The hotel deserves a special mention. In our travel tandem with Tanya (and we travel together a lot), I am responsible for the trip itinerary and guiding our tour, and she is responsible for the accommodations and street navigation. Unfortunately, I’m left to my own navigational devices at the moment (a scary thought, although surprisingly I can orient myself very well in Buenos Aires – at least, so far I have never gotten lost - another testament that this is “my” city), but she is still responsible for finding lodging for me (not a bad arrangement, right?). And she did a wonderful job on this one. Hotel Babel is located in the heart of San Telmo, the best preserved area of the old colonial town still keeping up the tradition of tango (both live music and dancing) on every corner and in every café. San Telmo is super centrally located, so from here you can pretty much walk everywhere else in the city, even if sometimes it’s a bit of a hike – a pleasant one though. The hotel is tiny – as far as I can tell, it can hold maybe 16-20 guests at a time with double occupancy. The rooms are designed in a very peculiar way: they do not have windows, which seems very depressing if you think about it, but the doors double nicely as windows, and somehow - when you actually get to experience it - it doesn’t feel sad or oppressive at all. The tiny common spaces (both the outside patio and inside “living room”) are organized in such a homey way that you really forget that you are in a hotel – more so, you forget that there are other guests around you somewhere. It is really a miracle of creativity that in such a tiny space they manage to let you feel as if you own the place (and on top of everything, with a very attentive butler who never forgets to ask you if you want some tea and sandwiches while you are comfortably tucked into the corner of the couch with your book or computer). The staff is unbelievably helpful. Every day all the guests are torturing them with all sorts of questions. It is absolutely clear that they love their city and they bend over backwards to explain what to do, how to best go about doing it, where to eat, how to order that you pass for a local, etc. In other words, if you ever go to Buenos Aires and need a lodging that is budget in terms of accommodations but luxurious in terms of service – this is definitely it.
Day 1 – San Telmo, La Boca and Puerto Madero
Walk. Walk. Walk. And then walk some more. Just like in NYC, this is the best way to see Buenos Aires. Occasionally stop for a sip of coffee with a delicious medialuna (Argentinian croissant, sometimes with dulce de leche inside – oh my god!) and a street tango performance on one of the numerous plazas around San Telmo. Don’t forget to chat with street vendors – they have awesome little tips to share while you are paying for yummy candied nuts or empanadas. If you are here on Sunday, do not miss the street fairy on Defensa. But if you are not so lucky as to visit this area on the weekend, you will not be disappointed either – it is always full of artisanal street markets.
Ignore the warnings of many travel guides that say that the famous Caminito is the only safe place in La Boca (this area gets sketchy only below Avenida Brown) and venture into the very residential heart of it for a delicious authentic lunch at Cantina El Obrero at Agustín R. Caffarena 64, where for the total of about $10 -15 you will be served all the soup you can eat from a huge bowl literally dumped on your table by a busy waiter, your choice of the best meat you have tried in your life, a dessert and a coffee. 
Of course, still go to the colorful touristy Caminito – for an unforgettable street café tango performance not to be missed.
Return back to your residence via Puerto Madero – a modern and extremely popular boardwalk. Have dinner at any resto-bar (local lingo). Really, any – all food in Buenos Aires is delicious, there’s no reason to waste any time picking.Day 2 – Recoleta
Walk. Walk. Walk. And then walk some more. Through the financial district (marked as San Nicolas area on the map, but known simply as Centro by the locals) with beautiful architecture, via the artisanal row of Florida Street and a little green corner of Plaza San Martin, via the confusing semi-circle of Arroyo Street, via the Madison-style shopping area of Avenida Posadas (if you want a nice coffee / milanesa mini-sandwich snack for $3, Café La Rambla is at your service), make it to the cemetery of La Recoleta. Hopefully, not literally though. I’m not a big fan of famous cemeteries, but this one is worth visiting – curiously, it looks like a little town due to its very tall crypts.
At the adjacent Plaza Francia you will be able to see lots of people doing lots of random things: capoeiro performance, sun-bathing, playing jazz, selling stuff… Hang out, give in to the spirit of the place, become one of the portenos (people living in Buenos Aires). In the words of a travel commercial I have recently seen, "Buenos Aires te guia, tu disfrutas" ("Buenos Aires guides you, you enjoy").Speaking of a true Argentinian look: everybody is drinking mate here in the streets, with a little thermos hugged close to chest and a mate “cup” (made out of a pumpkin) in hand. Except it’s called yerba. In preparation of becoming a true la china (an Argentinian girl), I have purchased a tiny mate cup that apparently needs to be “cured” for 36 hours first to deliver the proper taste afterwards, a little 0.5l thermos and some yerba mate (I picked the brand that I saw an ad for in the subway – I don’t know if this is the way to select your yerba, but at least, I have justified the advertising campaign dollars). To cure the cup you have to fill it halfway with yerba leaves, top it off with hot water and let it sit like this for a day and a half.
After Plaza Francia, do NOT take Avenida Libertador (as inviting as it will seem), but rather find your way onto Avenida Figuerca Alcorta (not a very difficult maneuver). Walk just a little more to see the Escultura de la Rosa (officially named Floralis Generica), a huge metal “universal” flower that is a tribute to all the flowers in the world. It’s operated on solar batteries and designed to open up its petals at 7-8AM and close up at 8PM, just like a real flower.
Walk or subway back to your residence in San Telmo. Have the most delicious steak in your entire life at a pretty fancy-looking traditional parilla (grill) Viejo Gomez on Estados Unidos (ironically) street. Mimic the Mastercard commercial by paying $12 for a huge piece of grilled filet + $8 for a bottle of an awesome Mendoza Malbec + $5 for the coffee / dessert combo, yet delivering the whole experience priceless. Roll your eyes in ecstatic pleasure. Try to find words to describe your experience to yourself. Give up, because there are no such words in any dictionary. Just enjoy. Go to bed and dream about your next Buenos Aires walk.
Day 3 – Palermo
Fine, this time take subway first (very convenient and cheap – 1.10 Argentinia Pesos = $$0.30!). But then again: Walk. Walk. Walk. And then walk some more. Make it through the beautiful Palermo Park area with its gorgeous and relaxing Japanese and Botanical gardens to the trendy Palermo Viejo area with its multiple restaurants and shops.
For a local empanadas experience, go to Na Serapia on Avenida General Las Heras between Bulnes and Ruggeri (keep in mind that it is open from 7AM till 1AM every day, except it closes from 4PM till 7PM on Sundays – when I first tried to sample food here, of course). For a fancy Palermo-style meal, go to Osaka, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant (expensive but very tasty and interesting).
Disclaimer
If you find the above city walks appealing and decide to relive my experiences, after 3 days your shoes may or may not look like this, and a mean looking old shoe-maker may or may not look at your reproachfully and grunt, "Either you give me 3 full days to properly fix the sole, or I am not going to even bother with these":
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