Fantastic and Concerning Quotes About Buenos Aires Argentina

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Executive Summary

We found some very interesting quotes about Argentina.

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If you want to see our references for this article and other related Brightwork articles, see this link.

Treatment by Argentinians

There´s nothing really to see in Buenos Aires…the fact that a cemetry is the highlight of the city should have been my first clue…people who say you need at least a week to see BsAs haven´t travelled very much…I wouldn´t spend more than 3 days there.

In my opinion, the city lacks culture or character…the fact that white Argentinians keep trying to prove they are ´European´ and deny their South American culture is very evident. The city is full of obxnious, arrogant and pretenious people who have a superiority complex…thinking they are better than others, particulary darker skinned people. They listen western music, wear western clothes/fashion, the food mostly consists of pasta, pizza and sandwich…nothing of their own except dulce de leche…apart from tango, I didn´t see anythign else that is uniquely Argentine. Besides the arrogance factor, there´s nothing European about Argentina.

And I don´t feel this way because of teh fact that on Christmas day I was, for the first time in my life, was physically assaulted by stranger in BsAs as he called me vile and vulgar names, including racial remarks and stuff about my mother…the guy actually punched me in the face because I refused to share my taxi with him wher I had to pay for it, to god knows where (AFTER he tried to steal my cab twice and lied to me).

I had a enough of BsAs so I went to Mendoza and though things were mildly better, but still I got dirty looks…kinda like how I´m getting now by the guy who works at the internet cafe while I type this out…can´t tell you how many times he has looked over here giving me dirty looks.

I have never had any problems because of my race, even when if I get significantly tanned when I´m out and about…but I have people giving me dirty looks for absolutely no reason.

New Quote in Response

Gringos feel like they are in the new Hungary or Thailand….they can spend their bum-years very cheap in a relatively friendly enviroment<BR> Buenos Aires is big,13 million, packed, flat, 10th largest urban sprawl in the world, noisy, rude like most big cities ( New York sucks , been there many times the more I go the more I hate NY, I understand you , or look at London ! its like everyone is pointing you with a gun with those ridiculous prices ), not enough nature or parks, no beach life, not enough freeways, poorly planned , architectonically destroyed by greed ( architects , local polititians, etc )

New Quote in Response

I have few american friends, white, handsome, tall, perfect if you want.. they also got physically assaulted by stranger in BsAs. You don´t need to be from different race to get robbed or whatever in this city, nor even in other cities around the world.

https://nypost.com/2010/07/19/whats-the-deal-with-buenos-aires/

Scams in Buenos Aires

Maybe it’s the lingering smell of the fake bird poop that the pathetic old peasants squirt on you as you walk through the downtown shopping district, in hopes that you won’t know what their game is. (It’s to help you wipe it off, and in the process, go digging through your pockets.) Maybe it’s the taxi drivers who pretend not to know how to find the top hotels in town, or the fact that the top hotels in town charge triple per night what many Porteños pay in monthly rent. There are enough petty scams going here to make Mexico look like Canada.

Overrated Buenos Aires

I am mystified by the deification of long-dead political figures; bored by the idea of tango as tourist attraction as I am the beaten-path blues clubs of Chicago or the tired jazz halls of New Orleans. The architecture’s fine, but it is fine in many a Latin American city. It’s really, really weird to propose that someone fly 11 hours to a place that looks a little like a dirtier Paris crossed with a more gray Madrid, when you could just go to Paris or Madrid in half the time.

Who is Promoting Buenos Aires

I’ve always suspected that much of the ado made about Buenos Aires is made by expat writers who live there. It is pretty intoxicating, this idea of buying your way into the nicest neighborhoods in town for a few hundred bucks a month. File a couple of stories a month to your editors in the States, and you’re living like a king. Really, who wouldn’t love the idea of getting out of the grocery store with a full basket for twenty dollars, as I did last week, and turning it into no less than 5 or 6 meals. The better wines are pitifully cheap. It’s pretty awesome.

Emotional Behavior

This is not the culture of the stiff upper lip. Let’s just say, after a week, don’t be alarmed if you feel like you’ve been sucked onto the set of a bad telenovela.

https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/south-america/argentina/15-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-going-to-argentina

Safety in Buenos Aires?

