There are a lot of positive things going on, but of course forums are driven by negativity -- JG is right, we live separate lives, so I guess the forum is a place to shout about things that drive you crazy.
BA is a great city, if you're into big cities and can deal with conditions that you would not see in many parts of the US -- for example, the dog poo, the broken sidewalks and potholes (think DC ca. Marion Berry to a factor of 10), the runaround to get things done that at home would take a few minutes -- suddenly a simple act of paying your internet bill turns into a 1hr + excursion (oh the irony that you cannot pay your internet bill via the internet! not when you don't have a bank card or credit card from a local bank)
Anyway -- good things here:
Excellent free cultural programs (wha? I hear some people asking) -- there's free cinema, design fairs, children's activities, concerts, etc etc etc every week. Look it up - La Nacion puts out a guide on Thursdays and the city web site is an excellent source.
Excellent not-for-free cultural programs -- there's something new going on ALL the time. Concerts, theatre, tango festivals, cinema festivals, book fairs etc.
A very social atmosphere -- you can never be bored here -- if you're bored it's because you are boring (a great way to learn the difference between estoy aburrido and soy aburrido
Late night dining (my saviour!) -- back home I was always late for dinner, and never ready to go eat until after the restos had closed. Here, a 10pm reservation is early amongst my friends, ok, well I still always show up late... but at least here no one expects me on time!
The food is yummy / cheap -- ok, the "cheap" is not so true as 2 years ago. Also, when I say yummy I'm referring to specific restaurants I go to and food that myself and my friends cook, and not to the Modongo my BF's mum made last week (sorry, cow stomach and sheep feet with garbanzos and what seemed like 1kg of salt are not my idea of fun) But, grocery bills are still a lot less then at home, and there are some very good quality restaurants where you can eat and drink for a hell of a lot less than an equivalent restaurant at home (this is of course, assuming you are paying for your night out using dollars from home, if you are earning pesos, it is an entirely different story, however there are a lot of cheap deals to be had). The food thing is a personal question, and you definitely have to know where to shop (not just trot off to Jumbo or Carrefour and then complain that your bill is soaring through the roof). This also means you have to be prepared to spend hours traversing the city to get a specific type of cheese, a certain type of sauce, the best fruit, good cuts of beef etc etc etc
Fantastic book stores -- (unfortunately accompanied by fantastically high prices for books). This is a city for reading -- get your Spanish up to par and you can join in.
Beautiful parks -- this is again, referring to specifics and not the entire city -- there is a large renovation project going on for the entire city, although I'm not sure what will happen to that now, nor how long the renovations will endure -- how quickly will people just be walking into the parks and plazas with their dogs etc. Parque Centenario looks fantastic now though, see it while you can, now, free of poo!
Great sailing - we do live right by the river, and the delta -- take advantage.
Great tennis -- but the prices are high in comparison to salaries -- 30 pesos an hour at most well maintained clay courts.
Polo -- ok, haven't been to a match yet, maybe next season. But how many cities can you go to a Polo match? It's shameful that I haven't been... must resolve to fix that...
Interior Design -- the Argentines aren't so great at the web design, but the interior design they've got down. A whole mall dedicated to interior design (never buy there though, you can get the same stuff for much cheaper in other locations around town)
Do I have to go on? I'm tired of my own voice (as are others, including Granada who is only reading this so that he can take it apart and attack everything
I could write just as long on the negatives, but can't be bothered... others will do that for me (watch for the dissection of this post for proof)
