1 comments about Argentina: The Bradt Travel Guide.

1. I went to Argentina in Nov 2006 and this book was very accurate and up to date. Well written and easy to use. My only complaint is that the maps could be better, but once I got to a city, the hotel usually had a better map I could use for free.

4 comments about The Rough Guide to Argentina Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map).

1. I drove through various counties in South America. Before leaving on this 16,000K trip I sought out the best maps. In comparison to other maps, this map of Argentina is a must have.
   
   I was trained by two gorillas with Tourette Syndrome on how to re-fold maps. My maps always look pristine on the first day, by the time I have arrived at my final destination the maps are beyond redemption, often consisting of segments and various pieces. This map holds up! The Rough Guide Maps are "Rip-Proof" & Waterproof because they are printed on a high grade sheet of plastic (kudos). Because of the plastic fabric it is easier to fold than paper maps.
   
   The roads (expressway, highway, secondary and other) are cleanly printed and in sharp detail making reading this map a breeze. The coloring and shading used allows for a good decimation of physical features, such as mountain ranges, valleys and peaks (Altitude noted). What is lacking is that the map is without any inset maps of major cities. This is a short coming but all-in-all this is an excellent road map of Argentina. Highly recommended. 4.5 Stars.



2. This reads very well, but the real test will come next month when I am actually using it in Argentina. Lots of good suggestions, hope they are realistic!



3. We are traveling to the Patagonian lakes region next week. I ordered four Argentina/Patagonia maps to compare them: ITM's Patagonia, Rutas de la Argentina, Rough Guide Map Argentina, and Map Guide Patagonia. I ended up keeping the Rutas de la Argentina and returning the others. This was the best English map of the lot. I found the road designations to be overly thick and difficult to distinguish. If you can handle the Spanish, Rutas is better.



4. I wouldn't purchase this again because it lacks a lot of the towns and cities on it.

5 comments about The Rough Guide to Argentina 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. The Rough Guide to Argentina (2nd edition published in January of 2005) is the best guide available for the entire country. I phrased it this way because Time Out Buenos Aires (published July 2006) is by far and away the best guide for the city of Buenos Aires.
   
   If you are a little leery of purchasing a guidebook printed almost two years ago I would recommend purchasing Time Out Buenos Aires as well because it seemed that only in Buenos Aires have things changed so rapidly that a newer guide would be necessary.
   Having said that you certainly can get away with just having The Rough Guide (just know that prices have gone up - which happens with all guide books).
   
   When comparing The Rough Guide to Argentina to Lonely Planet Argentina (the only real competition since Fodors, Frommers, and Bradt just don't compete) I can easily recommend Rough guide over Lonely Planet. The Rough Guide simply has more information (it has 372 MORE pages than Lonely Planet has). A few times I found that I'd read about a very intriguing and little known attraction in the Rough Guide only to find it missing altogether in Lonely Planet. I know that most guides are striving to also highlight the off the beaten track activities as well as the major ones and The Rough Guide achieves this in a much better way than Lonely Planet.
   
   I don't fault Lonely Planet for this because they produce good travel guides (especially in Europe), but it seems that they made the decision to not go as in depth as The Rough Guide has in South America (since I also found the same to be true with the Chile and Peru guides).
   
   The maps are very easy to use and more intuitive than Lonely Planet's, but it would be nice for Rough Guide to copy LP in printing the elevation and population of cities and towns.
   
   All areas of the country are represented well in the guide. Some are a bit more heavily detailed but it does not come at the expense of others.
   
   The "Basics" section is very detailed in highlighting entry requirements, transportation, health and safety issues, etc. There is also a lengthy discussion on the history of Argentina, it's peoples, culture, political system, food, etc.
   
   You will definitely not be disappointed after purchasing this guidebook.



2. I agree with pretty much with what has been said in the reviews below. The Rough Guide is a better value from the Lonely Planet, if nothing else for the additional number of pages (a third) that allow the authors to get into more detail on the history, politics and minutiae of places to stay and see.
   
   There are a few problems or personal recommendations I would make, or emphasize. The Guide is absolutely on target by recommending not to bring travellers checks. Not only are the banks loth to take them (only a minority actually do, the maximum is $100 per day) but there is an extraordinary amount of paperwork and they charge enormous fees. I brought most of the checks back home. There is a problem with Argentinian ATMs not listed in the Guide. Most ATMs use a 4 letter code and do not recognize 4+ codes from the USA or European debit/credit cards. You will quickly recognize and love the small minority that do (such as the Columbia Bank).
   
