PlanetEye

Buenos Aires is a beautiful globalized modern metropolis, but be prepared for things that don´t work as they should. One of the first things you notice about the city is that there seems to be absolutely no traffic laws, particularly on the side streets. Whoever gets to the intersection first just speeds right through. Sometimes drivers (taxi drivers in particular) have difficulty deciding who got there first and they just play "chicken". Also, on the main streets there may be lines on the road to distinguish traffic lanes, but porteños consider them as nothing more than spilled paint. It is not unusual to see four cars across a three lane street. Porteños are very calm and laidback people generally until put in a tense situation when they are behind the wheel. Then there might be a tendency for hell breaking loose. Speaking of taxis, never hail a taxi that is not marked Radio Taxi. Although every taxi in town is black and yellow, the ones that aren't radio taxis can be thieves. If you hail one and it pulls to the curb and is not a radio taxi, just walk away without getting in. Your best bet is to have the front desk at your hotel call you a taxi. Once you've gotten a ride in a radio taxi you can ask the driver for a business card. Then, you can safely call this company from a pay phone to get back to your hotel. More so, simply walking down the sidewalk can be an experience. One of the most obvious signs of Argentina's poor economy is the lack of repair of the sidewalks. Very often there are chunks missing and it's not unusual to see holes in the sidewalk covered with a wooden pallet. Simply walk around it, but keep one eye looking down as you walk. The side streets have particularly narrow sidewalks. The missing chunks often mean that you'll have to step into the street for a little way, so be careful of the traffic flying by. Even despite the fact that economic conditions in Argentina are improving, there is still some social unrest. Demonstrations still occur from time to time around government buildings, banks and other financial buildings. In years past some demonstrations quickly turned into riots, but this year the protests seemed relatively peaceful. Take photocopies of your passports and let the originals at the hotel's safe. Don't show signs of being very rich, like jewels or Rolex watches and fancy cameras. Always take with you a small amount of money, about 50 pesos. Be careful if you go to an ATM. If you have to go, do it during the day, never at night and if possible with someone else.
Show some common sense and relative awareness and you will not have any problems. Buenos Aires might have a banana republic for a government but its a sophisticated bunch overall. Do your homework but treat this like any other big city and you will have a good time.