buenos-aires

Time Out Buenos Aires (Time Out Guides)
$19.95
I have not yet left for Buenos Aires, but I've spend hours reading this book! It's got some great historical and cultural tidbits that are fun to read. I feel well prepared...

The Rough Guide to Buenos Aires 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
$18.99
I used both the Rough Guide as well as TimeOut to research my recent trip to Buenos Aires and the Rough Guide is easily the better of the two. Although TimeOut adds a few things here and there, it became clear early on that it would merely be used to augment the Rough Guide. Rough Guide Buenos Aires simply goes into far better, far more interesting, detail about those sites one really wants to visit.

Like any major city, Buenos Aires extends way beyond anything a tourist, even an unconventional one, likely wants to see. (How many Europeans, after all, take a vacation to New York City to spend time in Flushings, Queens?) Neighborhoods like Monserrat, San Telmo, Boca, Retiro, Recoleta and Puerto Madero are not very far from each other. Even Palermo, the happening neighborhood nowadays, is not that far away. Rough Guide provides just the right balance between providing useful and interesting history of these areas while also pointing one in the direction of those sites, common and obscure, that makes a trip to Buenos Aires worthwhile.

The sections on restaurants, cafes and such also provides those interesting tidbits that might be of interest. One Argentine author, Ernesto Sabato, may not be that well known in the United States. But I have read two of his books and, thanks to Rough Guide (and no thanks to TimeOut), I found the little cafe where Sabato hung out and did much of his writing (Bar Britanico in San Telmo, for those who are interested). That is merely a little, though representative, example of the differences between the two guides.

The maps in Rough Guide are very user friendly. As I explored a neighborhood or walked from one neighborhood to another, these maps were invariably the ones I turned to most. Representative of the guide overall, they provided just the right amount of information, noting landmarks to find one's way.

Buenos Aires is a great city. For a guide that is up to the task of making your visit the best one possible, go for this one.

Top 10 Buenos Aires (EYEWITNESS TOP 10 TRAVEL GUIDE)
$14.00
Drawing on the same standards of accuracy as the acclaimed DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, The DK Top 10 Guides use exciting colorful photography and excellent cartography to provide a reliable and useful pocket-sized travel. Dozens of Top 10 lists provide vital information on each destination, as well as insider tips, from avoiding the crowds to finding out the freebies, The DK Top 10 Guides take the work out of planning any trip.

The Buenos Aires Broken Hearts Club
$12.99
I loved this book! It wasn't too heavy but very entertaining. It was easy to read, enjoyable and had some fun twists and turns throughout the novel. I really hope Jessica Morrison writes more like this one.