April Trip Suggestion - BA or SP

[Latbear4blk]

12 hours ago, msclelovr said:

I appreciate your advice was well-meaning @Latbear4blk but I ate many, many  times in restaurants in Palermo (Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, even Palermo Chico).
 

I always avoided places geared to tourists. I chose only good restaurants that were heavily patronized by locals and where reservations were essential. FWIW of the areas you mention, I never ate in La Boca, only 2x in Puerto Madero (in the Faena) and I also ate in places in or near Villa Freud, La Isla but mainly Recoleta.

@Anthonyvan

 

 

Of course it was well meaning. The thing is that I am confused, because I find a quite abundant vegetarian offer, if you know how to order, even in the touristic places. Even if you are vegan, there is a strip of restaurant in Avda Cordoba and Callao. But anyway, beyond plenty of places where you can me your own salad, you can order almost in every place: pascualina, tortilla de papas, tortilla de acelgas, tortilla de espinacas, empanadas with countless vegetarian options, provoleta, berenjenas en escabeche, tartas (perhaps you would call them uncovered pies?) in countless vegetarian options, and those are just the popular ubiquitous non meat/chicken/fish options.

If you mean restaurants with an exclusive vegetarian menu, you are right, those are hard to find although they exist. Just like in DC.

[Anthonyvan]

10 hours ago, bucky13 said:

While your "routine" sounds healthy, sane and admirable as you live your normal life at home, your rigidness when travelling is actually just being stubborn.  

Jetlag and timechange will already likely throw your bodyclock way off it's typical course so why not at least try to adjust to the local experience?  Take your 10 days and shift everything around just a little bit by NOT getting up so early, by NOT missing out on all the late night fun, by NOT refusing to eat at 11PM.  The body of a young, fit Asian dude can certainly adapt to local grooves, no?

"When in Rome...."  has had validity for centuries.  As does "Try it - You might like it."  

Haha. Point well taken. I definitely had tried it, but my body just couldn't do it. Not only do my eyes feel watery and sensitive, but my body also feels rigid and achy. I wish my body were designed differently, and that's why I admire their ability to do such different schedule. 

Don't get me wrong. I will definitely try the local schedule, but that's certainly a concern. Maybe local guys are too hot to resist, and I will just have to roll it with them .lol

[davet]

@anthonyvan - what part of the States are you from? If from the W. Coast, just don't reset your internal clock. 10 pm W Coast time is 4 am South American party time, still a bit early, but you will have put in a respectable night by 4 am.

[Riobard]

He and I are in the largest northern state that includes the Arctic but is not Alaska. LOL

22:00 is 03:00 ... daylight savings in Brazil was discontinued this year. But the biorhythm suggestion is good. 

In April the difference is down to 4 hours. 

Edited January 14, 2020 by Riobard

[Anthonyvan]

19 hours ago, davet said:

@anthonyvan - what part of the States are you from? If from the W. Coast, just don't reset your internal clock. 10 pm W Coast time is 4 am South American party time, still a bit early, but you will have put in a respectable night by 4 am.

Not from the States but on the west coast. lol. 

I actually did that, but the byproduct was that I could wake up at like 11 or 12 in the morning. That's really convenienct for sightseeing. 

Edited January 15, 2020 by Anthonyvan

[Anthonyvan]

13 hours ago, Riobard said:

He and I are in the largest northern state that includes the Arctic but is not Alaska. LOL

22:00 is 03:00 ... daylight savings in Brazil was discontinued this year. But the biorhythm suggestion is good. 

In April the difference is down to 4 hours. 

Good memory. lol. I take it that you are from the east coast and may be in academia? 

[davet]

@Anthonyvan - pardon me for assuming you are from "the States". I thought I actually saw that in the thread but no. Add my chime in that you could have a very nice, relaxed, easy-paced trip doing 4-5 days in SP and 4-5 days in BA. Two very different cities, cultures, and "scenes." While Sao Paulo does have its charms, it is not by any means considered a touristic town. I've found things to like about SP and always made a point to explore new neighborhoods or restaurants, but it's been my longstanding belief that the single greatest most mindblowing must-see-it-to-believe-it, won't find it anywhere else tourist attraction in SP was the old Lagoa. I can only say that to a small segment of people who ask about SP, so I'll say it here. But most people find SP to be a concrete jungle unless they scratch the surface real hard.

BA is special to me because I've been there at some interesting, restless times in Argentine history (of which there is much). It is a place of many tales, many eye-opening impressions, and many very talkative people. The most memorable tales, impressions, and talkative-if-dubious people have usually occurred at about 3 a.m., somewhere near Avda. Santa Fe. I'm normally a bed at 10, up at 4:30 (!) kind of guy. Sleep dep hits my body real hard and tends to give me a cold after a few days. But I loved soaking up the nocturnal side of BA, as there's nothing like it anywhere I've traveled. Things I've seen around 3 a.m. on the streets: Entire family window-shopping with young child in hand and toddler in stroller, video game hall packed with teens, blue haired fur-decked ladies powdering their nose or having fainting spells or both, cartoneros driving horse-drawn carts, an angry gate-pounding demonstration. The famous (and overrated) cemetery has a massive bar and restaurant scene going all night right outside its walls. 

But it's been a while for me so maybe things have changed. 

[Riobard]

10 hours ago, Anthonyvan said:

Good memory. lol. I take it that you are from the east coast and may be in academia? 

