Country Article / Postcards
Taxi Drivers and Beautiful Women in Buenos Aires
Date: 01/30/2004"Here's my theory:
"The economic and market cycles in Buenos Aires can be gauged by the mood of the city's taxi drivers and the number of beautiful women you see on the streets.
"This may be true for any city, but I'm not yet confident enough to extrapolate the theory that generally. I am, though, certain of this system for Buenos Aires.
"When I lived in this country 10 years ago...at a time when the economy was booming...every cab driver you met was happy and at least every second woman you saw on the street qualified as beautiful.
"When I returned 18 months ago...which, in retrospect, was nearly a precise bottom for this market...the taxi drivers were grumpy and I didn't see a single pretty girl my entire stay.
"My next visit was six months later. Taxi drivers were less grouchy...and, again (I'm not making this up), I couldn't help but notice the pretty women."
So explained my husband, Lief Simon, when I spoke with him on the phone this morning. He's in Buenos Aires again, finalizing details with our local management agency to prepare the three apartments we've purchased in that city in that past 12 months for rental. "How's your trip going?" I'd asked. In response, he began explaining his new system for reading the market in Argentina. He shared his theory with two Argentine friends over dinner last night, he told me, and they both heartily concurred.
"So...what was the mood of your driver on the ride in from the airport?"
"Great," Lief told me. "And I'm nearly tripping over the women again."
I must caution that this theory is not entirely scientific, and I wouldn't recommend investing large sums of money on its basis alone.
Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living
P.S. While the mood in Buenos Aires is good, and this country is well along the road to recovery following its most recent financial crisis (of 2002)...the cost of living remains wonderfully low. Lief reported that he stopped for lunch at a small shop yesterday. He bought a sandwich, a bag of chips, two bottles of Gatorade, a large bottle of soda, and a tube of toothpaste (he'd forgotten to bring any with him). Total cost was slightly over $6.
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