You can't spell Bariloche without "BA" and you have to fly through BA to get there.

You can't spell Bariloche without "BA" and you still have to fly through BA to get there.

As the name of the site implies, we try to keep the focus on the City and the Province of Buenos Aires which includes Argentina’s portion of The Tango Coast. Still, there are times when foreign media outlets put the spotlight on other corners of this amazing country, and InvestBA readers should explore the opportunities that exist beyond BA. The New York Times gives readers such an opportunity today with the Great Homes & Destinations section showcasing San Carlos de Bariloche, a beautiful resort town at the base of the Andes in Argentina’s beautiful Lakes Region. The House Hunting home in question is a 4 bed/3 bath lakefront house on half an acre for $1.3 million, and the slide show is available here. The article offers a wide range of useful information for anyone contemplating real estate investment in Argentina. The majority of buyers today are from Argentina; however, buyers from Europe and the United States are also common.” “There are no major restrictions for foreigners buying property in Argentina,” the Times notes, and home prices in this corner of Patagonia range from $100-$190/square foot compared to approximately $160-$280 in Palermo or $230-$460 in Recoleta. And while home buyers in Argentina typically pay a 3-4% commission, that is more than offset over time by low property taxes relative to the U.S., Canada and Europe. The tax bill on the 4,300 square foot home featured here is around $600/year. For those planning their initial exploratory visit, the Times recommends the Llao Llao as an ideal Bariloche basecamp.

A park bench in Plaza Intendente Seeber in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires

A park bench in Plaza Intendente Seeber in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires

William Bonner, author of The New Empire of Debt: The Rise and Fall of an Epic Financial Bubble, tells Daily Reckoning readers why they should diversify out of their home countries and shares a personal anecdote from Recoleta to restore your faith in humanity…or at least in city park workers in Buenos Aires. (Full article) Bonner says “the go-go finance-based economies of the Anglo-Saxon world have peaked out,” so investors should be looking at Latin America. He feels Argentina “will be spared the big problems” of the most recent global crisis, and investors should expect higher returns vs. the U.S. over the next 20 years. The second half of Bonner’s piece uses a friend’s travel anecdote to counter some lingering stereotypes about Buenos Aires. A random purse-snatching in Recoleta has a happy ending when the woman receives the following, painstakingly-translated e-mail from a City of Buenos Aires Public Spaces worker: “Hi good afternoon, my name is Emiliano, is that i work doing maintenance of parks and squares in the area of Palermo, and in one of the trash bins encontre a series of documentation to its name and among other things i could detect this mail…i leave my mobile Phone in order to combine a meeting so that you can restore their belongings, but more, i dismissal of you carefully.” Such a tale leaves you wondering just where would we be without good Samaritans, Google Translate and Santo Emiliano?

BA Visitor Finds “‘Round the Clock Drama”

Source: flickr - Palermo Viejo streetscape taken by particleandparcel

Source: flickr - Palermo Viejo streetscape taken by particleandparcel

Travel writer David Armstrong shares the sights; sounds; and red, meaty flavors of his first trip to Buenos Aires with San Francisco Chronicle readers, and the tales will surely inspire others to discover BA. Like many newcomers to Argentina, Armstrong says he arrived “with a jumble of images in my mind’s eye: lithe, beautiful dancers; huge, sizzling steaks; throbbing nightlife.” In reality, he savors all of that and more. A seasoned world traveler, Armstrong visits areas of BA and draws comparisons with Milan and Berlin. He and his wife settle down at La Otra Orilla, a Palermo Viejo B&B, and eventually fall in love with Palermo, a neighborhood he describes as “one big, delightful urban walkabout (teeming) with trendy cafes and shops, lively bars, toothsome restaurants.” The article also includes a Beginner’s Guide to Tango and Armstong’s Must See List for future travelers to BA including the MALBAPlaza Dorrego and the Botanical Gardens in Palermo.

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Americans Abroad: A Perfect Day in BA

perfectdayinbaToday the Boston Globe asks Boston-area college students participating in study abroad programs around the world to describe “the perfect day” in their newly adopted cities. The first (and most colorful) response comes from Northeastern student Michelle Catagnus who describes her perfect day in Buenos Aires from buying fresh-squeezed orange juice in Recoleta to gathering with friends for bife de chorizo at Buller Brewing Company (the first microbrewery in Buenos Aires) to dining on mango alligator and dancing the night away atAsia de Cuba in Puerto Madero. Click here to read Michelle’s full response, and click here for a full list of Study Abroad opportunities in Buenos Aires.

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