Jaime Jensen is an American expat living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As she learns her way around this exciting city, she will be sharing with us her experiences and discoveries.
Buenos Aires is a continuously changing city with an innate magnetism. It is filled with an eclectic mix of people from all over the world; trendy new buildings blended with European inspired architecture; stylish worldly restaurants next to traditional hot-spots; and all are inspired by a unique Argentine charm.
h3. Wear flat shoes and tread with care
When traveling, one normally expects to walk a great deal, and Buenos Aires is no exception. Any trip to Buenos Aires will certainly require a pair of flat, comfortable shoes and a healthy dose of caution when walking the streets. Here in the city often referred to as “The Paris of South America”, it’s so easy to get distracted by the beautiful buildings (and people!), that I advise men and women alike to keep one eye to the ground and stroll with an acute vigilance which exceeds the normal caution of long days and cobblestone streets.
This advice is two-fold. Firstly, one must avoid the hundreds of landmines that line the streets (yes, I mean dog poop!); and secondly, because it is difficult to find a significant stretch of sidewalk with a remotely level surface.
After five months here, I am slowly getting used to the abundance of flat shoe styles, and regrettably my towering Italian favorites are slowly making their way to the back of my closet. I have finally learned to carefully avoid the stinky brown piles and to step with caution off the uneven sidewalks.
Now, having mastered the fine art of walking, I find myself helplessly drawn into the unique character each of the central neighborhoods or barrios. As a real estate professional, I was immediately intrigued by the vast amounts of construction happening all over town. Every neighborhood I have visited has dozens of historic buildings being transformed or restored and many new ones being built.
h3. Unique neighborhood character
Palermo
Palermo Hollywood is filled with chic structures of exposed brick, new loft style apartments, and fun hip clubs. Palermo Soho has maintained the beautiful period details on almost every corner and has added dozens of cute outdoor cafés, stylish shops and elegant restaurants.
Recoleta
The neighborhood of Recoleta is probably one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in the Southern hemisphere, and it gives Buenos Aires that particularly Parisian feel. Recoleta offers beautiful, tree-lined streets, upscale European and Argentine designer shops, darling bistros, and some of the most expensive real estate in town!
Puerto Madero
The newest addition to Buenos Aires is the growing waterfront community of Puerto Madero. Filled with swanky hotels, luxurious high-rise apartment buildings, and corporate skyscrapers, it is an area of pride for Argentines as it is one of the world’s most successful recent waterfront renewal projects.
So while I know it wasn’t the perfect sidewalks that first attracted me to this city, it was impossible not to be deeply enchanted by the charismatic neighborhoods of this constantly evolving and vibrant city of Buenos Aires!


Latest posts by Jaime Jensen (see all)
- Finding A Buenos Aires Apartment – The Real Argentina Guide - August 23, 2010
- An American Girl in Buenos Aires Learns to Speak Spanish - July 9, 2010
- First Impressions of an American Girl Living in Buenos Aires - June 8, 2010
Interesting to hear your impressions of this amazing city. We were there on vacation 2 years ago, so it's fun to relive it through your eyes. We loved BA. Look forward to reading more. Have fun.
Great article! You make your dad proud. You should be on Fox News, they probably pay more 🙂
We're looking forward to visiting you. I owe Joel a hunting trip to Agentina for graduating from culinary institute. We'll have to wait until January so that his 1st year cooking at Google will earn him some vacation.
You and mom will get to do all the cultural things that would cause us “men” to fall asleep . . .
Love you, keep those shoes clean.
Dad
Oops, that wasn't to Carolyn but to Jaime. Does my grey hair get me off the hook?
Great article! You make your dad proud. You should be on Fox News, they probably pay more 🙂
We're looking forward to visiting you. I owe Joel a hunting trip to Agentina for graduating from culinary institute. We'll have to wait until January so that his 1st year cooking at Google will earn him some vacation.
You and mom will get to do all the cultural things that would cause us “men” to fall asleep . . .
Love you, keep those shoes clean.
Dad
Oops, that wasn't to Carolyn but to Jaime. Does my grey hair get me off the hook?
It's not about the designer shoe brand that you can have fashion.As long as you have
the guts and have a great taste in choosing a shoes even the cheapest
one will look great if you will wear it with elegance and confidence it
will stand out.
beautiful place moving to another place is a challenge to a person, another culture, different people to deal with but it depends on how to deal with them
this is a beautiful country travelers want to visit this place it seems the apartments here is affordable i like to visit this place with my family
[…] Between the cobblestones, uneven sidewalks, and copious amounts of dog poop… make sure you watch where you are walking. […]
hey american girls, I am a boy that was born and live in Buenos Aires, Is my dream to meet with you, I leave my email: [email protected] in case that you are interesed on me please contact me!!! thanks