With progressive attitudes on social issues and a spirited, chic style
that evokes Paris, Rome, and New York City, buoyant Buenos Aires has
become the GLBT capital of Latin America. In this distinctly
European-feeling city, the worlds of high fashion, haute cuisine, and
tango come together, and an unstable economy has become a boon for
visitors from other nations, because it's led to favorable
foreign-currency exchange rates. Indeed, what was not long ago the most
expensive capital city in South America has become one of the cheapest
major metropolises in the world.
This city of nearly 3 million (12 million live in the metro region) sits
along the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata, a wide estuary that
forms the border between Argentina and Uruguay. Spanish conquistadors
established a foothold here in the early 1500s, and the city retains
close ties to Europe - many Portenos (as residents are known)
have Spanish and Italian lineage, and significant numbers also trace
their roots to Germany, Great Britain, Russia, and France. This is very
much an international destination, and Buenos Aires has followed the
lead of many European cities by actively courting GLBT tourists (the
tourism office produces an excellent gay brochure and map) and
legalizing same-sex civil unions.
North Americans are sometimes deterred from traveling to Buenos Aires by
steep airfares (which typically range from around $800 to $1,200
round-trip), but once you're actually in Argentina, the cost of travel
is so amazingly low that you can easily spend less on a vacation here
than you would in western Europe or the Caribbean. Also consider that
during slower times, some airlines' frequent flyer programs offer
round-trip flights here for as few as 40,000 miles off-peak (typically
March through May and again mid-August through November, which are
perfectly pleasant times to visit).
Prices for most goods - as well as food and cocktails, taxis,
electronics, and many other items - are generally 40 to 70 percent less
than in the United States. Look for especially great deals on leather
goods (from wallets to jackets), and enjoy the shockingly low prices of
fine steaks and wines (two products for which Argentina is justly
renowned) at great restaurants.
Buenos Aires (aka B.A.) is a sprawling city, but because cabs are easy
to hail on the street and extremely inexpensive, they're a very
practical way to make your way around. This is also a generally safe and
enjoyable city to explore on foot. The central neighborhoods of
Microcentro, Congreso, and Retiro are typical business and commerce
centers, and nearby Recoleta is a wealthy hub of high-end hotels and
ritzy apartment towers. In these areas you'll find many of the city's
top museums, performing arts venues, and political buildings, but you
need to venture farther afield to get to know gay B.A. Continue to page
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The Hunk
