Buenos Aires, a major metropolis, has all the bells and whistles when it comes to public transportation. While some of these bells and some of these whistles may not always be perfectly polished, they still ring and…whistle. In Boston, it’s the T; in London, it’s the Tube; and in Buenos Aires, it’s the Subte. I have only explored “Linea D,” apparently the best line in the city, but I have to say, it’s the best for a reason. So far, the subway is 10/10 in my book.

In sixth grade Spanish class, we learned about city terms. “Semáforo” means traffic light. “Rascacielos” was a fun one to say meaning skyscraper. And “autobús” is bus. Well, not in Argentina. Here, the busses are called “colectivos.” Why? I have no idea. Regardless, there are about (not even exaggerating) 160 different bus routes, each with its own fleet of identically colored colectivos. It’s can be confusing but at least there’s always a bus for anywhere you want to go! You have to be careful though because they often start driving before the doors are shut!

The Spanish word for bike is “bici” and the city of Buenos Aires has recently been trying to go green and promote bike riding. Yellow bikes like this one are all over the city. The riders mostly ride in the designated bike paths (which are on almost every street) but sometimes they’re right in there with the traffic next to the huge “colectivos.” I haven’t signed up to take advantage of this free bike share yet but I will soon!

While running to my last appointment before obtaining my student Visa, I stopped for a moment to appreciate the beauty of this bike, its shadow and my favorite word ever: “café.” We love a good café in Buenos Aires. As the winter weather turns each day from gray to sunny, sights like these will become more common and I can’t wait!