How To Not Pass For A Tourist?

[Cialu]

First, dye hair rubio, get botox injections in lips. Then, buy Christian Louboutin shoes, big gold watch. Go to spa, hairdresser, and manicurist.
Buy big Audi.

Presto- you are a Portena!


(I cannot fit in anywhere, gave up trying 50 years ago. and I have never been robbed or bothered here, in the last five years. When the going gets weird, the weird go pro)

Love it. NIce! SO: ruby hair - check - bad home colour job Lipgloss to mimic lipfillers - check. Platforms 6inch - check - u must be joking re Louboutins, unless you only go to polo after-parties Spa, hairdresser, mani/pedi - check. Almost there. minus the gold watch and audi..

So here is my guess, after reading above - it's a facial exp<b></b>ression which gives me away. I look naive and cheery. You know this thing about US - people smile? for no reason. It's a direct invite to come rob me... Will learn to look scary instead.

 

[Cialu]

I will answer your 3 question, subte if you are smart you shouldn't have problem, the problem there is pick pocketing specially if you are a very distracted person, pay attention to your bag and you will be fine, busses have not that problem that much so yes we can say that they are much safer in that sense. The subte pick pocketing problem i will put it in a Paris scale or maybe rome, but the buglars here are less skilled, we got pick pocketed 2 times in Paris and 1 in rome in a 3 month road trip, while i have never been robed in Buenos Aires neither in London or Dublin where i pass the mayority of the time, is more easy to detect them here compared to the incredible skilled they are in Paris.

About your first question i cannot answer as i'm not porteño and the true i still use the iphone as gps to find where i need to go and use it to take pictures every time i see something that deserve a picture, about dreesing just look how the others dress and copy them, i'm not sure how to dress as porteño neither .

Hi, good afternoon - by now we should be on 1st name basis, talking so much
I raised this question as have never felt a threat to self/property - and i was fortunate to be able to travel last 15yrs a bunch - big cities: Paris, London, N:YC, Nice/Marseille, SanFran/Miami, Prague, Madrid/Barcelona. Oh yes, in Miami our car was broken into, a shopping bag taken, ok. Our friends' were robbed in a cafe in Barcelona, photo equipment. Obvious precautions - of course - no big lens camera, no leaving your purse with all valuables 1meter away. But in BA i physically hold on to my purse - that was new to me - on street, in cafe, bus. It is not normal. Or even having a thought to look around approaching my building door - i should not be even thinking about it!!! You see? at one point i started to leave my purse at home, and went out with a string bag instead - less obvious That's my reference...

Portena look was strange where i was, i saw lots of young women in minis and platform sandals and lots of make up, very pretty, but none of it is 'stylish' or fashionable as you think BA is. At least per European standards. Sexualized, perhaps, and a bit uncomfortable - well, have u tried to walk on those heels 8 hrs straight? Middle aged women were dressed more like in eastern europe/Italy - again, i cannot do that even if i want to

A dilemma

 

[Cialu]

There's a cultural thing here about fashion. It kind of came home to me one time talking with a friend of ours about walking to the hardware store. My (Argentine) wife was complaining about how I walk to the hardware store (2 blocks away) in dirty work clothes, and our friend said he could never walk to the hardware store like that. He has to put on some clean jeans and decent shoes, nice clean shirt, etc. He's just a blue collar kind of guy. This was the moment I really understood the fashion thing here is not just my wife's obsession, but something cultural.

If you want to blend in here, buying some local clothes would be a good first step. The styles are a little different here. More than blending in I think of toning it down, and I think there must be something working about my body language, because (knock on wood), I have yet to have any incidents here since my arrival in 2008, with the exception of my initial cab ride in from the airport where the guy overcharged me and tried to switch out a 100 peso bill for a 10 peso bill.



And as for this forum - it's a bit like watching the news. If life was like what you see on the news, nobody would ever leave their house. Enjoy Buenos Aires and have fun!!

