Moving To Buenos Aires

[nwi314]

Hello!

We will be relocating to Buenos Aires in September. We are in are early 50's and are looking forward to the adventure for the next 2-3 years.

The first of the many questions I'm sure to be asking involves traffic. My husbands' office will be in San Isidro. Ideally we would like to live in the city (having been suburbanites for 30 years we are dying to live in a city). He will have a car but doesn't love driving. Would the commute be unmanageable?
Are Argentinian drivers as bad as we have read? Or is there reliable public transportation out to San Isidro?

Any ideas on which neighborhood would be the easiest commute would be appreciated.

Gracias!

 

[camel]

There's a commuter train to San Isidro (maybe two, I don't remember). I'm not sure how the drive is, I don't have a car. If you're commuting in the opposite direction of most people, it might not be too bad.

Drivers here remind me of drivers in Italy. It seems like organized chaos. For a driver from the US or Germany, they may seem "bad". But it's just a different set of unwritten rules. On a spectrum, Germany on the left, China on the right, I'd say Argentina is somewhere in between.

As for neighborhoods, I think Belgrano is still in the "city", and from Belgrano you can get the train (Northwest to San Isidro), and also the Subte (subway) southeast into the city. If you live further in towards the city (like Palermo, etc), I think you'd have to take a bus first, then get a train, adding a hop to your commute.

 

[BaltRochGirl]

What type of suburb are you coming from? The suburbs in BA are different from any of the suburbs I ever lived in, you can still walk to many place in San Isidro. Although he will have a reverse commute, leaving the city in the morning vs driving in, depending on where you live a lot of the drive could be on city streets which still takes a while to navigate and the drivers can be pretty bad here, though again it depends on where you're comparing with.

 

[Johnny]

I'd find a place in San Isidro. It will save you a lot of hassle and heartache.

 

[garryl]

I'd find a place in San Isidro. It will save you a lot of hassle and heartache.

daily commute is a pain. I have seen someone commute between San Isidro and Recoleta daily, it's quite tiring, she has to make a living.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

We live in San Isidro and I commute to my office in Recoleta. The train is by far the easiest. Clean, reliable, and inexpensive.

I lived in Belgrano (one of the great city neighborhoods) for 10 years and then moved to San Isidro last year. It is a different world from the Capital. For one, I do't have buses passing below my window every 8 minutes and groups of drunk kids singing on their way home from the disco at 5 am. You can still live outside of the city and get a "city feel" without all of the city hassle. If I could I would live close to my work. But family needs dictate we live in San Isidro - which we love in every other way.

Good luck!

 

[BAJeffpat]

In a perfect world, I'd recommend coming to visit before the move to get a feel for the different neighborhoods. If that isn't possible, I'd do some exploring with google street view to get a bit of an idea what things look like on the ground.

 

[citygirl]

Where is he working in San Isidro? That will be a big factor in determining the commute. (i.e., is his office near a train stop, etc). That being said city to san isidro is reverse commute so while you will have traffic, it won't be like those that are commuting into the city in the morning. If you opt to live in the city, you'll want to be looking at Belgrano. Ideally closer to the main access roads out of the city (to avoid the city morning traffic) but again, so much depends on where his office is.

Driving takes a bit to get used to but you quickly develop the sixth sense. Just understand that lanes are optional here and go with the flow.

 

[nwi314]

Thank you all for your replies. Unfortunately his office is not close to the station so it looks like he will be driving. We will be coming on a house-hunting trip in early August and your input will be relayed to the real estate agent in focusing our search.

 

[UK Man]

Thank you all for your replies. Unfortunately his office is not close to the station so it looks like he will be driving. We will be coming on a house-hunting trip in early August and your input will be relayed to the real estate agent in focusing our search.

Sensible idea to come on a scouting trip before committing yourself. Best bet would be for him to do a dummy commute from the centre of BA to get get an idea what it'll be like doing it for real every morning. Have fun.