Tourist questions : Cash for three weeks in BA?

Hello everyone,
I'll detail my experiences in town while I'm here.

First day observations:
  1. Entry into Argentina:
    Got into EZE at about 1pm. It took about an hour to get my luggage and clear customs. No issues at all. I was prepped with my Antigen test, triple vaccination and travel insurance. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of things. The airport also has had a significant upgrade since my last visit in 2016.
  2. Getting a phone:
    Getting SIM cards. This was 75 mins of my life that I will never get back. Why it takes two women to figure this out in a stall at the airport is incredible. However, after all was and said and done ... the 800 peso package for 3 Gigs of data and unlimited Whatsapp is pretty decent.
  3. Taking a taxi from the airport to downtown:
    Getting from EZE to my place in Puerto Madero was also super simple. I did pay a bit of a tourist rate to get a taxi. The official fare is 37$ USD which is ludicrous. Once I walked outside, then the ticket prices were around 25$USD to which I still had issues, so then some walking outside, I was able to negotiate a fare of 15$ USD downtown. When a fare in local taxi is about 800 pesos from Puerto Madero to Palermo, this still seems like a crazy rip off, but friends of mine who are here were confident in me able to negotiate the brown discount :)
  4. Getting into my building:
    This is a secure building. 4 security guards at the front here on Azopardo. ID for everything to get into the building. It's annoying when you're walking in and out, but these guys will get to know me while I'm here. My guest last night had to show her ID to stay. I have a really nice view.
    20220322_005814.jpg
  5. Shopping at Jumbo Madero:
    This was phenomenal. The prices for aperitifs, wine and beverages is ridiculously low with the exchange. The quantity of fresh produce was shocking small, but I'm assuming I'm shopping in a mercado in Puerto Madero. So that's with a grain of salt. I enjoyed my walk back to the building although carrying 4 shopping bags when I could have spent 2USD on a taxi wasn't an efficient use of time.
  6. Dining out at Osaka:
    - Dinner and a drink was at Osaka Puerto Madero (https://www.osakanikkei.com/es/local/buenos-aires)
    - Massively overpriced: I got hit with the cubierto. Unavoidable
    - I asked for a Sake list. They had none and the waitress couldn't give me a price for the Sake. I didn't follow up and I got hit with a ridiculous price for Sake. I will always ask the prices from now on.
    - Service was brutally slow, poor, inexperienced and then she demanded a tip. LOL... I handled that shit. I would have been happier with Choripan at Retiro.
    - Food quality was absolute garbage for a high end "Japanese" place here. This was not even All you can eat sushi quality in Toronto, Canada. BTW : If you ever want a sushi bargain, in Toronto - our AYCE places are amazing for 20$ CDN
    -20220322_083431.jpg
After dinner, easy taxi ride back to my place. So all in all ... a good, safe night with shitty food. Talk tomorrow.
 
Rishiray said:
Hello everyone,
I'll detail my experiences in town while I'm here.

