Buenos Aires Shopping Tips by swesn

BUENOS AIRES: ONCE

If you are in need of an extra duffel bag to toss in all your new shopping, some candles for your seance or witchcraft practice, to replace a missing Buddha, frivolous shopping for cheap clothes and costume jewelleries, etc... head to the area near the Once (pronounced On-Say) Station.

This is roughly bordered by Av Pueyrredon, Av Rivadavia, Av Corrientes and Av Callao. And here is where most of the Chinese shop-keepers had located themselves. And so, here you can find their impossibly cheap and low-quality goods.

If you need items for your handicrafts (be it candle-making, jewellery-making, etc...), this is the place to hunt for such things as well.

Even if you don't need anything, just drop by here for a look-see, to experience the other end of Buenos Aires shopping - trashy shopping.

What to buy: Unimportant things that you need and can afford to buy the cheap stuff

Address: Near Once Station

Theme: Discount Store

BUENOS AIRES : BOOKSHOPS WITH ENGLISH BOOKS Books Review

Intellectual Buenos Aires is a bookshop paradise. In fact, the Argentinians have one of the highest literacy rate - 96% - in the world.

If you read Spanish, you will be spoilt for choices for the MANY VERY GOOD Spanish Literature in the hundreds of bookshops (new and used) EVERYWHERE and you will probably come out very broke.

If you are looking for English books, here are my recommendations after scouring all over city for 2 months...

ABC at Avenida Cordoba 685 has VERY INTELLECTUAL AND GOOD English books but VERY EXPENSIVE. All are priced in US$ and British Pounds.

LIBRERIA RODRIGUEZ, Sarmiento 835 / another branch on Florida, has a not-bad selection of GOOD English books. But they are misguided about our choices by stocking a whole section of classics and Shakespeare (as if WE read those…).

EL ALTENEO, Florida 340 / Santa Fe 1860, has thrillers and the usual Danielle Steel, John Grisham, etc... ‘best-sellers’.

DISTAL, several on Florida, have a handful of English books. May be able to find something good if you are lucky.

Theme: Books

BUENOS AIRES : FERIA HIPPIE AT PLAZA FRANCIA

The Hippie Fair in Plaza Francia, near the Cemetery Recoleta is on every weekend and public holidays from around noon onwards.

It is a great place to browse for various sorts of handicrafts (some, very artistic indeed), self-made clothes and candles, mate cups, jewellery, trinkets and various Argentinian souvenirs, etc… and people-watch. Sometimes, there are bands performing in the park. You can have Tarot card readings here too.

After spending more than 2 months here in Buenos Aires, I have to add that this is indeed my favourite 'feria' in this city in terms of the quality of the crafts and the size.

What to buy: Very artistic hand-crafted jewelleries, clothes, tango figurines, leather bags, belts and shoes, knitted scarves and bags, very creative displays of all sorts, e.g. clocks, signs, etc...

Address: Between Av. Alvear & Av. Libertador

Theme: Local Craft

Website: http://www.losartesanos.com/editorial/plazafrancia.htm

BUENOS AIRES: PARQUE RIVADAVIA

Half hidden behind the second-hand book stalls at Parque Rivadavia are not-so-legal MP3, DVDs, etc... At 5 Arg Pesos a pop... Enough said.

What to buy: Second-hand (or more like, multiple-hand) books that disintegrate into smithereens when you touch them

Not-so-legal MP3, DVDs which you choose by catalogue and then the seller disappears somewhere for a few minutes before surfacing with the goods

Address: Parque Rivadavia

Directions: Take Linea A until Acoyte.

Theme: Music

BUENOS AIRES: FERIA DE MATADEROS

On Sundays and Public Holidays (from 2pm onwards), in the outskirts of Buenos Aires' centre - Mataderos - there is a huge weekend market for the 'gauchos' (cowboys).

Mataderos is a neighbourhood of abattoirs that slaughter the cows that we have been eating. Yep, I have only seen sizzling 'asados' and 'bifes' but someone must slice up the cows into bite-size for us. You will be able to smell a rancid odour once you are near there.

The market is crowded with a lot of craft stalls and restaurants selling bifes, choripans, etc... Sometimes, there are 'gauchos' performing stunts like riding horses while trying to spear a ring.

