This is our first international trip as a family of four!
As expected, the flight here wasn’t ideal. But, after a stressful week leading up to the trip (immigration issues with our son, Yellow Fever vaccines, and just getting prepared for the trip), the airport ended up being the easy part.
But, because we ended up on a red-eye flight as Avianca changed our flight a few times, the overnight one ended up being the better option. (If you can call it that).
The kids slept well on the flight, but with only five hours of airtime (which, any other time isn’t bad, but overnight, you want to be able to squeeze in more shut-eye, no?). They were also the most behaved, especially to the grown men who were widely inconsiderate sitting in front of us. We’ll get into that in another post.
All in all, we arrived smoothly.
The Uber to the Airbnb — in the neighborhood of Belgrano/Barrio Chino — took almost two hours from EZE. But, we didn’t mind. Honestly, we love landing at the airport just as the sun is coming up and the city is waking up. It’s truly a magical feeling. The first thing we noticed were how much the highways resembled those in Europe. They were wide, smooth, and…well, compared to Bogota, clean. We have a weird obsession with trees, and there were just so many interesting-looking ones on the way in.
We chose our Airbnb because it was in a neighborhood outside of the touristy area, and since Buenos Aires is a big city, we figured it’d be cool to check out a more local part. There is a subway here, after all. We also picked it because it was equipped with all the baby stuff we needed — a pack n’ play, a highchair, and a baby tub.
The first day is always exhausting, but we found a little breakfast spot called Usina Cafe. We got eggs, toast with a type of spreadable cheese that we remember having (and thoroughly enjoying) in Brazil, a medialuna, a croissant, juice, and coffee. (We have yet to try Yerba mate, but we are intrigued). Our son also is on solids now, so it’s been fun having him join in on these food experiences with us. (Including the Chinese food we had the other night).
While people are very friendly in the cafes, we have only run into 1-2 places that have a highchair, which is a bit inconvenient.
Nearby our apartment is Plaza Alberti, with a big playground. At night, that place is poppin’ like a nightclub, with people drinking their Yerba Mate. Last night, kids were having a scavenger hunt and another one had a bubble machine. Needless to say, Mika enjoyed staying up a little bit past her bedtime to experience this.
And, speaking of bedtime, we are still a bit shifted. Normally, our kids sleep at 5:30 PM, but the two-hour time change means we are getting up and out a little later, and coming back a little later at night, which is actually nice.
To go off of playgrounds, all the playgrounds we’ve been to so far in Buenos Aires have been “excellent” according to my almost 4-year daughter, who still doesn’t quite understand rating something on a scale from 1-10, but does understand “good, great, or excellent”. (Ha). And, big, green, open parks that are pretty much accessible from anywhere.
And, to go back to the subway — that’s an adventure all on its own. As challenging as it is to travel with two little ones, at the end of the day, they are simple creatures. Mika is fascinated by the train and the playground, and everything else is either a bonus (or, overstimulating). And, she doesn’t care where, when, or what we eat, as long as she’s not starving. Eggs and avocados are great for dinner, and french fries will suffice. A hamburger is a hamburger.
Anyway, since moving to Bogota, being in Buenos Aires is the first time we’ve questioned our existence there (don’t worry, we still love it, and we still feel Bogota/Colombia has everything we need in this stage of our lives right now. But, being here, it’s hard to ignore the things it doesn’t have, and what we may want our life/situation to look like in a few years when the kids are older. (But, of course, Bogota also has things Buenos Aires doesn’t have, too).
Essentially, could we see ourselves living here?
Absolutely.
Would we?
Probably not.
I mean, never say never, but Buenos Aires is just too far from the rest of the world if you ask us. And, Bogota is perfect because it’s literally right between both of these cities.
But, this post is about Buenos Aires, not Bogota.
