So this is my second trip to Buenos Aires, and I've spent nearly 10 days total here. If not for the fact it's located so far south, and the summers are too hot for my delicate constitution (not to mention said summers are "backwards" due to being in the Southern Hemisphere and thus messing with my concept of Christmas), this place would totally be at the top of my retirement list and here's why:
- It just has a cool "vibe." I know this is hard to describe, and for most folks it's different, of course, but almost immediately upon being out and about in the city, it just felt right/cool, and made me realize Quito was a bit lacking in that regard - again, at least for me. I think that "vibe" stems from the following:
- Tree-lined streets and awesome architecture. There's a reason Buenos Aires is called "the Paris of South America" and you see it in the boulevards, the architecture, the cafe culture, the tree-lined streets, all the bookstores, etc.
- Yeah, the bookstores. There are a TON here and I love it. Beyond its beautiful flagship store, El Ateneo has multiple locations, and even the small ones are beautfiul and cool places to browse/hang out. Tons of others, too.
- The metro serves the city well, and they also have an EXTENSIVE bus system. With Uber and tons of taxis available, the combo means you can easily survive w/o a car.
- The people are very, very pretty - and for reasons similar to all the attractive people you see in the states: the indigenous population has mixed with waves of immigrants from first the Spanish to the Italians to the Germans. Just a beautiful population in general (altho, from what I understand, most of them are too aware of it! lol)
And while I wouldn't necessarily retire here, the fact that this awesome city is on the continent gives South America a boost in general as a place to consider for retirement since I could come visit periodically.
As already mentioned, I may have to check out Cuenca in Ecuador as an option if Europe proves too expensive, AND I also need to spend some time in Medellin, Colombia. My brief stay in Cartagena opened my eyes to that country, and while I initially still dismissed it due to weather (too hot/humid), I've read Medellin is MUCH more hospitable, climate wise, and is an increasingly popular option with expats - due partly to proximity to the states and the Caribbean.