But what is really lovely are the music and dancers. There is a 'live' band performing traditional folk music. Dancers can be found snapping their fingers and swirling around to the tunes of chamame, gato, chacarera, zamba, etc… These are not professional dancers, mind you. From Monday to Friday, their professions could range from bakers to bankers but here and now, at the 'feria', they are all dancers, their faces are full of concentration and expression as they dance and hop, wave their handkerchiefs and spin around with all their heart and soul.

What to buy: The goods sold here in the fair are mainly crafts with the cowboy theme - leather, boleadores (trio of balls linked by a rope), belts, bombachas de campo (a kind of baggy pants with a button each at the bottom of the leg-portions, usually worn by gauchos), ponchos, mate, knives, etc… And the usual kitsch figurine displays.

Beware of pickpockets!!

Address: Av. Lisandro de la Torre and Av. De Los Corrales

Directions: Take Linea A to Primera Junta. Take 36 in the direction of the incremental of Av. Rivadavia to Av. Lisandro de la Torre. Takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour from there. Ask the driver where to get off.

Theme: Local Craft

Leather: BUENOS AIRES: LEATHER Leather Review

Tourists usually get accosted along Calle Florida by leather touts. I believe the prices there are much higher.

Walk along Avenida Corrientes to the area between Avenida Callao and Avenida Pueyrredon. You should be able to find shops selling leather goods, like wallets, belts, etc... that are reasonably-priced.

What to buy: Leather goods

Address: Av Corrientes between Av. Callao & Av. Pueyrredon

Theme: Local Craft

BUENOS AIRES : CALLE FLORIDA AND CALLE LAVALLE Calle Florida (Florida street) Review

They are apparently the only two pedestrian malls in the centre of Buenos Aires. The shopping streets are lined with music outlets, bookshops, cafes and take-aways, clothing, internet cabins, locutorios telephone cabins, snack kiosks, newspaper kiosks, ice-cream parlours, cinemas, etc… everything that anyone ever needs in a city.

The cheapest internet cabins are found along these streets and late in the night, close to mid-night or so during the weekends, some shops are still opened!

To be honest, in terms of shopping for leather goods or clothes, this is not really the right place as they are quite expensive (especially along Calle Florida) due to the high tourist traffic. But it is still a great place to people-watch, enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city and catch some street performances like tango or musicians and 'statues', etc... A delightful place!

What to buy: Mainly for enjoying the atmosphere as the prices here are generally higher. But books, clothes, leather goods, photography materials, shoes, etc... are all found here.

Address: Calle Florida, Calle LaValle

Theme: Other

BUENOS AIRES: SAN ISIDRO WEEKEND MARKET

San Isidro has a moderately large weekend craft market that is worthwhile to take a look if you wish to spend a quiet weekend away from Buenos Aires' city centre.

San Isidro is a upper-class suburb a little bit to the north. To get there, you take the train from Retiro (the one heading towards Tigre).

Once you get off at San Isidro station, ask around for the 'feria' (fair) or watch where the main cathedral is and wander there.

What to buy: Very lovely handicrafts, jewellery, clothes, bags, etc...

Theme: Local Craft

BUENOS AIRES : PHOTO DEVELOPMENT AT REIFSCHNEIDER

Watch out for promotions.

There was a ‘DEVELOP 5 ROLLS AND THE LAST ROLL IS FREE’ promotion when I was there. So, it averaged out to 18 Arg Pesos per roll.

They use FUJI paper and the quality is really quite good.

There are 2 branches along Calle Florida, Florida 250 and Florida 439.

Theme: Other

BUENOS AIRES : PLAZA DORREGO, SAN TELMO

The San Telmo area has charming old buildings with wooden doors and iron balconies, and some streets remained cobbled-stoned. This is the traditional corner of Buenos Aires, peppered with many of those lovely, traditional bar-cafes.

There are also antique shops selling all sorts of antiques - old gramophone players, Baroque-style furniture, vases, discoloured posters of Che Guevera, Eva Peron and the likes, glass-wares and crystals, terribly kitsch plastic toys, ancient books and mate cups, boleadoras, etc... Charming, but a little tacky.

On Sunday, Plaza Dorrego is over-run with stalls selling MORE antiques, ancient mates, and other collectibles. Very delightful atmosphere.

Be very careful of pickpockets and robbers.

Theme: Antiques