   The maps were very helpful to me.
   
   Some of the places described in the book were apparently never visited by the Guide's researchers, who must have relied on second-hand info from tour operators or Information agencies. A case in point is the Baritu National Park and its launching pad, the village Los Toldos, which are described from a standpoint of someone who has never been there.
   
   In general, I would say that the country is best experienced if one avoids organized tours. Argentines are a warm, interesting and interested people. It is one thing to sit in the bus with a bunch of Europeans and gringos and another to sit together with the locals... indigenous ladies returning from the market, old men in old hats, groups of seductive young women... you will see more of the land and experience more of the people. If you visit Iruya (which I thoroughly recommend), don't just stay for a couple of hours before returning to Humahuaca; i suggest renting a room in the village (for ridiculously low proces) and staying for a couple of days.
   
   There is very little about other countries and potential issues involved in crossing the borders. This goes for Brasil, Bolivia and Chile.
   
   Still, this is the guide to get. Enjoy the travels.



3. book arrived much earlier than other I'd ordered at same time, great condition, but extra box packaging is not necessary. Books like that only need padded envelopes.



4. I liked this better than the Frommer's guides, but I think the Lonely Planet guide does a better job. As a traveler on a student's budget, I didn't find this particular guide to be that useful or user-friendly. It IS informative and can be useful (language section, brief culture/history section, health section, etc.) but as I said, it wasn't right for me.
   
   I suggest the Lonely Planet guide to Argentina.



5. Three things:
   1. I have not yet been to Argentina so I have not verified my conclusion.
   2. I have not seen other Argentina guide books.
   3. I have a shelf full of other guide books for other countries and this is quite simply the best and most comprehensive travel guide I have ever seen. In the future I will consider Rough Guides first above all others, then evaluate.

5 comments about Frommer's Argentina & Chile (Frommer's Complete).

1. The guide must be updated for 2 restaurants I searched for (in a choice of only 5 options had been closed.



2. It is a good book with useful information to plan the trip. However, double check prices published in this book (need update) when you are in Argentina or Chile.



3. The book contains lots of general information and provides a thorough overview of Argentian. The Buenos Aires description and maps should be helpful when there. Tips and Side Trips are really informative and helpful.



4. Frommer's covers well information about expensive hotels and restaurants. It is not very helpful if you are looking for cheap travel lodging and meals.



5. Ugh! Where to begin? I went on a three week tour of Santiago & Buenos Aires with a friend of mine last month. I brought this book and he brought Lonely Planet's and let's just say my book ended up slowing us down as we lugged it around in out daybags. To start, this book only has ONE map each for Santiago and BA. And that map isn't even in great detail. Where as LP's book had a much larger general map of Santiago followed by many more zoomed in maps of each burrow.
   
   But you might be thinking to yourself, "So what, I'm a good navigator, I don't need a stinking map!" Well then good day to you, fine sir! But do you need suggestions and reviews on local sightseeing stops? Oh! So sorry! Because this book doesn't have any of those! I should clarify, they actually do have some suggestions and recommendations, but they tend to be along the lines of "Go here, it's fun" and that's it. No real info on what you'll do once you get there, no honest review as to whether it's good or not. Just a location, phone number, and a sentence or two saying "This is a local 'whatever' and it's a popular tourist spot." Gee, THANKS FROMMER'S! I felt like I was reading a Yellow Pages, not a travel guide.
   
   Even the restaurant suggestions were sub-par compared to their LP counterparts. I'd never used either travel guides before this trip, but I learned my lesson during this last trip and will never be buying one of Frommer's Travel books in the future. If you enjoy stress-free vacations and not wasting money, then I suggest you live by the same motto.

5 comments about Buenos Aires: A Cultural History (Cultural Histories Series).

1. This is not a "travel book" in the usual sense -- you will not, for instance, find anything about where to stay or eat. Rather, this is an historical, cultural, and literary guide to Buenos Aires that will make your time there more interesting and worthwhile.

   Progressing geographically through the city's most important streets, plazas, and neighborhoods, Wilson uses the observations of writers, artists, foreign visitors, politicians, academics, and others to give the reader a "feel" for both the city and its inhabitants. These observations are supplemented with just enough historical framework to provide context. Buenos Aires is a city filled with buildings, streets, and monuments that stir up a great deal of emotion in its inhabitants; what this book does is help to explain why these locations are so important and how they fit together -- geographically, historically, psychologically -- to make up the city.

