Quiet, Leafy, Affordable: Short-Term
Rentals in Palermo Hollywood by CHRISTOPHER LOWE
Iam in a vegetarian’s nightmare. The slab of cow meat headed my way is as thick as a New York deli sandwich. It is bleeding pro- fusely. A little moat of blood surrounds it on the plate. Some spills onto the white tablecloth as the waiter plonks all 16 ounces of it down in front of me. There’s nothing to accompany it. Just a fork and what looks like a hunting knife. I feel panicked. I think I can see the charred flesh quiver. But the panic passes when the waiter cuts it for me with the side of a spoon. A spoon! I dig in. Delicious.
It’s lunchtime in El Trapiche, one of Buenos Aires’ most revered and busiest parril- las (steakhouses). As far as I can tell, the other diners are all locals. A table of oversized busi- nessmen fill shirts as white as the restaurant’s impeccably bleached tablecloths. A family of four tuck into a family sized serving of asado de tira-long, thin strips of crosscut ribs. A middle-aged couple at the table next to me wipe their plates clean with hunks of bread.
“Peace and quiet reign supreme in Palermo Hollywood.”
I imagine El Trapiche, with its hang- ing hams and wine-bottle-lined walls, hasn’t changed much since the 1940s. The same couldn’t be said of the surrounding neighbor- hood. Once known simply as Palermo Viejo (Old Palermo), it has recently been christened Palermo Hollywood after the rash of TV, radio and advertising production studios that set up shop here in the mid-nineties.
The trendy new monicker is a source of contention among locals. For them, the recent division of the city’s biggest neighborhood into Palermo Hollywood, Palermo Soho and, most recently, Palermo Queens is just a tacky attempt to woo tourists. (Mention Palermo Hollywood to one of El Trapiche’s burly waiters and he is likely to snort in contempt.) But the division is a useful one if you’re not familiar with Buenos Aires. It’s a handy way to break down this vast area, which covers about 10 square miles of the northeast corner of Bue- nos Aires. And, as I discovered on a recent trip,
The Buenos Aires barrio of Palermo Hollywood is a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of big-city life-and offers good value in short-term rentals.
it’s a great help when looking for short-term rental value.
As it turns out, Palermo Soho rentals are pricey. (I spotted one ultra modern 753-square- foot duplex and private roof terrace for $2,250 a month.) In Palermo Hollywood, the prices come down considerably.
I was able to rent the equivalent of an East Village artist’s pad-a 915-square-foot house built in the 1930s-for just $1,125 a month. The house had a private courtyard, air condition- ing and wi-fi. And it was fully furnished, clearly by a loving owner.
I rented alone. But this rental would have been perfect for two; at just over $500 each for the month, it would set you back roughly the same as two nights in one of Buenos Aires’ boutique hotels.
Palermo Hollywood is the kind of place many city lovers would love to live, if they
could afford it. It has tree-lined streets, world- class restaurants, friendly corner cafes, great bars and sunshine for about nine months of the year.
Of course, the great thing about Palermo Hollywood is you can afford it. I ate the best meal of my life there, in the uber-trendy Tegui restaurant, for just $40 a head. A traditional steak dinner with a good bottle of Mendoza Malbec and all the trimmings will set you back about $24.
Even better: Peace and quiet reign supreme in Palermo Hollywood, making it the perfect base from which to explore the city. Greater Buenos Aires has 14 million inhabitants and is one of the world’s 10 most populated cities. It’s one of the most exciting places you’ll ever visit. But it can burn you out. Basing yourself in the leafy enclave of Palermo Hollywood means you can dip in and out of the city’s constant buzz.
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