Thank You - that was very helpful. So focus should be on body language/facial exp<b></b>ression like you know what you are doing, in terms of 'dressing down' - well simple things still give you away - eg i recall my shawl/scarf (for cold) caused notice as portenos do not do that...
I am not sure re 'skin colour' or ethnic look - most of BA descended from Italians/Spaniards, white skin, european features, no? Not nordic but certainly not dark...

I do prefer buses to metro for sure. I thought backpack in front is a tourist thing - surprised that your wife does it. Also was told re '2nd wallet" with a little change and having your real money elsewhere. wow.

If you were going to a gym, or run in a park, or a milonga (tango dancing), and needed to leave your purse behind , either at home or at your table in a crowded milonga - what do you do? Keys, credit card, ATM card, driving license/ID, cash? You are a woman and are wearing a skirt, no pockets?

 

[Cialu]

Where are you going to be living? Blending in in Belgrano is not the same as blending in in soldati.

absolutely. say you walk around congreso/balvanera/palermo, go to casual to smart casual places, and to look that you have nothing of value.
most importantly, you want to prevent any following to your building door (near Palacio del Aqua, Once?)

 

[Cialu]

It's a city. Bad things happen. It's not the most unsafe city in the world by a long stretch and if crime happens to you, it's about a 95% chance that it will involve getting robbed (be it purse snatched, pickpocketed, car stolen, etc). It's awful but not life-threatening.

Walk with confidence, don't pull out expensive electronics on the street, don't speak English if you're in a potential pick-pocketing situ (I don't go around chatting in English on the train/subway//crowded streets, don't carry lots of cash or wear valuable jewelry (esp gold) and exercise general precautions.

People vent about crime here b/c it affects us and when it happens, it really affects you. But in general, yes there are crime issues here but street smarts will help alleviate a lot of them and the rest is luck.

Hi, and thank you - this is the most balanced and reassuring view yet. I understand people here are a self selected bunch, so are the topics and views expressed. It is amazing, though, as one compares this forum with say a similar in London - focus cannot be more different!

Concrete questions, if i may ask:
-do you/your GFs leave (small) diamond jewelry at home - eg rings? semi-precious stone things - eg small earrings /necklaces? if one is mugged, do they ask for all wallet (ie credit cards/ID/cash) or one has time to pull out cash to hand over? do they stay there while you remove your jewelry??? these are silly, i truly don't know. i do know not to fight back.

- say you want to wear pretty quality shoes (not flashy/designer) shoes or clothing - does it attract attention?
same for bag - eg mine is lime green patent leather, medium size, yet it's old and not logo - would that stand out too much? and am i right to prefer carrying it under arm vs over shoulder or in hand?

- and again, keys/moneys - if you do need to leave your purse at your table - do people have some strange inner pockets/corsage hiding places?

 

[StuckLikeGlue]

I too gave up on "blending in" years ago. First because I was super uncomfortable trying to wear "cute" clothes when I'm a Converse and t shirts kind of girl. And second because as I gained a little confidence and began to lift my head and look around (instead of gluing my eyes to the ground to avoid dog poop or the creepy stares of people on the subway) I realized... Argentines come in all shapes, colors and sizes. There have been times when I'm walking down the street and think "oh that one is a foreigner for SURE" and then they see a friend and spew out perfect castellano. Sometimes of course it's clear they're foreign (mostly backpackers with camel backs/hiking sandals/etc) but most of the time I can't say for certain. So here I am telling you that if you don't look scared and lost, don't wear crazy shiny jewelry and don't shout out English in the streets... nobody can be certain you aren't from here without talking to you. Actually, the only times I was robbed were when I first arrived and probably looked very uncomfortable trying to fit in. Now I have people come up and ask me for directions... and me in an old t shirt, jeans and (currently) sporting a Mohawk!!