   This book was along with me during my recent trip to Buenos Aires and undoubtedly made my time there more satisfying. Its only real deficiency is a lack of good maps -- there is one, but it is very general and doesn't cover enough territory. Nonetheless, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone traveling to Buenos Aires.




2. I loved Mexico City by Nick Caistor in this series but this was a HUGE disappointment. There is way way too much name dropping and quoting of other sources rather than getting the author's actual feel of the city of Buenos Aires as it is today. I understand this series is subtitled as "a cultural and literary companion" but I'd have preferred way more emphasis on the culture as it stands now and less of the literary references. It was like reading Footnotes 101.

   Stick with Miranda France's Bad Times in Buenos Aires.




3. I spent a week in Buenos Aires and brought this book with me with the hope that it would introduce me to the uniqueness of this contradictory and culturally rich city - it did not. I have not read a more disjointed, dysfunctional guide than this one.
   
   Jason Wilson uses the word 'Babylonic' to describe Buenos Aires, and in a Freudian way, that very word describes how this book reads. Wilson uses the words of other writers to express (evidently he cannot) the soul of this city. All the multitude of quotes muddles your mind and the book ends up sounding like babble.
   
   Quote after quote assails you from writers you will be sorely pressed to recognize. This book could, maybe, work best in an Argentinian Literature course where the readers would have a pejorative understanding of the writers quoted. BUT, it is not, in any way, suitable for the average, or even above average, traveler in Buenos Aires. If you want an understanding of Argentina's Culture, then you should consider 'Culture Shock! Argentina' (however it too could be seriously improved, see my review). Not Recommended



4. Jason Wilson is an editor of travel writing collections of some note, and I have much enjoyed other books in the Cities of the Imagination series (most notably Elizabeth Nash's Madrid volume), so I looked forward to the arrival of this book from Amazon with much anticipation.
   
   I was, for the most part, greatly disappointed.
   
   The book was intensively researched, and you can count on several apt quotations per page. Hardly a signicant writer about Buenos Aires in the last three centures goes uncited, and it seems as if every block on the city grid gets its moment.
   
   The flaw - and it is a near fatal flaw - lies in the organization. Wilson organizes the book rigidly according to geography, going more or less block by block around the city, and detailing who lived in this building or what writer set a scene in that block of apartments.
   
   Whereas Nash weaves the history and neighborhoods of Madrid into broad thematic stories, Wilson tells no stories. He bludgeons you with facts and literary quotations, tied together only by geography. It is a hard and boring slog, and even if you push through, you emerge with no unifying concepts that might help you understand this vast and magical city.
   
   It's a shame, really, that the book is so dull and mechanically structured, because the research that went into it clearly was extensive, and because Buenos Aires seems to offer more potential than most cities for a proper Cities of the Imagination treatment. It reads, unfortunately, as if time ran out for the actual writing of the book, and the writer delivered a data dump organized by zip code.
   
   If you drive a tour bus around Buenos Aires for English speaking tourists, this book will prove a handy reference, barrio by barrio, street by street. If you are researching your own book on Buenos Aires, the bibliography alone will save you months in identifying the books you should read. If, however, you are planning a visit to Buenos Aires and want one cultural guide that will help you understand the living, breathing city, this is not the book to choose.



5. Because the book is organized around the cafes, theaters, and other cultural landmarks of particular streets, the book was an enormous help in understanding the city. By reading it beforehand, it allowed us to prepare our daily itinerary from a cultural-historical perspective. Forget the naysayers, here is no better book in understanding and appreciating the city of Buenos Aires as Jason Wilson's book. I've given it to all my friends.

No comments about Chile & Argentina, 5th: The Bradt Trekking Guide.

4 comments about Time Out Patagonia (Time Out Guides).

1. This book has an amazing amount of information on Patagonia in general, and specifically Valdes Peninsula where I will be visiting. I was going to spend a lot of money with tour packages, uncertain accommodations, and a guy waiting at the airport holding up my name on a poster board...but now I can arrange it myself with this book and a taxi.



2. Excellent guide for someone taking a trip to Patagonia. Precise in the level of information provided. It was used extensively during the 8 thousand mile trip by car. It helped in taking many decisions on sights and where to drive to and what to see.



3. I have just returned from traveling five weeks through Patagonia and found myself using "Time Out" regularly for its engaging history, cultural and overall coverage.
   
   I started out in the Argentinean Lake District (Bariloche) and wove my way down to Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia), crossing various times between Argentina and Chile. "Time Out" was my companion guide to both "Footprint" and "Rough Guides".
   
