Ruining B.A. for Everybody
This weekend, New York media did what it could to ruin any remaining chance Buenos Aires had of being the least bit uninvaded as an expat home. Normally this would piss me off. But, considering that I wrote one of the articles, we (Cintra and I) hosted the writer of the second when he visited, and that we bought a house just like the third one suggested, well, more power to the NYC media. In my New York mag piece, I follow Dominic LoTempio, Steven Blackman and Heather Willens as they trade the NYC grind for "I am the greatest" B.A. big fishdom. In the NYT, Matt Gross profiles the very cool Palermo clothing story Bolivia. And also in the NYT, Stephanie Rosenbloom employs every available B.A. cliche in her quest to point out how cheap real estate is in the Argentine capital: Latin American cities are among the most exciting and affordable, especially Buenos Aires, the sultry, party-until-the-wee-hours city known as the Paris of South America. In 2002, the Argentine peso was devalued by the government, resulting in a currency crash. But four years later the city is getting back on its tango-dancing feet.
Now there's nothing left to do but await the upcoming expat flood...
posted by Ian @ 10:04 AM
10 comments
links to this post
10 Comments:
You are a fucking moron of staggering proportions! As in touch with the emptiness that attends large bank accounts and vacuous personalities as you are out of touch with the simple qualities that make Buenos Aires and Argentina appealing.
May your visa expire and you be returned to Long Island.
I think you may be confusing the writer with the story subjects but, if not, I'll just say you're far too kind (you weasel).
Thanks for that overview...wait til we come and like it too much there...though I have no dolares to convert into many argentine dolares. Would it still be barato if you actually had to work there and earn argentine dollars? Maybe they need architects....
My life is not nearly as glamorous, but I do have a blog chronicling my misadventures in BsAs:
brandanbuenosayres.blogspot.com.
Ian, as you know I think the article itself was well written. My thoughts about it were that it, as you said, made the three people look like they were just here doing the "I am the greatest" thing - which, knowing Heather, isn't the way she acts here. So I guess the question would be, are (at least the other two) these guys really acting this way - sort of like spoiled children who've been let loose without the nanny, and coming across like the local culture and people are irrelevant as long as they themselves have fun? Or was that just the way the editor decided to portray them?
I doubt we'll have a flood of expats. Some small percentage of readers will fantasize about doing, a smaller percentage still will come down here to "check things out," and a much smaller percentage will actually do anything about it. Most will decide that leaving the comfort of Starbucks on every corner, a steady paycheck, 1st world health care, etc., aren't worth giving up.
I knew Dominic Lotempio in high school (albeit a very long time ago) and I found him to be as intruiging then (not to mention incredibly gorgeous) as he is portrayed to be now. I commend him for leaving the hard and unyielding NYC life all money-hungry young professionals chase (including myself) for one with a little more justification and relaxation.
Anonymous from prior post, who are you? I too went to high school with Dominic Lotempio.
I think there is "spin" on any article written. Editors can basically know what can of story they will have without even doing the first interview. I know Dominic. I wouldn't say we are friends but I first met him when he first moved here several years ago. In fact, he rented my very first apartment that I had here in the city.
He is a good guy. I'm not sure why everyone is so hard on the story. Buenos Aires was not going to stay a secret for long. You have mainstream, respected newspapers and magazines now writing stories about the potential here. The New York Times just had a story a few sundays ago about it being one of the best places to buy real estate.
I just did a long Dow Jones newswire story that will probably be in most major newspapers around the USA talking about the tremendous opportunities in the real estate market. This place is not a secret and tourism #'s are skyrocketing every year. That trend is not expected to slow down. I can't say if that is good or bad for the city. That is not the point. Change is inevitable.
I think that someone that has the courage to start life over in a new country can be applauded. It's very difficult to make money in a city like Buenos Aires. For as much as the article made it sound like anyone can reinvent themselves here. That just isn't true. Yes, there are tremendous opportunies here. I'm not disputing that. I'm just saying that I've done business all over the world. Buenos Aires (Argentina) probably is one of the most corrupt places on the planet. Coming here on vacation and coming here to operate a business are two totally different things.
I can't speak for the rest of the people the article was written about but I can say that expats like Dominic aren't trying to "conquer the world". They are just enjoying the fruits of their hard work before. Goofing off and having fun. That isn't a bad thing.
I don't hang out with him or really any other expats as all of my true friends here in Buenos Aires are locals. I have found I have more in common with my local friends that the expats living here.
There are a lot of great things about Buenos Aires. I don't think the author or the people involved in the story should be pounded on by anyone. A story like this is just a story like this. Nothing more and nothing less.
The truth of the matter is that for every one person featured in the story that made it or seemingly living here and having a great time....there are about probably 250+ ex-pats that are packing up and heading back to the USA because they couldn't find a way to make enough money and save for the future.
Good luck all.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
American expat Heather Willens comment “It’s just so hard in New York. There are a million smart, interesting, wealthy people. Whereas here, it’s easy to be the most sophisticated person in the room because, like, you’ve gone to Thailand” is so racist, ethnocentric, and apalling in all senses, that one becomes speechles. The most amazing thing is how article author & blogger Ian Mount describes her babbling as "without cruelty". Maybe without cruelty, but not without utter stupidity. Neither do all other american expats participating in this blogg-forum react in any way to this rather offensive statement. If you americans REALLY want to feel sophisticated, why don't you go to the African savannah and join a troop of baboons...
The question is: exactly what makes you Americans feel more sophisticated when among Argentines? Is it having more cash? You guys all have PhD titles? Maybe speaking English better than everyone else in anglophile Argentina? The white skin?
From an argentine expat living in Sweden, and feeling soooo sophisticated among the wild rowdy Vikings…
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home