Las Canitas vs Recoleta

[igor]

(posted by Bryan as a comment)
Hi everyone,
I am leaving NYC this April and will be living in BA for a little over a year. Sorry if this has already been covered somewhere else on the site, but it would be great to hear your thoughts on Las Canitas versus Recoleta. From the forums, it seems most expats tend to move into Recoleta. Just a bit about myself so you know what I'm looking for: I'm 26yrs old, I have a dog so would like to be relatively close to the parks w/ a decent sized apartment, I would like to be walking distance or surrounded by a number of pubs, restaurants, shops in a fun (relatively young) and safe neighborhood. Any advice or thoughts you have will be much appreciated!! I look forward to maybe meeting a bunch of you when I get there in a couple months. All the best, Bryan
p.s. If you know of good apartments (good deals, i should say) in either neighborhood that you think I would be interested in, please let me know the info as well. Thx again.

 

[ericdharma]

This is a very subjective question and one which has been posed and answered many times on this site and many others. If I were you I would look more into Palermo. The park system is actually located for the most part in Palermo. Palermo also has great shops, restaurants, malls, and clubs in addition to very quiet residential areas tucked away on a back street. Recoleta is a very upscale quiet area populated in large part by older people. It is beautiful, expensive (for a small cramped apartment), and stuffy (little bit uptight). The main positive side of living in Recoleta is that you are both close to Palermo and Barrio Norte and the Microcentro and if you don't mind walking you will rarely take a cab. I live in Palermo and almost never use cabs because for me the subway and buses are very convenient (although not always comfortable). Las Cañitas is a great area but to me, while there are some great restaurants and a few clubs there, claims about it being one of the hottest areas in BA are a little bit exagerated. The entire neighborhood is really like one main drag and a big mall. That's it. The surrounding restaurants are really expensive and the rents are constantly going up. In addition it has natural barriers for walking which make it hard to access Palermo and it is even farther away from Barrio Norte and the Microcentro than Palermo. it is surrounded by beighborhoods that to me look a little bit shady even though there are areas in Cañitas that are very nice. These are just my opoinions and I am sure that many will disagree. I suggest that you reserve an apartment somewhere for a few months and spend that time exploring the city. After a few months here you will have a better idea of where YOU want to be. Why commit to a year lease in one area here when it is easy to get an apartment and you can move around and experience different areas.

 

[perry]

I fully agree with Eric and his comments about Palermo and Las canitas.
It is very far from the centre and there are much more intersting areas close to the city like Almagro which noone ever speaks about but is one of the most traditional barrios of Buenos Aires and very friendly people

 

[Bryan]

Thanks guys! I will definitely look into Palermo apartments for just a couple months rent until I decide exactly where I want to be. Any neighborhoods within Palermo that you specifically think I should start looking? I guess anywhere north of Santa Fe would be close to the parks.. but any additional advice would be great. Thanks again for the help. -Bryan

 

[ericdharma]

O.K., now your post question has gone from subjective to HIGHLY subjective. I'm going to answer it but realize that any answer to that question will be extremely biased. My favorite area of Palermo FOR LIVING would be (on a map) bordered by Charcas, Thames, Las Heras, and Colonel Diaz. I like this area because you are close to the "D" line. On one side of you you have the zoo and the Japanese Gardens and on the other side you have the Alto Palermo Shopping Mall. There are 2 major police stations within walking distance (one at Santa Fe and I think Borges and the other close to Las Heras and Republica de Siria). You have Parque Las Heras (dirty and crowded but local and very Argentine). You have restaurants and cafes literally everywhere and are walking distance or a busride away from many more in Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Viejo. You are only a short walk east away from the main park system bordered by Figueroa Alcorta and Libertador. And at the same time, even though there is a lot going on here, you can find a quiet back street with some tranquility and a little peace and quiet. What more could you ask for?

 

[canadatoba]

I fully agree as well. Palermo has proven itself to be my favorite neighborhood as well, and judging by the descriptions of your needs it would probably be your best bet (considering your young age and the fact that you have a dog). I've also lived in Recoleta, which is also a fantastic nieghborhood, but it has a little less "funk" than Palermo, which is a bit younger and hipper but equaly as beatiful and the apertments in the neighborhood are stunningly beautiful. Best of luck with your trip planning

 

[Bryan]

Subjective or not, that is very helpful... I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me out. Thanks again!