First day observations:
  1. Entry into Argentina:
    Got into EZE at about 1pm. It took about an hour to get my luggage and clear customs. No issues at all. I was prepped with my Antigen test, triple vaccination and travel insurance. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of things. The airport also has had a significant upgrade since my last visit in 2016.
  2. Getting a phone:
    Getting SIM cards. This was 75 mins of my life that I will never get back. Why it takes two women to figure this out in a stall at the airport is incredible. However, after all was and said and done ... the 800 peso package for 3 Gigs of data and unlimited Whatsapp is pretty decent.
  3. Taking a taxi from the airport to downtown:
    Getting from EZE to my place in Puerto Madero was also super simple. I did pay a bit of a tourist rate to get a taxi. The official fare is 37$ USD which is ludicrous. Once I walked outside, then the ticket prices were around 25$USD to which I still had issues, so then some walking outside, I was able to negotiate a fare of 15$ USD downtown. When a fare in local taxi is about 800 pesos from Puerto Madero to Palermo, this still seems like a crazy rip off, but friends of mine who are here were confident in me able to negotiate the brown discount :)
  4. Getting into my building:
    This is a secure building. 4 security guards at the front here on Azopardo. ID for everything to get into the building. It's annoying when you're walking in and out, but these guys will get to know me while I'm here. My guest last night had to show her ID to stay. I have a really nice view.
    View attachment 8139
  5. Shopping at Jumbo Madero:
    This was phenomenal. The prices for aperitifs, wine and beverages is ridiculously low with the exchange. The quantity of fresh produce was shocking small, but I'm assuming I'm shopping in a mercado in Puerto Madero. So that's with a grain of salt. I enjoyed my walk back to the building although carrying 4 shopping bags when I could have spent 2USD on a taxi wasn't an efficient use of time.
  6. Dining out at Osaka:
    - Dinner and a drink was at Osaka Puerto Madero (https://www.osakanikkei.com/es/local/buenos-aires)
    - Massively overpriced: I got hit with the cubierto. Unavoidable
    - I asked for a Sake list. They had none and the waitress couldn't give me a price for the Sake. I didn't follow up and I got hit with a ridiculous price for Sake. I will always ask the prices from now on.
    - Service was brutally slow, poor, inexperienced and then she demanded a tip. LOL... I handled that shit. I would have been happier with Choripan at Retiro.
    - Food quality was absolute garbage for a high end "Japanese" place here. This was not even All you can eat sushi quality in Toronto, Canada. BTW : If you ever want a sushi bargain, in Toronto - our AYCE places are amazing for 20$ CDN
    -View attachment 8138
After dinner, easy taxi ride back to my place. So all in all ... a good, safe night with shitty food. Talk tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Hahaha they murdered your tourist ass. This is funny. They charged you cubierto twice?? That doesn't happen even if you have multiple people at the table. At least it's never happened to me. The only thing that could be funnier is if you paid with a foreign credit card. Rule number 1 of traveling ANYWHERE in the world.. NEVER EVER pay for something without knowing the price. They surely targeted you because according to how you dress, you look like a typical American/European tourist without a care in the world.

Btw, Osaka has a good lunch special for 4k that comes with appetizer, main, water, wine, and champagne.
 
SecretShopper said:
Btw, Osaka has a good lunch special for 4k that comes with appetizer, main, water, wine, and champagne.
Click to expand...
Good info, thanks, I wasn't able to find that on their menu, and they didn't answer the phone when I called..

Maybe Osaka in Puerto Madero isn't as good as the one in Belgrano?

Also, imported drinks are likely to be expensive, especially speciality drinks like Sake. Is there any locally-made Sake here (there's a Japanese community around Escobar, so it's not impossible. Sake is made in Brazil as well).
 
FrankPintor said:
Good info, thanks, I wasn't able to find that on their menu, and they didn't answer the phone when I called..

Maybe Osaka in Puerto Madero isn't as good as the one in Belgrano?

Also, imported drinks are likely to be expensive, especially speciality drinks like Sake. Is there any locally-made Sake here (there's a Japanese community around Escobar, so it's not impossible. Sake is made in Brazil as well).
Click to expand...
I go to the one in Palermo.
 
SecretShopper said:
Hahaha they murdered your tourist ass. This is funny. They charged you cubierto twice?? That doesn't happen even if you have multiple people at the table. At least it's never happened to me. The only thing that could be funnier is if you paid with a foreign credit card. Rule number 1 of traveling ANYWHERE in the world.. NEVER EVER pay for something without knowing the price. They surely targeted you because according to how you dress, you look like a typical American/European tourist without a care in the world.

Btw, Osaka has a good lunch special for 4k that comes with appetizer, main, water, wine, and champagne.
Click to expand...
yep... got it handed to me.
one time only :)
 
Rishiray said:
yep... got it handed to me.
one time only :)
Click to expand...
It's all good. You live and you learn. Sounds like you're taking it in stride. That's great. If you want a surefire recommendation then go to cabaña las lilas in Palermo. Truffle mashed potatoes and a t-bone steak.. fantastic. In my opinion it's the best steakhouse here.
 
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