Santa Fe, Argentina
06-29-2011, 11:51 AM
I've returned from Santa Fe. First, as a city with a population just under 500,000, it's distinctly different from Cordoba and Buenos Aires.
Girls: Quality is lower than in the big cities. Chicks are much more family oriented, and the importance of social circle is magnified. The most active, "downtown" area of the city is on a street called San Martin that runs 15 blocks or so, finished off with a tiny shopping mall and casino. You'll see people constantly greeting others as they walk around, so it's a place where news travels fast and the girls behave accordingly. Buenos Aires has a much greater sense of anonymity.
Increased awareness of social image, however, is offset by other factors. Santa Fe girls aren't bitchy -- period. They're not howled, hissed, and clawed at by local men to the same extent as girls in other places, so bitch shields haven't really developed. Generally speaking, girls are also much less materialistic than their countrywomen in other parts. It's all relative. In Buenos Aires, girls see other girls with Prada bags and Gucci shoes walking down the street all the time, drinking champagne with athletes and actors at upscale clubs like Esperanto. Cost of living is high, and the contrast between a place in Recoleta and La Boca is stark. When you see what's out there for the taking every day with your own eyes, you're much more inclined to gold dig than a girl in Santa Fe, where there's much less social stratification. There are still haves and have-nots, but the disparity isn't as pronounced. There are no sport cars on the streets, upscale clubs with celebrities, or other girls with $400 shoes walking around. Their range of possibilities is much more narrowly defined.
You're also more exotic as an American, as happens in all secondary cities. You still can't depend on an English speaking tongue to lead you all the way to the bedroom, but it'll get you significantly more opportunities to run game.
In my experience, these two positive factors outweigh the negative one of heightened social consciousness. Friendlier girls open to meeting cool foreigners to break the monotony of their routine lives led to more lays/time than in the larger cities. Also, probability of flaking is significantly lower.
Nightlife: This is probably the worst part of Santa Fe. Clubs only open from Thursday to Saturday, so your options for the remaining days are severely limited. Consequently, your best bet is to focus on day game. I recommend San Martin and the mall as target-rich environments. English fluency is lower than in B.A., and again, word gets around about the new gringo in town. Instead of a shotgun approach to day-game that's very easy in big cities ala Paul Janka in NYC, I suggest selecting only the most promising of targets with soft openers to gauge their receptiveness, lest you get pegged as "that guy" amongst all the girls.
Worthwhile nightlife spots:
Juan's: Two story club with large dance floors. For the weekend, this is your best bet for finding the hottest girls.
Side-note: If you happen to have a car that you park nearby, be sure to tip the local teenagers that approach you with smiles and their hands outstretched. They're illegal immigrants that allegedly offer security for all the cars around the club. In reality, if you don't pay for their "security" (5 pesos or so), they'll throw rocks and fuck up your car while you're inside. I didn't learn this the hard way, but the guy in front of me did.
Falucho: A smaller venue, but quality talent nonetheless.
Stringers: Close to Falucho. This is a place to pre-game, starting up at around 8 pm. Younger crowd, but a very laid-back, social atmosphere where you can play pool and shoot the shit. If you're the type that likes to roll with a crew instead of solo, you can hit this place up early in the night to befriend local wingmen for clubbing later on.
El Templo: More of a hipster vibe where you give up attractiveness for easier lays.
El Stud: Pretty much the ONLY place to go at night when it's not Thurs, Fri or Sat. Open 7 days/week from 10 pm to 5 am. It's a bar with only working girls, but lots of local men go only to have a drink and socialize. The pickings aren't great, but out of 25 girls, there are three chicks I'd rate 6.5-7 for the taking, all very bangable blondes. Go very early or very late and with tight game, you can shore them with ease. If you're feeling lazy or whatever though, they charge $30/hour.
Happy Hunting, gents.