   No other guide gives you as much information regarding outdoor activies: Hiking, Golfing, Fishing, Hunting, Skiing; even Scuba Diving (you can dive the icy waters of Ushuaia!). The writing is engaging and erudite. For those that love nature no other guide gives you as much as this guide.
   
   HOWEVER, "Time Out Patagonia" should not be considered as your primary travel guide. It is more of a companion guide. It offers only a handful of restaurant and hotel recommendations, and often these recommendations are the most expensive. The small maps in this book are pathetic, and will help you locate nothing of significance.
   
   "Time Out Patagonia" fills in the gaps that the other guides have. This is the guide you will read after the other guides have helped you with your accommodations and eateries (consider: Footprint Argentina 2006 - highly recommended - see my review). Strongly Recommended.



4. It contains less information as it is thinner. It is organized more like documentary than guides, as you have your own transportation and go for trekking for days into the wildernss in both Chile and Argentina. It doesn't have the info of the popular tourist towns, accomdations and excursion operators. I bought also the Footprint and Rough Guide for the 40 days backpack trip mainly in Argentina in Dec 2007. They complementing each other and I personally like the Footprint. Email tenny52@yahoo.com if you want to know more about the trip.

5 comments about Long After Midnight at the Niño Bien: A Yanquis Missteps in Argentina.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's much better better written than "Kiss and Tango" (Winter was a journalist for Reuters,) the other tango memoir that I've read which I also enjoyed. He spends lots of time drinking with old milongueros at the milongas, discussing with them his struggle to get the hang of tango, and at the same time records how the Argentine economy went down in flames while he was there (2000 to 2004.) I found it very affecting, and did not want it to end. Peter Silverman



2. As a Latina who was married to an Argentinean for many years and spent some time in Argentina in both the capital, Buenos Aires, and city of Mendoza in the wine country, I looked forward to reading this book. On the plus side, some of it is wryly humorous, and the author's chronicle of the history of the tango in Argentina is somewhat interesting. The author also captures some of the flavor of Argentina and gives a very decent account of its unstable political history.
   
   Some of the characters described in the book, old tango instructors with whom the author hung out during his stay in Argentina, are colorful, and the author gives the reader a taste of the passion that the tango arouses and of its place in the culture of Argentina. I also felt that these very same characters that the author professed were his friends were probably secretly laughing at the author, a lumbering Texan who wanted to learn about the tango, and would say just about anything to him just for effect, whether or not it was true.
   
   Moreover, some of the author's conclusions are those that only a Yanqui would devise, as I did not feel that they derived from a real understanding of Argentina or its people, given his limited scope of reference. Also, a few of the translations in the book were off the mark, which I found to be annoying. I also found the quality of the writing to be rather pedestrian, overall. Still, there is a modicum of enjoyment to be gotten from this book by those interested in other cultures or in the tango.



3. This book makes Argentina come alive with real people and lively dialogue. I've read a lot about Argentina's social, political and economic crises, but the country never really came together for me until I read this book. Argentina, like the tango, is a sad thought you can dance to. Of course, it's a foreigner's perspective, but a fresh one from a young man who jumped into the whirl of Argentine life without preconceptions and writes about it with a refreshing honesty and lack of pretense.



4. LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT AT THE NINO BIEN: A YANQUI'S MISSTEPS IN ARGENTINA tells of an American who decides on a whim to move to Argentina and learn to tango - his quest to shine in the tango hall with a group of elderly men who move like Enrique Iglesias and his quest to understand the tango leads to a deeper cultural appreciation of Argentina as a whole: an appreciation which comes to life in a book highly recommended for a range of collections: those surveying international dance in general, tango in particular, or Latin American or Argentinean culture as a whole.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. 
   
   Books and blogs by women about their tango experiences/epiphanies in Buenos Aires proliferate yearly. (OK, so I'm one of those women.)
   
   It's refreshing to read a story about a foreigner in Buenos Aires written by a man. Sure, we've had the cheap and disgusting Kiss and Tango by Marina Palmer, and the interesting pre-crisis Bad Times in Buenos Aires by Miranda France, among many others, but now we have something entirely different: Brian Winter's Long After Midnight at the Nino Bien; a Yanqui's Missteps in Argentina.
   
   Not a memoir, but rather a well-written attempt to make 21st century readers understand the why-and-wherefores of the Buenos Aires of today. It's not an excuse for the author to delve into his emotional past, or to write about sexual encounters, nor does he do any reflection--the main aspect of a memoir. It's an impressionistic travelogue with fantasy characters--think Wizard of Oz or Star Wars set in South America with lots of illuminating and witty historical citations.
   
   Young Mr. Winter (a recent college grad who floats to Argentina hoping to find a job) also writes about his experience as a tango dancer wannabe. He relates preposterous scenes with fictitious milongueros, but I believe these scenes, while accurately conveying feelings and emotions if not truths, are not from his experience but from research and imagination. He is a fantastic researcher, as well as a hell of a writer. And he's funny, too!
   
   He wanted to write an essay about Buenos Aires, and how then could he leave out tango, even if he knew nothing and cared less about it? His Mafia round table of wise old milongueros allow for exposition and stories about Argentina's history, the influence of the gauchos, the corruption of the politicians, the legacy of Peron and Evita. Miller quotes tangos and the gaucho poem, Martin Fierro. He quotes and relates and integrates, all with humor and a great turn of phrase, and it makes for enjoyable reading, and a history lesson too.
   
   But I do know about the milongas, the milongueros, and certainly, about Nino Bien, the "decaying bar" of the title. His stories of cartoon characters like El Nene, El Dandi, El Chino 1 & 2, and El Tigre entertain and maybe enlighten. Certainly it's not the habit of real milongueros, or anyone else in a milonga, to drink frozen strawberry daiquiris at La Ideal or Nino Bien, let alone wear white terrycloth suits with orange shirts and pink scarves and lead ganchos and barridas. While he has the tango facts and details mostly all wrong, he nevertheless zeros in on the mood, effect and the result. The milonga is an easy target for satire.
   
   Yes, there are countless factual errors in the tango telling, and lots of mistakes in Castellano and Buenos Aires geography, but from my fact checking on the internet, Miller's tales of political corruption, battles, presidents, and gauchos all seem to ring true. I especially enjoyed the story of the depressed tango lyricist Discepolo and his mis-alignment with the government, and his artistic crashes with the tango god himself, Carlos Gardel.
   
   So let's not read this book as a personal memoir, or as history, but rather as a fable of life and times in Buenos Aires from 2000-2004 from a foreigner's perspective. Despite its flaws in accuracy, there's much to be learned here, as well as several laughs and a couple of hours of entertaining reading.

5 comments about Food And Drink in Argentina: A Guide for Tourists And Residents.

1. Many people see France, Italy and Asia as culinary meccas of the world. But there is a wonderful cuisine waiting to be discovered. The food of Argentina!
   
   As a food writer, I see a multitude of cookbooks and guides to cuisines all the time. But one of the areas that is lacking, is Argentina. With an Argentine mother, and having had the wonderful opportunity to have lived in Argentina, I can declare that this book is excellent and an invaluable resource of food and drink in Argentina.
   
   Not only does this guide explain food terms and etiquette, but also which restaurants are good (even for special diets) as well as information on Argentina's wines.
   
   There are some fantastic photos included too!
   
   What I found to be wonderful were the recipes included for traditional Argentina fare, as well as guides to meat cuts and labeling in Argentina, the United States, England as well as France!
   
   If you are going to eat in Argentina, you will need this book.



2. Expertly researched and co-authored by Dereck Foster & Richard Tripp, Food And Drink In Argentina: A Guide For Tourists And Residents is an informed and informative introduction and "user friendly" reference for dining-out while traveling or working in the beautiful South American nation of Argentina. Included is an A to Z translation for beverage and food terms, advice on where to eat and what to drink, information on exploring the great wine country in Argentina, tips on shopping for food, advice for special diets and those traveling with children, and a wealth of regional recipes and culinary dishes. A "slips easily into your pocket or purse" guidebook, Food And Drink In Argentina is to be given high praise and a very strongly recommended for planning an Argentina itinerary.



3. This colorfully illustrated book provides mouthwatering details of Argentine cuisine, going well beyond the basics of beef, mate and Malbec.
   
   One of my favorite ways to immerse myself in another culture is to eat and drink as the locals do. It's easy with this comprehensive guide. Use its A-Z Guide to translate restaurant menus.
   
   The book is well organized, easy to navigate and conviently sized for travel; it fits into your purse or pocket.



4. I wasted my money and the space in my suitcase buying this book. It is more a spanish-english dictionary. The mayority of the book consists of a long list of spanish words with its meaning in english (ocassionally followed by a brief description and illustration).
   Not recommended if:
   1) you are spanish speaker
   2) you are looking for a dinning guide or something similar.
   
