Moving In

Moving In--Our Apartment in Recoleta

What's not to like about BA? Yes, it is a HUGE city, but its neighborhoods are its charm and these are interspersed with block-sized parks and vast green spaces parallel to the water. And tree-lined streets are the norm. Squint and you think you are in France--many apartment buildings are not over 6 stories with all the decorative elements of Paris...

We chose the Recoleta neighborhood, looking at an owner-listed apartment at the exasperating end of a two-day search. We rode the creaky elevator to the 8th floor with the owner, Sebastian, and when he opened the door, we knew we had arrived home. Old building, fully remodeled apartment on the back side of the building with 2 bedrooms, new furnishings, washer-dryer (not the norm). Bright natural lighting in every room, a very green vine-covered building across the way, private and quiet...and our landlord spoiled us right off the bat by buying us new bedding and towels, a microwave, wine and champagne glasses and we added a toaster and a scale (beef and ice cream and dulce de leche could add up!). And vases of fresh flowers dotted the living/dining room!

Two days later, we moved in. A few minutes after unpacking, we hit the streets to explore our neighborhood and since it was Saturday afternoon, many of the shops around us were closed, but we visited some grocery stores.... Although we haven't used the service yet, most grocery stores offer home delivery in designated check out stations. Your purchases are moved from the checkout belt into a plastic bin, labeled for delivery, stacked with other bins onto a rolling rack, and then pushed down the street by young guys to your home....no one seems to carry his own groceries.

We have found almost everything we shop for here, but things are just a little different. Soft plastic pouches of liquids (milk, juice, laundry liquid, yogurt, etc in about quart-sized bags) take a little getting used to...we think one is supposed to refill an existing container...not the brand names we're used to, and certainly not the selection a Safeway would offer, but aisles full of interesting new products. And for our friends in Panama, the crackers and the cookies are across the aisle from each other, not mixed together! Small victories! And prices are great!