Need feedback on San Telmo neighborhood

[HenryNisental]

Here, in Barcelona, in certain areas popular with tourists, during the day you will be offered drugs and during the night you will be offered drugs and sex. I almost lost my mind last summer because of the constant ‘Psst! Coffee shop? Smoke some weed? Cocaine?’ every time I walked through certain areas. I was followed a couple of times in the evening by sex workers who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Aside from the drugs and prostitution, there are plenty of pickpockets and thieves that can spot a tourist a mile away. I witnessed two incidents of robbery last year — both targeted older tourists and both times it wasn’t quite clear what had just happened until it was too late and the thieves were away. The guys who carry out these things are either very skilful at avoiding detection or quick on their feet. My advice is to keep anything valuable inside something with a zip close to your body and try to dress like a local and don’t walk around holding maps.
Homelessness is big here and is quite a depressing sight. And there are hundreds of beggars — some are genuine some are not. Some are themselves tourists trying to travel for free. It can be difficult or impossible to figure out who is is real need. Something that annoys me are the beggars who have pots for people to put money in labelled with various things like, ‘Acid,’ ‘Weed,’ ‘Beer’ and ‘Food.’

 

[perry]

To be honest, I think the problem is that most tourists that stay in these neighbourhoods think that it’s perfectly safe because of bad advice online.&yes, here it’s mainly robberies (outside of villas and really rough areas of course) I think i probably feel more at risk of getting into a violent confrontation for no reason in my home city London. However thats probably because argentines like to blow a lot of hot air. All mouth and no action lol

Fully agree with you Brit . I was just in Sydney Australia and on the streets there was a lot of agro from meth addicts and alchoholics . This does not happen in Buenos Aires in good neighbourhoods but in Sydney inner city where homes are over 1 million dollars walking the streets one must be careful not to give eye contact to these people .

Buenos Aires in the main is a very pleasant city especially if you live in the Green belt near Libertador . There you can feel sheltered from many problems of Argentina but as we all know you just have to go a few kilometres and you are in Villa 21 in Retiro ( full of decent hard working people in the main ).

 

[lunar]

And you need to make a point that is completely irrevalant .

Clearly, anything that goes against your opinion is absolutely irrelevant.

i have attached another link from just one month in the life of Belgrano and this was from March 2019.

6 incidents in a month for a neighborhood of 140 thousand people. I am not impressed.

But I guess this is not relevant either.

 

[Ries]

While I think the idea that San Telmo is over run with gangs and crime is a bit over the top, I would not recommend to any of my friends that they stay on Juan de Garay and Defensa- because I think it would be nowhere near as interesting or as fun as the swath from Belgrano thru Villa Crespo, the Palermos, Barrio Norte, or Recoleta.
There has been a fair amount of gentrification in that part of San Telmo south of the Autopista, with more fancy restaurants, and, 2 blocks south of Juan de Garay, on Caseros, its positively hip- but its still a pretty sparse neighborhood, in terms of stores, restaurants, bakeries, and the streetlife that makes BA so much fun. And it is definitely tougher south of the autopista- a fair amount of street smarts would be required. I go to San Telmo a fair amount, often going to see music that gets out late at night- and I havent felt threatened- but the activity on the street at night is definitely subdued compared to the northern crescent, and for a short visit to BA, you will have a better time up north. For a person who knows the city, and finds a good deal on an apartment to live in, San Telmo can be great- I have several friends there who like it a lot, except for the annoyance of the sunday morning market on defensa.

If I was advising someone who was coming for a month, I would be thinking Villa Crespo- its lively, authentic, and a short walk to the activity of Palermos Soho and Hollywood, but without the noise and crowds. Or, as mentioned, Palermo Chico, or, where I live- the rectangle bounded by Cordoba, Scalabrini Ortiz, Santa Fe, and Pueyrredon.

 

[Brit_In_BA]

Here, in Barcelona, in certain areas popular with tourists, during the day you will be offered drugs and during the night you will be offered drugs and sex. I almost lost my mind last summer because of the constant ‘Psst! Coffee shop? Smoke some weed? Cocaine?’ every time I walked through certain areas. I was followed a couple of times in the evening by sex workers who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Aside from the drugs and prostitution, there are plenty of pickpockets and thieves that can spot a tourist a mile away. I witnessed two incidents of robbery last year — both targeted older tourists and both times it wasn’t quite clear what had just happened until it was too late and the thieves were away. The guys who carry out these things are either very skilful at avoiding detection or quick on their feet. My advice is to keep anything valuable inside something with a zip close to your body and try to dress like a local and don’t walk around holding maps.
Homelessness is big here and is quite a depressing sight. And there are hundreds of beggars — some are genuine some are not. Some are themselves tourists trying to travel for free. It can be difficult or impossible to figure out who is is real need. Something that annoys me are the beggars who have pots for people to put money in labelled with various things like, ‘Acid,’ ‘Weed,’ ‘Beer’ and ‘Food.’

I’ve been to Barca twice as a tourist for 4 days at a time, and while I love the city (one of my favourite places i’ve been to) I was amazed at the amount of times we got offered drugs and also services by prostitutes. Could’ve been more than 50 times and that was just on La Rambla lol. Also my friend got pickpocketed and someone got robbed on the beach right in front of me, piranha style robbery by about 20 refugees. They were hanging around by some big black monument thing for the whole day dealing drugs. Offered me “brown” (heroin). Police turn up and do f*** all. Never seen a more incompetent force. Almost as if they were scared of them. Didn’t expect to feel that way there but still, what a city

 

[perry]

Clearly, anything that goes against your opinion is absolutely irrelevant.



6 incidents in a month for a neighborhood of 140 thousand people. I am not impressed.

But I guess this is not relevant either.

And you need to win a brownie point ?

In regards to Belgrano these are some incidents that were reported to this neighbourhood watch association . you honestly believe thats all the crime in the neighbourhood when at best only 20 percent of people report a small robbery .

Buenos Aires has a reputation for petty crime and most expats have had their phones stolen here once . Is this a common occurence overseas yes in some cities but in South America Buenos Aires is considered more unsafe for petty crime than Santiago de Chile or La Paz Bolivia

 

[Ceviche]

Wha

What a crock. San Telmo is perfectly safe. People get robbed in Recoleta and Barrio Norte just as often. I have never had a problem in San Telmo late at night. Personally, Puerto Madero is sterile and boring. You might as well be in Beverly hills.

Most misleading post on this subject.

 

[LydiaBA]

Guillermo Andino today at 7.30 pm Canal America interviewed a man that was kicked by 5 men to steal his car, outside his home, he was badly bruised, disfigured.

Andino Closed the Segment saying " Today we must thank God to be Alive, could happen to any of US"

 

[LydiaBA]

he’s hot

 

[mmoon]

We haven't heard from YASMIN in awhile, so before we get into a lengthy debate of Cristina vs. Macri and all that, I'd like to know why these visitors want to stay in San Telmo and if they have a accommodation reservation they can change. If not, there's no point in all this back and forth and I would just second (or fourth) the opinion that they should take taxis to and from their place at night. I personally would not choose San Telmo as the place to stay for a month in BA. I agree with the Villa Crespo suggestion or Palermo Chico.