One of the prevailing myths about Buenos Aires is that it is “safe.” Part of that is the fault of the tourism industry, along with the unwillingness of governments to tell the truth about negative factors. But in 2013, the Argentine judicial system, acting independently of the don’t-tell Kirchner government, prepared a study of homicides in the city of Buenos Aires. The result: a homicide rate of 6.09 per 100000 population. Compare that to the 2014 homicide rate for NYC (which no reasonable person considers safe) at 4.0 per 100000. As for robbery, the published UN numbers for Argentina reveals that the country has by far the highest theft/robbery rate in the entire western hemisphere.

Robbed by a Big Knife

Buenos Aires, horrible place not recommended at all!

I am 21 yo man at my “sur america” trip with my gf, I am here in Buenos Aires right now and I couldn’t regret it more, first I already got robbed twice, first time my cellphone at the streets, second time my notebook and all my money they had a big knife and was scary as fuck, I was staying in “lanus” neighborhood (extremely dangerous) I didn’t knew. The only places to stay safe here are the wealthiest neighborhoods (some parts of palermo, some parts of recoleta, whole puerto madero is OK, some parts of belgrano and some parts of nunez) if you are going anywhere else cancel your booking right now!

Problems with the Economy

Buenos Aires is a huge city, but very gray, people look depressed, the economical situation is distasteful, there are a lot of families living on the streets even camping on the main avenues, trash everywhere, overall poverty, lot of protests because corrupt government, huge ghettos areas inside the main city, drug addicts at night in the “congreso” (a must go for tourists) area willing to kill for a next “paco (crack)” dosis, people is always trying to get advantage of tourists, they up the prices 5 times more just for us, they give us counterfeit money as exchange, etc.
DO NOT stay at hostels, since everything in Argentina is centralized in Buenos Aires poor people from the whole country goes to the hotels to get a job in Buenos Aires or study and they WILL steal the stuff of the tourist, they might be actually good people but they really need the money to survive the next day.

What Does a Nigerian Think of Buenos Aires?

I love argentina. Every country has its ugly place. Just like nigeria, there are a place you cant pass in the night with a bus. But here in libya is the worst, every body have guns. If you work some will pay you. While some will nöt. Pls i want to visit argentina. I want to stay there and work. But i dont have anybody there. Pls help me out. Am a nigeria but right now am in libya. I want to live in argentina. Pls help. I will jae very greatful.

Strange Entry Denial?

The best answer is to avoid Argentina at all costs.
Really crappy country.
Flew there on Christmas Eve. Denied entry.
I paid the entry fee but they said paperwork that I got from American Airlines not correct.
Well, many hours later and lost luggage, I was sent back to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve.
I hate turning on an entire country because the Immigration officials were really nasty to us, but it did leave a shitty taste in my mouth.
Only good news is watching them constantly lose in Soccer, the one sport they claim they are good at.
I suggest to others to find other South American Countries to visit.

Bird Poop Scam

Pickpocketed within hours of arriving. Fell for bird poop scam. Old lady of about 70 came up to helpfully clean off “bird poop”(turned out to be mustard). Next thing I knew she had got into a waiting car and my wallet was gone. Told at hotel “it happens all the time.”Can’take judge a whole city by its criminals but extreme vigilance is required in this place.

Mafia Scam?

It was all planned by the mafia and is why the nice girls offered me a ride home the time before. To find out where I live.

When they broke into the house they got another 5000 pesos and another phone. They were fast because I broke free or they would have held me hostage and spent the whole night robbing me and my friend.

What a fucking horrible experience. I left as soon as I could book a flight home.

I would suggest not going to Argentina. It is now full of drug dealers. Mafia. Poverty. Drug addicts and desperate people that will go to any extreme for money.

I was so lucky I wasn’t murdered.

Counterfeit Notes

I was ripped off by a cab driver who switched my notes for counterfeit ones when I paid him. Cab drivers in BA are not to be trusted.

How Common Are Pickpockets?

I had my purse hanging in front of me and I suddenly felt it pushing against my hip. I looked down to see a man’S hand squirming to get inside my purse.

