Money Exchange & Other Hustles on Florida St.
Walking along Florida Street near LaValle on downtown Buenos Aires’ pedestrian mall, it’s inevitable to come across some shady-looking characters yelling out or whispering, ‘cambio, cambio!’
These ‘unofficial’ (read: illegal) money changers, known in Lunfardo as arbolitos, do offer dollar and euro exchange rates that are lower than the banks, but it’s not recommended to take anyone up on their offer. By doing so you’ll not only advertise that you’re carrying a wad of cash, but you’ll also have no recourse if things go wrong.
The worst-case scenario is that one may find oneself in an intimidating situation or stuck with a pocketful of fake pesos notes. The best-case scenario is that everything will go fine and you will save a few bucks, but it’s better to avoid the risk and perhaps do some sightseeing and money exchange all at once at an official bank, such as the nearby historic Standard Bank.
Sex Shows and Brothels
Others lingering around Florida and LaValle hand out flyers or cards for nearby sex shows and brothels to single men or groups of men walking by. These clandestine ‘cabarets’ such as those Julio Cortázar once encountered nearby in Galeria Güemes have existed in this area a long time but are today rather predatory in nature.
Those who enter into these ‘whiskerias‘ as they are also called, will almost certainly find some unpleasant surprises, and possibly get roughed up and shaken down for money they weren’t planning to spend.
Although customers are usually invited to take a look around for free, signs in many of the establishments state that there is ‘a minimum drink charge’ and that management can’t be held responsible for any valuable personal items that go missing — even if it is the staff that relieves you of them.
Local men who enter these places are typically charged around AR$50 for a drink plus the same for one or more scantily clad bar girls. Tourists who are generally unfamiliar with the scam are the holy grail for these businesses and the prices quoted to them will certainly be excessive. The higher the price demanded, either for services or to extricate oneself from the situation, is an indication of how dumb, rich or scared they judge the customer to be.
Prostitutes in these establishments, generally women from poorer provinces or countries such as the Dominican Republic, generally charge AR$300 (on top of the drink charges) and should be considered a high health risk as the sex industry is unregulated with no std screening in place.
As with money changing around Florida Street, if you are the victim of a swindle of seduction it almost certainly won’t help to go to the police— it’s an open secret that they receive a cut of the profits.
In short: nothing good can come from following strangers on Florida Street. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
For those who understand Spanish, this hidden camera exposé from the popular local TV program, ‘Fuera de Foco‘ shows how the cabaret bait and switch works:
