A general comment

Climate and physical issues:

• Air quality: The air quality is not good, due in large part to the fumes from cars and buses. Don't try to get your exercise by long and brisk walks on city streets - you will get the infamous "Buenos Aires throat". Try dancing instead, or go to the big parks for exercise.
• The heat: In summer (December to Early March) it can be very hot here. Wear sun screen (especially if you swim) and don't attempt energetic walks or strenuous schedules in these months.
• Air conditioning: Many shops, theatres and even homes have airconditioning that is turned up high. It feels great when you walk in out of the heat, but is a known source of summer colds. It's often better to just slow down, and acclimatise.
• The cold: In winter (June - September) Buenos Aires is cold. It doesn't rain very much, but you will need your warm overcoat and woolies: sweaters, gloves, boots. And a bag to put your warm things in when you go into heated environments.
• The pavements: You are going to walk a lot, so pack your walking shoes and boots. Don't try to wear high heels on the city streets as the pavements are hard, and often uneven. Put your pretty shoes in a bag and take them with you - every one does.

Health Issues

Things that might make you feel uncomfortable:

• Visible poverty: There is a lot of it here. There are great extremes of wealth and poverty, and it is visible in the streets of the central city and in some other areas. Some tourists wish it would go away - from where they can see it. Others wish it would go away, and make some effort to help.
• Beggars: There are more of these in the summer, and in tourist locations. Many with babies beg at subte entrances. It is feared that many of these children have imbibed substances that keep them drowsy and docile. You need to decide for yourself whether and/or how much to give money when asked. If you want to help, try keeping small quantities of nourishing food such as dried fruit or fruit drink packs (not sweets) in your bag for the children.
• Street vendors: All kinds of things will be offered to you in cafes and on the buses and trains - tissues, pens, food, gadgets, etc. If you need/want it, why not buy it? Street vending is more dignified than begging.
• Homeless sleeping in the streets: At the Banco de la Ciudad, in Avenida 9 de Julio (the 14 lane main highway through the centre of the city) the frontage is lined with old mattresses where homeless people sleep. You will see them in other places too, but bank doorways are very common. There are areas in Buenos Aires where you don't see this - because  the locals call the police and ask to have the homeless moved on. But it doesn't stop the problem, just hides it. If you want to help, check out the local charities that assist the homeless and donate some time or money.
• 

  Rubbish and the cartoneros:

  This is an aspect of visible poverty that isn't quite so simple. After the 2002 economic crash, many people who lost their jobs went into the "business" of rubbish recycling. And it is a business - there is a lot of money in rubbish. But what most tourists see is the rubbish spread on the streets during the recycling hours, with people (cartoneros) picking through it. And they are upset and/or offended.

  Photo courtesy Sergio Elguezabal: Ecologia

  Look at the preview of the film "Cartoneros" (with English subtitles). Or look at the Martino photo essay. Or read about Eloisa Cartonera - a recycled art project. Think about the issues involved. The rubbish won't look the same afterwards.
 
• Queueing: This is a national pastime. Learn some patience. Take a book to read. Dance tango in the queue.
• Obsession with property security: This drives Rachel nuts - people will lock up their buildings so that they couldn't get out in a fire, to protect their property from the danger of theft!  They also disable the intercom door openers, so visitors must wait in the street for their host to come down to street level to let them in, rather than just buzzing them in. And it is common for apartments to have two or three sets of locks. Shops are sometimes locked during working hours and you have to buzz to be let in. There is always a "good" explanation for these practices, but they may be more a reaction to other forms of past insecurity (see the history of Argentina), rather than a real prevalence of home invasion or theft.

Keeping your possessions safe:

• We really dislike the endless conversations of some tourists about the loss of their possessions - often not acknowledging that there are thieves in all parts of the world, nor that their own behaviours may have contributed to their vulnerability.

However, we have been around when things were stolen and know that even a trivial theft can spoil the day, or even a whole holiday (if you let it). So here is some advice from us about how to maximise the chances of keeping your possessions safe.

• Bags and purses:
• Don't carry your passport and all your credit cards with you when you go out - a good photocopy of your passport will suffice for most things, and one credit card is usually enough.
• Carry your cash in two or three parts; most of it tucked safely in an inner pocket or money belt, and a small quantity (including coins) in an easily accessible place.
• For women a purse that zips closed is best, especially if it has other zipped compartments within for precious things. Wear your purse with the zip closing to the front.
• Buy a small coin purse with a metal ring, and attach it to the zip pull of your main purse. That way it can't be pulled out by a pick-pocket.
• Carry your purse in front of you in crowded spaces - subtes, collectivos, escalators.
• NEVER put your purse or bag down on the ground or on a table, and don't hang it on the back of your chair. It is a good practice to always wrap the shoulder strap around the back or sides of chairs in cafes, or around your leg on the floor.
• You may like to invest is a small bag alarm before you come - you can purchase these from an electronics store. Or buy an anti-theft purse for travelling.
• Remember that your reflexes are never as good as a practised thief - prevention is the best approach. Thieves go for easy pickings. 
• Upload your photos to a website regularly, or download to some offline backup. There is insurance for lost cameras, but nothing can compensate for lost photos.
• If you do get your stuff stolen, don't let it ruin your holiday. It can happen to anyone, even those with body guards! (And you, of course, will still have your passport, most credit cards, and a copy of your photos back at the casa.)
• In milongas or clubs:
•  If you have to leave your things (eg to dance), try checking them at the coat check.
• Or if you are in a group, agree to take turns looking after the group possessions.
• Always tie your bags to the chair or table, and don't leave cameras and cellphones on the table.
• En casa (at home):
• Shut the building front door properly when you enter or leave.
• Don't leave the front door of the casa open.
• Don't invite unknown people into the casa.
• 
  Our casas are as safe as any home or hotel, but for peace of mind, keep your laptop locked using the anti-theft cable provided. And use one when you take your laptop with you to a cafe or other place. If you want one of your own, you can buy them at Dick Smith in NZ, but many computer shops have them.
• Don't put the address of the casa with your keys - if you lose them you make us all vulnerable.

 Known scams:

• Counterfeit money
• There is a surprising quantity of counterfeit notes here. They are quite easy to pick up when you know the money (a counterfeit note feels different, often has crude colours or pictures, and might not have the metallic strip or  correct watermark). However foreigners are more likely not to feel or see the difference, so are more likely to receive one as change. Check notes given to you, especially large notes (50 and 100 pesos, but can be true for small notes too). Thanks to KPG for photo - top one is legit.
• If you get your money from a bank, ATM or reputable cambio, it will not be counterfeit.
• If someone tells you that you have given them counterfeit notes and you know that you got them from a reliable source, you have met a different kind of scam. This is common in scam taxis at the bus and train stations - they take your notes and quickly swap them for counterfeit notes. Do not let them "check" the rest of your money for you - especially not $US notes. (We met one person who lost hundreds of dollars that way.)
• Organised theft strategies
• The "mess up your clothes then offer help" strategy. We thought this was an urban myth, but have actually met people who encountered it. Suddenly you find yourself covered in something horrible - bird droppings is a favourite. Then "helpful"  people rush up with handkerchiefs or rags to help you clean it off. In the process they help themselves to anything available - from surprisingly intimate places. Don't let strangers touch you in these circumstances.
• The "offer to sell you something at the cafe table" strategy. It is not the custom here for a street vendor to talk with customers at street cafe tables. A genuine vendor will put a sample of what they are selling on your table and walk away. When they come back they will just collect it and leave (unless you pick it up and/or show interest in buying it). Any vendor who initiates conversation is likely to be trying to distract you from the activities behind you (or at your feet), so take care.
• The "dropped keys in a crowded space" category. The person dropping the keys at your feet (by your suitcase or bag) is hoping you will bend over to help or checkout what is happening. When you do, your back pockets (or shoulder bag or backpack) are vulnerable to the fingers of their companion standing behind you. Make sure your shoulder bag is well zipped, and you don't keep valuables in back pockets. 
• The "let me take your photo" strategy. A kind person offers to take your photo (with your camera), so you put your bags down and pose. While you are focused on them, and your camera, their friend has access to your bags. They might not even offer to take the photo - most people put bags down for a posed photo. Put the bags between your feet, or the strap around your legs.

• The Report:
• For those who want to read more from an (at least theoretically) unbiased source, look here for the (US) 2007  Crime and Safety Report on Argentina.
• Note that it stresses that "traffic accidents are still the primary threat to private sector safety in Argentina, especially in Buenos Aires".
• For those who have been advised by their friends that the most secure places to stay in Buenos Aires are Recoleta, Palermo or Belgrano, this report also notes that: The wealthier parts of metro Buenos Aires experience high rates of property crime, with high-income neighborhoods often registering twice as many complaints as some of the poorer and supposedly more dangerous parts of town.