He was trying to hide his hands with a thick jacket folded over his arm. I speak Spanish and asked him what he was doing and if he was trying to rob me. He was shocked and pushed his way to the back exit of the bus. The locals on the bus started calling out to the bus driver that there was “another” thief on the bus and complained that this was happening too often.

People on the bus began checking their own bags and pockets. Another guy in the same tour group realized his wallet was stolen from his cargo pants. The next day, we flew out of BA to Igazu Falls. When we landed, this same guy had money he had stashed in his luggage robbed and my friend had the locks on her luggage broken.

Buenos Aires Compared to Ireland

none of this happens in Ireland – taxi drivers won’t switch you money for counterfeit, you can take any taxi you like, doesn’t have to be a radio taxi or a specially order taxi, I have lived here for 3o years and never ever been robbed… anywhere… you won’t fear for your life walking as a woman late at night… everyone is friendly, you don’t need to worry about carrying a credit card, you won’t get mugged at the ATM… nobody has guns… you can take your wallet out without a problem, carry a mobile phone, dress up as much as you want, even in the not so good areas your safe by comparison to anything that would happen to you in Buenos Aires, you can be as big a tourist as you want, walk around with cameras dangling and maps and all you will get it people trying to help you I can’t imagine why anyone would want to bother going to a place where they had to live like a fugitive on holiday, carry money in a sock, dress down and try to blend in for fear of being robbed or killed

The Attitude of The Hotel Staff at the Commenter Being Robbed

Was gonna stay a week in BA but only stayed 2 nights. Was robbed twice in one day. Taxi gave me back fake money. Only lost 10. Ok whatever. 2nd was robbed just outside my hotel with a gun to my head. Scariest time of my life. I speak spanish Portugal english and german. When i told the hotel what just happened they kinda laughed and acted like it was my fault. Unbelievable. So i booked the 1st flight out of there. Stopped travelling since. I will never go to south america again. Theres trash everywhere and everyone is underpaid so ofcourse a lot of coruption.

Avoid Buenos Aires?

I ‘ve been in Argentina a couple times and its the worst. The crime, the people, trash everywhere and all the scams. Not the best place to vacation. My recommendation: AVOID Buenos Aires if you have to come to Argentina. Even if you go to other cities in Argentina, they will try to scam you somehow (they overprize everything to tourists)

Trapped in Buenos Aires

I have been living in lanus buenos aires since october 2013 and can honestly say I’VE HATED EVERY MOMENT OF IT. i am actually kinda trapped here now because i had a son here who is now 2 years old (DEC 2015). His father wont let me leave with him back to his and my countrt (Usa). Safe to assume misogyny runs rampant here since the government ONLY recognizes his father as being his parent. My name isnt even on any of son’s argentine documents. Only in his U.S. ones. Sooo yeah. ARGENTINA SUCKS ASS! DONT COME HERE! LIKE EVER! the place sucks. The culture sucks even more and the people are th worst. Dont even get me started.

They lack basic common decency, morals and manners. Its a free for all here. No regulations no customer service. No organization (especially with public transit and basically everything else). No manners. Not a good country and in 200 years of independencectbey haven’t come very far at all. Not even a little progress as a matter of fact they are indeed regressing farther and farther into the past where women have no rights and children are seen as property and racism sexism and poverty run amok unchecked.

A Very Dirty City?

Buenos Aires feels dirtier than any large city I’ve been in, which includes many large cities around the world. People here throw trash on the street even when a trash receptacle is less than 6 feet away.

Overall Problems in Argentina?

Theft is rampant, if it’s not nailed down then whatever it is will be stolen. My home has bars on every window, a security gate, and internal bars across the doors, it’s like a bloody prison, and this in a town of 25000 people.
Driving is atrocious; no signals, no courtesy, merely bullying and aggressive behaviour.
Shopping is an expensive and frustrating experience, I’ve never been to a country that has such a paucity of products, expensive and of the quality that wouldn’t dare be put on display in Europe.
Restaurants are equally crap, other than poor imitation pizza and pasta, there’s asado where you can have meat salted and served black, and that’s what they seem proud of.
Customer service does not exist in any form.
This is a 3rd world country with prices comparable to a 1st world capital.
As for the “Malvinas”, get over it. You fought a war on your own doorstep and lost! And it was 36 years ago ffs!
I am here because my fiancée lives here and for personal reasons cannot leave.
Her family are lively people but they have travelled extensively and they know this is a bloody awful, backward place.
And yes, i hate it!