Hahahaha ... my Momma learned me my big and little hand early. Yeah, Eastern time. Even Air Canada has been confounded by the DST reboot in Brazil this year ... they have already revised my (from) São Paulo departure time by a one-hour factor a couple of times.

[Latbear4blk]

15 hours ago, davet said:

 

But it's been a while for me so maybe things have changed. 

No, they have not. Perhaps the only difference you would notice is the depreciation of the areas around Avenida Santa Fe and Recoleta cemetery, because now many others have become touristic/night life attractions. Buenos Aires night is still a bomb, if you can stay awake.

[davet]

What are the new hot spots? Palermo and its infinite sub-barrios? I'm toying with the idea of heading down later this year for the eclipse.

[Anthonyvan]

On 1/14/2020 at 11:07 PM, davet said:

@Anthonyvan - pardon me for assuming you are from "the States". I thought I actually saw that in the thread but no. Add my chime in that you could have a very nice, relaxed, easy-paced trip doing 4-5 days in SP and 4-5 days in BA. Two very different cities, cultures, and "scenes." While Sao Paulo does have its charms, it is not by any means considered a touristic town. I've found things to like about SP and always made a point to explore new neighborhoods or restaurants, but it's been my longstanding belief that the single greatest most mindblowing must-see-it-to-believe-it, won't find it anywhere else tourist attraction in SP was the old Lagoa. I can only say that to a small segment of people who ask about SP, so I'll say it here. But most people find SP to be a concrete jungle unless they scratch the surface real hard.

BA is special to me because I've been there at some interesting, restless times in Argentine history (of which there is much). It is a place of many tales, many eye-opening impressions, and many very talkative people. The most memorable tales, impressions, and talkative-if-dubious people have usually occurred at about 3 a.m., somewhere near Avda. Santa Fe. I'm normally a bed at 10, up at 4:30 (!) kind of guy. Sleep dep hits my body real hard and tends to give me a cold after a few days. But I loved soaking up the nocturnal side of BA, as there's nothing like it anywhere I've traveled. Things I've seen around 3 a.m. on the streets: Entire family window-shopping with young child in hand and toddler in stroller, video game hall packed with teens, blue haired fur-decked ladies powdering their nose or having fainting spells or both, cartoneros driving horse-drawn carts, an angry gate-pounding demonstration. The famous (and overrated) cemetery has a massive bar and restaurant scene going all night right outside its walls. 

But it's been a while for me so maybe things have changed. 

The only reason that SP is on the list is because there's no good flight from the West Coast to Rio, either exorbitantly long (over 30 hours) or insanely expensive. However, AC does offer a good direct flight between Toronto and SP. That's why I am thinking about going to SP. Not to mention flights between SP and Rio are unbelievably cheap. 

Are you of Latino descent? Bed at 10 and up at 4:30. I must say that sounds like a West Coast guy up for early trading or a business guy that deals with a lot of east coast customers. Just a wild guess. If I go to BA in the end, I have to sharpen my Spanish skill, which currently is barely conversational.  

[davet]

If that's the only reason you're going to SP then I increase my suggestion for you to add on another locale. Unless you can get into big crazy global cities just for their bigness and craziness, you might be hurting after a few days. But I'll share my SP nonsexual attractions later if you need tips on how to fill time there. Others here can too, I'm sure. Is there no United flight from west coast Canada to Houston? That, I find, is the best connection point. I've done the SP-Toronto connection a couple times. It's like taking 2 long international (for me) flights back to back.

Argentines speak a distinct, and fast, form of Spanish, including slightly different conjugations. Brace yourself. I'm not Latin but I've been to many hispanophone countries and love picking out their linguistic particularities. I am a west coaster but that sleep schedule is just from getting old. lol. (And to exercise, also very west coasty.)

[Anthonyvan]

2 hours ago, davet said:

If that's the only reason you're going to SP then I increase my suggestion for you to add on another locale. Unless you can get into big crazy global cities just for their bigness and craziness, you might be hurting after a few days. But I'll share my SP nonsexual attractions later if you need tips on how to fill time there. Others here can too, I'm sure. Is there no United flight from west coast Canada to Houston? That, I find, is the best connection point. I've done the SP-Toronto connection a couple times. It's like taking 2 long international (for me) flights back to back.

Argentines speak a distinct, and fast, form of Spanish, including slightly different conjugations. Brace yourself. I'm not Latin but I've been to many hispanophone countries and love picking out their linguistic particularities. I am a west coaster but that sleep schedule is just from getting old. lol. (And to exercise, also very west coasty.)

After reading everyone's comments, I believe adding either Rio or BA seems to be the most logical way to go. I came across the Houston flight as well. The caveats with that if I remember correctly are the fare, being at least 300 more, and the flight going to Houston being so exorbitantly early. I don't mind red eye flight, but flight at 6 something is just too much for me. 

Yes, I did notice that Argentinos would speak quite differently from other Latinos. That was my experience in Cancun at least. They also speak very fast, kinda like singing. I guess getting old isn't so bad after all. Going to bed early and getting up early, at least according to the 2017 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine in regards to circadian rhythm, are good for your health.  

[Latbear4blk]

SayingthatArgentineansspeakfastisjustperpetuatinganothermyth. LikesayingArgentineansarerude. Motherfuckers.