San Telmo ? :)

[dillster]

I would never live in San Telmo again. It's very dirty, very touristy, and not terribly centrally located when considering other parts of the city. I was also robbed there. I do have several friends who live there and love it. It all depends on what you want.

If there is a clean part of Argentina, I havent seen it. The downtown is a minefield of broken sidewalks and buses from the 4th world. Deafening noise that actually shakes your whole apt. They do not inspect or control any vehicles in this country. Its anarchy on the road. These same buses go to Caballito or Palermo. I work in Palermo and the sidewalks are bad, the people dirty. I dont see the difference. They arent a clean people and the govt. doesnt fix sidewalks, and there is garbage everwhere they can throw garbage.

 

[fifs2]

I work in San Telmo (Belgrano y Bolivar) and really enjoy the location during the day and would agree there are great restaurants..(Petanque!)...I currently live in Caballito, which is very "real" (and I have walked home from work on 3 occasions when subways are on strike!) but if I'm honest it's a bit too real for me...I've lived in some dire places in my life..but at 42 I'd like a little beauty around me, superficial or not and Caballito beautiful is not. I happened to be in Belgrano R today and later in Chinatown...there were just some delightful houses and gorgeous streets all well maintained that I lingered longer than needed just to escape reality for a while. Sadly if you dont have 500k USD to spend on a basic house of 3k on rent Belgrano isnt for you (or me...) so why not live in San Telmo..it isnt any more real local flavor than Grenwich village but heck it's nice to live in our fantasy worlds. In my next life if I come back a sa cat I'm scouring the streets of Belgrano R looking for a rich family to take me in...

 

[Zackdotcom]

.(Petanque!)... I must eat here this week sometime...
and here!!!!

http://www.lavineriadegualteriobolivar.com/menu.html

 

[MizzMarr]

If there is a clean part of Argentina, I havent seen it. The downtown is a minefield of broken sidewalks and buses from the 4th world. Deafening noise that actually shakes your whole apt. They do not inspect or control any vehicles in this country. Its anarchy on the road. These same buses go to Caballito or Palermo. I work in Palermo and the sidewalks are bad, the people dirty. I dont see the difference. They arent a clean people and the govt. doesnt fix sidewalks, and there is garbage everwhere they can throw garbage.

Well, actually I was impressed with the cleanliness up in and around parts of Salta (Calafate, San Lorenzo). For whatever reason it seemed that they take better care of their land and disposing of garbage up there (not the whole region mind you, Tucuman and Jujuy both were dirty, but for what it's worth). But agree that BA and much of Argentina is generally dirty no matter what barrio you're in, but one would most likely admit that San Telmo is dirtier than many (if not most) other barrios. I'm always overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of trash on the streets. On a positive note at least there are some campaigns to clean up after yourself. I have seen a major shift over the last few years of people cleaning up after their dog poop, putting garbage in cans, etc. Granted, there's a long way to go but improvement and a positive trend should be noted!

That said... Dillster, it seems you're pretty unhappy here! I've noticed your posts and in general it seems you really don't want to be here. I hope you're not stuck and if you are that you (and extend that wish to those of us who are stuck and want to leave) can move on to greener (literally) pastures.

 

[erocifeller]

I lived there years ago. It had its perks ... but too be honest, it wasn't the best location and I always found myself heading out to Palermo etc. to meet with people or to do events.

 

[mcaffa]

I recommend Palermo (Soho, Hollywood, Viejo, whichever) as well. Belgrano and Las Cañitas are great areas too, but not cheap. Colegiales really isn't a bad option either.

 

[MizzMarr]

Villa Crespo is also good.

 

[AkBill]

I lived in san telmo for 3 months and it was great, seemed totally safe and cool place. Then I moved, came back to san telmo 1 night to visit my neighbour and got robbed at gunpoint, so I don't think I would ever live there again just because I like walking around at night and I wouldn't do that again in san telmo.

 

[Ashley]

I think it's a great idea that you've decided to rent for 6 months before making a choice. I've lived in several barrios since arriving here 9 years ago...San Telmo, briefly. I finally settled in Chacarita but still rent so will eventually move again.
I was really divided when living in ST. I think that aesthetically, it's one of the most beautiful barrios in BA. It has some great architecture and doesn't seem to have been hit too hard by the expansion of Palermo and god-awful, cheap new-builds (just hitting Chacarita now). However, during the weekends, it's far too crowded for me - really difficult to find somewhere to relax/quiet cafe to hang out in. It's also a pain in the arse getting anywhere. It has no big supermarket, the subte can be a bit of a hike away (depending where you live) and you often have to change lines in the centre to get to Palermo, Belgrano, almagro, b norte, etc...The number of tourists/6monthers there also psd me off when I was living there (I don't know if it would be quite as bad now though).
I agree with several posters on this thread, that Almagro, Villa Crespo are barrios worth checking out (as are Chacarita, Colegiales, Caballito). It would be great if you wanted a real "taste" to perhaps rent for 3 months in ST and then move to the Almagro area - I think that will give you a great idea of the other barrios (it's close to several other barrios) and the benefits of living outside a typical tourist hot-spot...

 

[dirtyauzzie]

Hi

I live in San Telmo and although I was aprehensive at first (after 3 years living in Caballito) I actually quite enjoy it. I work in the micro centre so I can walk to work every day, and almost never have to take buses or subways, or at least during rush hour.

You are close to public transport if you want to visit other barrios, its only a problem if you constantly socialise in those barios.

Yes Sundays can be busy, its is more expensive for buying groceries, and there is no big supermarket, some incidents of crime (im not sure anymore than barrios like Palermo and Recoleta?).

I also like that within 3 blocks I am in a totally different part of the city (Puerto Madero) and that within 15 minutes I can run and bike around the Reserva, away from roads and close to some typy of greenery.

It does depend on what you are looking for and where you wish to socialise so giving anywhere a few month test is a great idea.