Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Streetsmart<br />
1<strong>10</strong><br />
Left An item at an antique shop Center Leather items on display Right Bookstore<br />
Shopping Tips<br />
! Opening Hours<br />
Shopping malls are<br />
usually open <strong>10</strong>am–<strong>10</strong>pm<br />
though there may be<br />
an hour’s variation. Food<br />
courts and movie theaters<br />
within malls stay<br />
open longer. Other stores<br />
open 9am–8pm Monday<br />
to Friday, though weekend<br />
hours vary. Some<br />
close at 1pm on Saturday<br />
or all day Sunday.<br />
Taxes and Refunds<br />
@ Argentina’s sales tax<br />
of 21 percent is included<br />
in the advertised price for<br />
goods. Visitors can claim<br />
back the tax on any<br />
purchases with a Global<br />
Refund logo when buying<br />
Argentinian-manufactured<br />
products above AR$70<br />
(US$22). Ask for a receipt<br />
and Global Refund check<br />
when making a purchase.<br />
On leaving Argentina<br />
these are stamped at<br />
Customs, which sends<br />
you to an airport puesto<br />
de pago (payment<br />
counters) for a refund.<br />
£ Payment<br />
Cash, preferably the<br />
Argentinian peso, is<br />
accepted in most stores<br />
though many places also<br />
accept US dollars. Credit<br />
cards are usually accepted,<br />
except in small<br />
stores. Preferred cards<br />
are Visa and MasterCard,<br />
American Express, and<br />
Diner’s Club (see p<strong>10</strong>8).<br />
$ Shopping Zones<br />
It is crowded and<br />
traffic-choked, but<br />
Microcentro should still<br />
be the starting point for<br />
shoppers, especially the<br />
pedestrian Calle Florida.<br />
There is a bit of everything<br />
here, from malls<br />
and department stores to<br />
artisans’ shops. Recoleta<br />
has high-end boutiques<br />
with local and international<br />
labels. Trendy<br />
Palermo Viejo has many<br />
boho-chic clothes stores.<br />
% Leather Goods<br />
Argentinian leather is<br />
of excellent quality and<br />
favorably priced compared<br />
to Europe and the<br />
USA. Stores sell leather<br />
goods, though those on<br />
Calle Florida can be<br />
overpriced. The leather<br />
shops at the intersection<br />
of Murillo and Scalabrini<br />
Ortíz in Palermo offer the<br />
best deals.<br />
^ Souvenirs<br />
For gaucho ware,<br />
traditional maté paraphernalia,<br />
and indigenous<br />
woolens, try stores such<br />
as El Boyero, Kelly’s, and<br />
Mission (see p38). You<br />
can buy inexpensive<br />
handicrafts at the weekend<br />
artisans’ fair at Plaza<br />
Francia in Recoleta (see<br />
p36). For tango memorabilia,<br />
head to the stores<br />
on Avenida Corrientes.<br />
& Antiques<br />
San Telmo is famous<br />
for its antique stores and<br />
fair, held each Sunday at<br />
Plaza Dorrego (see p18).<br />
Visit the Mercado de las<br />
Pulgas in Palermo Viejo.<br />
d Mercado de las Pulgas:<br />
Avda. Dorrego y Conde<br />
For <strong>Buenos</strong> <strong>Aires</strong>’ best shopping malls See p39.<br />
* Argentinian Wine<br />
Found in shopping<br />
zones and malls,<br />
Vinotecas (or wine<br />
boutiques) stock wines<br />
from Argentina’s wine<br />
growing regions, including<br />
Mendoza. Ligier<br />
and Terroir offer packaging<br />
and delivery services.<br />
d Ligier: Map Q5; Avda.<br />
Sante Fe 800; 5353-8060;<br />
www.ligier.com.ar • Terroir:<br />
Map L1; Buschiazzo 3040;<br />
4778-3443; www.terroir.<br />
com.ar<br />
( Music<br />
Local mega-chain<br />
Musimundo has many<br />
branches in the city.<br />
Its collection includes<br />
Argentinian rock and folk<br />
music. Zival’s (see p27)<br />
offers tango, jazz, and<br />
classical. Disquería Bird<br />
and Abraxas feature vinyl.<br />
d Musimundo: Avda. Santa<br />
Fe 1844; www.musimundo.<br />
com; Disquería Bird:<br />
Talcahuano 385; 4382-2539;<br />
Abraxas:Galería 5ta Avda.;<br />
Avda. Santa Fe 1270<br />
) Books<br />
The glorious Ateneo<br />
Grand Splendid, the<br />
largest bookstore in<br />
South America, stocks<br />
English-language books.<br />
Otherwise, try Gandhi<br />
Galerna (see p69). Find<br />
second-hand Englishlanguage<br />
books at Walrus<br />
Books. d Ateneo Grand<br />
Splendid: Avda. Santa Fe<br />
1860; 4811-6<strong>10</strong>4; www.<br />
elateneo.com; Walrus<br />
Books: Estados Unidos<br />
617,4300-7135: www.walrus<br />
books.com.ar
Change language