Favorite Places in Buenos Aires (So Far)
MIJU (make a reservation, and better when it’s not such a hot a day)
San Telmo (crowded, so get there early)
Pizzeria Guerrin
Palermo
Ecoparque
Random parks on the waterfront/Puerto Madero (cool playgrounds)
Pastries
Riding the subway
Just walking
What’s been working on this trip so far:
Having planned an itinerary before we came, we found we were ‘getting ahead’ on it. We may have planned to see one specific thing, but then realized we were walking distance to something else, or one activity didn’t take so long.
Having go-to meal-type snacks. Since the baby is eating solids but still can’t chow down on a steak, it’s been helpful to have a banana on deck.
Having two strollers. We weren’t sure if we would need them as our daughter can ride in the basket of the big stroller, but it’s nice to have “her” stroller, and the baby can sit in it, too, as we only brought his car seat attachment which can be uncomfortable.
Having the baby-carrier. We’re not that much into baby-carrying, but when he is awake, it’s the perfect opportunity to let him stretch out a bit and see everything.
The subway has been amazing, but Uber is also easily accessibly and has worked out when we’re all too tired. (The subway stops can be quite far from some major areas, so in some cases we’d need to walk 25 minutes to get to the closest stop, which isn’t really ideal). We all fell asleep in the Uber ride home today.
It’s been nice to be across the street from a playground, because it’s a nice way to end the day and also bribe our daughter with anything we need to do.
It was good we brought some cash as some hole-in-the-wall places may charge a fee (up to 10%, which is basically what places ask for tip though). About $100/week is more than enough.
Though our daughter didn’t love a choripan, it’s pretty easy to find kid-friendly food here. There are a lot of Italian places, bakeries, etc.
What’s been challenging:
Overstimulating places. We went to Barrio Chino and San Telmo, which were both super fun. But, markets and crowds just don’t work with a kid with sensory issues and a giant stroller.
It was super hot and humid when we got here which was definitely draining us and a lot of restaurants and indoor places don’t have AC going like that this time of year. But, while being here, the weather has changed to fall, so we went from wearing shorts the first few days to now jeans and hoodies. (Luckily, we had a contact that lives here who prepared us for this.)
Unlike in Bogota, Uber Comforts here are not the same. They are small, and not actually comfortable. We’re still trying to find out what Comfort means here.
Keeping the Airbnb tidy. Is this a struggle for other people? Because we feel like we spend most of our time here tidying up.
Finding snacks. We haven’t had much luck getting soft avocados or just a small bag of chips or cookies to throw in the diaper bag.
The Spanish here is so different, that we’re honestly having a hard time communicating. But, after living in Portugal, we definitely notice the influence and our ear seems to be a bit more trained.
Doing everything. Even though we’ll probably hit everywhere on our list, the reality is traveling with little kids is still exhausting and different. Your whole days till revolves around their needs — how tired they are, how much they can walk or tolerate whatever it is, their interests, their eating schedules, etc.
The prices. It’s not “cheap” here. We’re spending close to $100/day. Which, we suppose for a family of four and covering a baby’s needs still isn’t that bad, but this is just on food. We try to eat one meal home or only two meals out, one being a lighter meal like breakfast with pastries and coffee.
OH, and we got to try the Roammies Babysitter Network! Or, at least in practice. We were looking for a babysitter we could use while here, but only via someone we could trust vs. a platform. Our close friend in Bogota who also has kids has a best friend that also lived in Bogota up until she was sent to Buenos Aires a few months ago. My friend connected us and because she also has kids, she referred HER babysitter who she wasn’t using this week since they are on vacation.
It worked out perfectly. We got to go out, enjoy a steak dinner (which is a two-handed meal that’s difficult to eat with two little kids in tow, though we did see families out eating late), then get some dessert. We only lasted 3.5 hours, but it was worth it and we may use it again.
All in all, Buenos Aires is an incredibly city and so unique. We still have about another week here, but we can’t wait to come back to this city as well as explore other places in Argentina!
Got any recs here or questions? Send us an email at [email protected].