Is Argentina a Hell Hole?

The thing that annoys me personally the most is tha salaries here are a quarter of an average US salary, but everything else, specially tech costs 3 or 4 times its real value.

Now, why persons from rich countries can be attracted to this hellhole is something that escapes my common sense.

It’s a country built on the suffering and killing of innocent, defenceless animals and no one here escapes that bad karma, not even foreigners.

I’m sorry to say this, but for those with bad experiences, you had it coming. You deserved it from coming here.

Less Dangerous Than Costa Rica?

I also lived in Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and a few other places and by far, Costa Rica was the most dangerous day to day.

Warning for Women

Any person that claims things are nice and that you can absorb some of the “wonderful and rich” culture, either dont live here or are just butthurt they live in a shit hole. You wont get anything from here, what’s most likely to happen is that it will take something from you. Please foreigner friends (AGAIN especially women) beware.

Being Driven in Circles by Taxi Drivers

As I was being driven from Ezeiza airport to my Buenos Aires hotel, my cab driver used the aggravating old trick of taking multiple wrong turns and constantly “getting lost” in an attempt to run up the meter. During this unsolicited tour of the city and some of it’s suburbs, I had a chance to see the sad state that most of the city is in, which was the exact opposite of the romanticized tales of a world class city filled with tango and fine wine that I’d been told.

Let’s face it : Buenos Aires (and Argentina as a whole) saw it’s best days long ago, and is now in a slow process of completely falling apart in both an economic and societal sense.

During my trip to the country I visited Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rosario and Mendoza. All four cities have crumbling infrastructure, a shockingly high level of poverty with an unacceptale number of families with young children living in the streets, and major crime problems.

A Boring City?

Personally I found Argentina very dull. I had high expectations of Buenos Aires, but after spending two weeks there I found that it has nothing to offer other than a few European style buildings to look at, and lots of sub-par restaurants and nightclubs with ridiculously high drink prices that are filled with party girls and party boys who are paid to be there. Oh, and a few over-priced tango shows aimed at tourists looking for that false image of the city that everyone so often hears about. Anyone claiming that Buenos Aires is a world class city is greatly mistaken; it is a very faded star, and one that is virtually non-functional.

Don’t count on help from the Buenos Aires police if you get into trouble, as a local and they will tell you that the majority of the police are more interested in fleecing money from people than being any sort of help.

As for Cordoba, Rosario and Mendoza? Other than the wineries, I found them to be boring, unappealing cities featuring nothing but serious crime problems. Not fun, not interesting, not worth the visit.

Is Argentina The Next Venezuela?

I went last month with my mother to visit family friends in BA and could not believe what a mess it is. Argentina will turn into the next Venezuela if they do not change the way they do things very soon.

A Failed City and Country?

I have been lucky enough to visit most of the larger cities in South America (Sao Paulo, Rio, Bogota, Lima, Santiago, Asuncion and others) and I loved all of them in their own way. Buenos Aires is a different story. They have managed to turn what could be one of the most beautiful cities in the world into a total dump. Every person I came across seemed to hold some sort of false entitlement which makes a bad situation even more depressing. They are too proud to acknowledge that they are living in a failed city and country, which means things will not be getting better anytime soon.

Makes Rio Look Like Paradise?

I’m a world traveller and this is without A doubt the worst “cosmopolitan” city I’ve ever been to. Makes Rio look like paradise.
Never coming back, it’s that nasty.

Observation on the Buenos Aires Comments

Something curious in the comments was that many Argentinans were offended by what was written and would say that “this happens in all big cities.” But they would repeatedly accuse the commenters of racism or borderline racism. What is odd, is that none of the comments mentioned race. Is racism the new way of deflecting criticism?

As long as the item in question is not associated or created by whites, then can the term racism be used as an argument against the claim?

Another commenter petitioned to have the race of the person who robbed the commenter removed because the term negro was used. The person petitioning World Nomad said he was black, and he found the comment offensive. However, what is racist or offensive about the person’s race who robbed him of being identified? If the person who robbed the commenter were Swedish, would this person also want that censored?