[lomo]

Hello Angela,

Please allow me to put it in simple vulgar way: San Telmo and Montserrat are cheap places, San Telmo is cheap maybe a little bit more fun, and Montserrat is cheap and boring.
There is a really fancy Palermo part (Plamero Chico) and there are cheaper
interesting Palermos, there are trendy Palermos, it depends where you are.

Portenos are really logically screwed up people, the namings are all over lapping,like Old and New Palermo, then there is Park Palermo, then there is SOHO Palermos,
then there is Palermo Chico, then there is Palermo Alto. So it does not make any sense.

They are so different and are at different locations, they should not be all labeled with Palermo. But there is one thing in common, they are all near everything,
and trendy young good looking portenos like to live there.