 

[Cialu]

For men:
- Wear a River Plate shirt (South of Puerto Madero, use a Boca one).
- For your hair, use a "rat's tail"
- A thermos under your arm + a mate in your hand

And there you go!

actually, except for mate - this is a Berlin look!! reformed punk vs hippie

 

[Cialu]

I live in Palermo. I still wear my U.S. clothes. I don't wear my diamonds or anything expensive. Mostly plain slacks and tops of one kind of another. I wear jewelry from the local jewelry stores and in my area most people are kind of careful how they dress. I sometimes stand and notice how nice the women look on the street. Scarves are very popular here, more so than jewelry. But I get by. I am kind of laughing because I think Cialu is smart. If I walk down the street here and anyone tries to hand me a tourist flyer, I look in the mirror when I get home and try to figure out why. I do think walking like you know where you are going is important too. I see men in plaid shirts here and bermuda shorts walking around like they don't know where they are and I think. Oh goodness--American. I might even ask if I can help him. All the advice here is good. (giggle giggle except try to ignore Ries!)

I am laughing for sure as I read the above. A thermos and a mate and bombilla would really do it. (I jest, but as my long gone daddy, rest his soul, would say, I'm kidding--on the level! )

Thank you. Cialu is smart indeed, at least on IQ level I understand what you are describing, yet i don't know how to mix the famous portena 'stylishness and fashion sense' with need to dress down/blend in, these are contradictory in my view. my jewelry was not expensive yet eccentric, that people noticed - a tourist! my scarf for some reason was noted - a tourist! how nice, how european! flats - my idea of flats is red patent - oops, stands out - a tourist! i feel i missed out a lot because i did not stop every block to look at my paper map/ guide - as i would have been better able to appreciate the geographic layout and directions etc. i used buses a lot, and loved it - as long as i am quiet, all is well, but i recall i once asked , in english, with 2 spanish words, a woman next to me re my intended stop - then everyone around me was paying attention and recognizing - a tourist!
that balance is what i'm trying to understand and follow

 

[Cialu]

It's a big city, so as citygirl said very well, you've got to develop your street smarts.

Don't carry valuable things, and if you have to, keep them stored at the bottom of a bag that makes them difficult to reach. That bag needs to be in front of you when you walk on busy streets or enter the subway/bus, always. Waving around valuable cameras and cell phones makes you a target, and people can easily snatch them out of your hands when you're distracted.

The thing is that even if you change your clothes, a lot of people may still guess you're a tourist/foreigner. Whether it's height or skin color or clothing style, you may give yourself away even if you don't want to. Focus on what you can effectively change-- your attitude and behavior. Walk confidently, open the map discreetly, stick to well-lit and traveled areas in the evenings.

Don't get drunk, don't be loud, and keep an eye out. If someone robs you, throw your wallet in one direction and run in the other. I'd happily trade my safety for a $700 camera, ah well. Whatever you do, give them what they want, it's just stuff.

Have fun in this city. It welcomes you.

Thank you, this is really really helpful! Some questions:
-attitude. what is it and how do you project it
- if/when robbed - i bet i'd just freeze and stop thinking. do they want wallet, or just cash, do they spend time w you to get all jewelry, etc? throwing wallet to side requires preparation and ability to act in shock. do you carry 2nd wallet?
-in cafe/restaurants if inside or outdoor terrace - u still have hand on your purse? what if inside? what if you are in cafe, working on laptop, purse/backpack would be next to you as your hands on keyboard?
- are busy/crowded places more or less likely to have things happen? eg Sta Fe vs Arenales avenues?

 

[Cialu]

I just went to lunch at my favorite restaurant. Just for you, I scrutinized the clothing. First of all, they came casual. Not exactly "WalMart casual" but close! Scratch any comment about Bermuda shorts. Right next to me were six Argentines--all in Bermudas. One even was wearing those plastic flip-flop sandals and had them off most of the time. In fact, I think if you had been here today, you could have worn anything short of your Rollex and your bikini and you'd have been fine. Okay, that's a bit of a stretch, but only a bit. I now realize that I'm no help at all!

'Course this IS Saturday, not a work day. It is sweltering hot. So all of this might be a factor. So how do you spot tourists? I just decided I have no clue.

Ha. i was really planning a counter coup. I think - my gold rolex + my bikini = of course people will realize no tourist will dress like that! and it's not gentelmany to rob someone in that attire, how will they get home?