A colourful city
Before I visited Buenos Aires so many people told me that I would love it that I was almost ready to be underwhelmed by my big expectations of the place. However they were right, BA captured my heart, and went way beyond my expectations. With cities such as London and São Paulo as my main references, I always expect capital cities to be hectic and a bit stressful. However Argentina’s capital is one of the most calming cities I’ve ever visited. It’s a combination of the vast open streets, the parks almost on every corner and the chilled-out attitude of Argentinians. The Parisian-esque architecture, quirky independent shops and huge choice of galleries were just what I was seeking as an inspirational work + play getaway. It’s such a huge city that it’s hard to get to know the whole place in two weeks, let alone write about allll the places worth visiting, so the focus here is on Palermo and Recoleta, with a couple of little trips to the south of the city.
Places to work + get inspired.
For those of us who mix travel and work, in big capital cities it can be tricky to find places to focus, plug in various devices and try to not spend our whole day’s earnings. So a big focus on this trip was finding cheap / free places to work, I like to mix it up a bit and not stay in the same place too long, so lucky for you, I found many.
Huerta Coworking
This is one of the coolest co-working spaces I’ve been to, not only does it have ample cosy spaces to work with plenty of natural light. It boasts a roof terrace with a mini garden, hence the name ‘Huerta’ which means vegetable garden in Spanish. They grow their own veggies and herbs which are then used by members for their big group lunches! The place also has yoga classes and runs art events, the expo we saw was some colour block collages which I loved. They a free introductory day pass which you can find on coworker.com.
Cafe Registrado
This one’s for the coffee snobs. They roast their own and do all the fancy ‘modas de preparacion’, which is great, I like good coffee, I had an icy one. Main point being that it’s a chilled environment, their upstairs space looks almost like a co-working space with plugs galore and a cute little terrace. It’s also in the heart of Palermo, surrounded by adorable little boutiques and some of the best street art in the city. caferegistrado.com
Libros del Pasaje
We stumbled across this place on one of our first wanders around Palermo, Jas was enchanted by the fact that it was stuffed full of books, nevermind in a language neither of us can read, BOOKS! I was tempted in by the beautiful covers and shortly adored the place when I spotted the mezzanine corner with a sign stating ‘libros del arte’. Like many of BAs bookstores, Libros del Pasaje also features a little cafe, and by the looks of all the laptops open, the Wifi must be pretty good. We didn’t end up working there, but I can vouch that the sofas are comfy. I found myself back there on a Friday night getting lost in photography books, reading captions in Spanish, and asking myself how my Friday nights had come to be so different all of a sudden!
Libros del Pasaje | Open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM – 9 PM & Sundays 2 PM – 9 PM | Thames 1792 |
Centro Cultural Recoleta
I LOVE this place. I think I went there 4 out of the 5 days that we spent in Recoleta. It’s a gallery, events space and just a generally great place to hang out in my opinion. The curation has a strong female presence, showcasing female activist artists alongside a showcase of a women-only comic art collective. There’s various spaces to chill and work, there’s a seating area with plugs and various courtyards, each with their own different vibe. Their events program of dance and theatre looks brilliant, one night my American friend Jeff and I stumbled upon a cumbia and techno party in which we ended up becoming part of a performance art piece, which was one of my highlights of BA. centroculturalrecoleta.org
Selina Palermo Soho
One of two Selina hostels in the city, the Palermo Soho space boasts walls painted by some of Argentina’s up-and-coming artists and rooftop yoga on Wednesdays, which of course we couldn’t resist. We enjoyed a vinyasa flow class led by (yogateacher) and stayed for the day, working outside with an expansive view of the city. I have to admit I felt pretty fancy working from a suspended bed on a roof terrace.
Maricafé
Another café bookstore, Maricafé focuses on selling LGBT zines and books, has really fun colourful decor and outdoor seating. They also have a little DJ booth and cinema screen in the corner for weekend events! maricafe.com.ar/
As we’re a remote agency, adventure is key to how we work. We want to promote a culture of exploration, and connecting local projects with travellers around the globe. Look out for our next travel guide for Peru coming soon and check out our Floripa, Brazil guide here!
