el precio es correcto

san telmo, buenos aires

for those who believe a dollar can´t buy anything anymore, i present to them buenos aires. well, after they paid for the thousand dollar flight, then i would present it to them. after that, moving around is not only cheap, it´s pretty easy too.

¿got 1 peso (33 cents)? you can take the bus to more or less any destination in the city. intimidating at first, all you need is the pocket sized guia´t´, 192 mini-pages composed of maps/grids/potpourri that shows which buses go where. this is helpful as bus service is available frequently, around-the-clock, and will stop like taxis just by flagging them down.

¿got 90 centavos (30 cents)? you can take the subte. it offers a handful of lines radiating from the center, like chicago´s ell, through underground tunnels, like new york´s mta. there are television´s for your wait on the platform, all the tunnels are wired for cellular use, the seats are occasionally velvet, and the smell of urine has yet to be detected.

¿got 4 pesos ($1.33)? get yourself a media luna (croissant) sandwich. with ham and cheese, they are the perfect way to start your day. i felt like i had a breakthrough today when i went to the local panaderia and the lady pointed me directly to them, the universal sign of recognition (and respect, of course).

¿got 5 pesos ($1.66)? get yourself a bottle of vinto tinto. not only will you be surprised by the fact that such a cheap bottle can taste so good, you´ll be amazed that your local supermercado sells bottles that are almost as good for slightly more than half of this price.

¿got 15 pesos ($5) mas o menos? take a taxi. they are everywhere, like new york, and the drivers are some of the nicest people you can meet, unlike new york. there are few better ways to practice your spanish, or to learn coarse local colloquialisms.

but, like life, the best things in this city are free. to walk past children playing soccer, old men playing cards, to ponder local graffiti, admire local balconies, or to walk in and out of various galleries costs nothing. a pair of comfortable zapatos may be your best ticket.

post script: empanaderia wisdom (sign at empanada place)
felices son los que dan sin recordar y reciben sin olvidar