   You will do better by buying a local guide in Buenos Aires



5. Tipping, how to say medium rare in Spanish when ordering one of their famous filet mignons.......you get the picture.......Good start for your adventure.......

5 comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Buenos Aires (Wallpaper City Guide Buenos Aires).

1. Brought Wallpaper to Buenos Aires almost as an afterthought, thinking it would be too idosyncratic to be of use to a regular guy like me. Wrong: it proved to be a very accurate guide to all that was best in BA, and much more insightful than most other guides.



2. This book was useless in what I was looking for. I like guide books that help you find interesting places, restaurants, etc. (like Rick Steves)
   This book does none of that. Save your money



3. I can relate to the design-oriented vibe, look and slant of this guide to Buenos Aires. And it's a nice addendum to the more complete Frommer's guide that I already had. But it's an addendum only - with the almost guaranteed promise of dating quickly.



4. Sparse text throughout the guidebook is one complaint of mine, but I guess the "design-conscious traveller" doesn't need it. Of the 104 pages, 23 are dedicated to hotels. That's 22%, folks. A huge chunk of the book is dead weight after you've selected where to spend the night. One of the most horrific things I noticed was that in all the photos (which is the majority of this book's content) there are no people. Barely anyone. Buenos Aires is empty. Regardless if it's a hotel, a restaurant, a landmark building, a soccer stadium, whatever... no people. How the heck did they manage that? It seems surreal.
   
   I laughed out loud when they suggested that you could see the best of BA in just one day. That must further separate me from the "design-conscious traveller." I don't mind. The only historical part of the visit was a trip to Recoleta Cemetery. I can't reproduce their entire text here cuz I'm sure they'd send copyright infringement lawyers after me, but they claim that the entrance is marked by two tall neoclassical columns. Really? Looks like a big gate with 4 columns to me.
   
   The majority of their sightseeing-shopping-dining suggestions are in Palermo. Ew. But I can overlook that. What I can't overlook are the architectural choices: a museum that isn't open yet, 2 buildings by one architect (a crime when there are only 7 buildings recommended total), & the Calatrava bridge in Puerto Madero. Those selections aren't what people find enchanting BsAs architecture. I know what I'm talking about.
   
   In the sports section, they mention the Huracán soccer stadium. I love it & was surprised that they listed it since sending a "design-conscious traveller" to that part of town would probably put them into shock. In the same section, the metrosexual-catering Markus Day Spa (is that a sport?) received a 3 page spread. In a book of 104 pages. I've heard from multiple sources that it isn't all that, but I don't have any personal experience with them. Still, I'm shocked at the amount of coverage.
   
   Let's move to the maps in the back. Typos & misplaced neighborhoods abound. Parque Patricios does not border the Riachuelo, & Barracas has nothing to do with Avenida Entre Ríos. Congreso is not next to San Telmo. Microcentro is not San Nicolás, & Tribunales is not a neighborhood by anyone's measure. Avenida Sánez should be Saénz. What is a "Porte de Buenos Aires?" I think they meant "Puerto." They list something as "Parque del Cementerio" when it's actually Parque Centenario... two very different things.
   
   The enlarged map of Recoleta is just as incorrect. Parque Carlos Thais should be Thays. Pasadas should be Posadas. Ríobamba is missing from the map. There is no such street as Jose Andres. The Palacio Estrouga should be the EstrougaMOU. There are other errors, but you get the point.
   
   Why would anyone buy this?? If I submitted work this sloppy, I'd be fired (I'm a guidebook writer/researcher). This guidebook presents an oddly skewed vision of Buenos Aires that isn't the city I've lived in for almost 7 years. But someone has to be the worst... I just never expected it to be Phaidon.



5. I can understand why some people don't like the book. I agree with them on any number of points, but here's the score: if you're a little shameless about wanting to make sure you see hip stuff in your short time in BA, just get this. The restaurants recommended are really good (The Standard is amazing... Bar 6 is a great place to hang out when you're tired of walking around....). The hotel recommendations are a little ridiculous. (I had a great hotel and paid $350 for 5 nights... they recommend ultra-fab Faena which goes for $500 a night... you can live like a freaking king in Argentina on that kind of cash.... don't bother with their overblown hotel recommendations).
   
   But as far as being a guide to great bars, restaurants, and other non-touristy attractions, it's quite good if you're a Radar-reading, design-obsessed kind of person. If you're a Rick Steeves kind of traveler, don't bother.