December 18, 2008
Mark and I started out our day by being picked up at 9:00 am at 10 Ford. We arrived at SFO well before 9:30 am and proceeded to get our ticket and headed to the gate. It was obvious everyone was trying to leave town also for the holiday season. We left a few minutes after our schedule time to JFK.
The flight was packed. Packed with kids, parents, and more kids. It felt like a zoo in the skies. Mark being 6'5 had trouble adjusting into his seat. As hard as we tried to get bulk or exit row seats it did not happen. All we saw was short girls and thin ladies at the exit helm.
We touched down at JFK around 9:15 pm NY time at gate 5 and walked easily to gate 4 no problem until we boarded this leg of the trip. Still on American, we were still at the gate for an hour and a half. One was the explanation minor maintenance delay, but in actuality - to fill the last two seats. Very upsetting for our take off. Again the flight was a zoo! Flight attendants worked by just going through the motion. No real customer service. Sad. At the time we landed one rep admitted they "dropped" the ball. Boy did they. Here is the biggest bright spot - we made it to Buenos Aires.
The weather was great! 77 degrees with a slight breeze. We missed our car and driver so we ended up taking a Manuel Tienda Leon bus and dropped off at a terminal to have a taxi waiting for us to take us to our apartment.
We made it! The apartment was a great finish to our long trip. Door to door, we left at 9:00 am, December 18, and made it here to Buenos Aires at 11:15 am December 19 almost 24 hours.
December 20, 2008
Yesterday, Mark and I finally settled in to our loft apartment located in the Recoleta district of Buenos Aires. The area is centrally located not far from the cemetery where the famous Evita Peron along with other rich and notable Argentinians are entombed. In fact we are just about two blocks! What a surprise! We were fortunate enough to have a at home apartment with all the comforts needed. The only difference is the view! Our balcony is a fun vantage point. Perched over a semi- busy street called Las Heras. We face others right across from us pretty much people doing their thing without hesitation from "across neighbors". The street below is tree lined beautifully. The weather reached a high of 85 degrees perfect for a nice tour of the area with a breeze.
Surrounding the cemetery has been built a mega village for tourists and locals alike to enjoy. Unfortunately the multinational companies moved in as well, i.e. McDonald's, Intercontinental, Burger King, a little sad. But history is intact including the Our Lady of Pilar Basilica is located; a beautiful church including a "cloister" tour on the weekends, the Recoleta district holds an arts fair filled with glass artwork, mobiles, jewelers, , etc. You name it. The vendors quite pleasant, not pushy at all. The price for the items were reasonable.
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