Traveling to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is a great place to visit. You can do it on your own taking the subway. Also, take a free walking tour. There are some neighborhoods that you should not enter, but check with your hotel clerk or concierge. Be sure to take in a tango show.

Here is our review of five days in BA as well as a cruise.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=248878

Zara,

A couple of websites you can check.....

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/argentina.html (especially the "Safety & Security" section, which addresses the crime problems).

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-south-america/argentina (this would be a good place to get hotel listings and other information - you'll have to register for the site of course).

Good luck!

I would start with a guide book if you don't know much about the city (Footprint Guides are excellent). I think you should take the same precautions as any other large city. Buenos Aires did not stick out to me in any way as particularly unsafe, and it was very easy and inexpensive to get around. Most visitors have to watch out for pickpockets, that's about it. There are so many different neighborhoods that you should hone in on the type of accommodation you're looking for. Puerto Madero, for example, is full of high rise business hotels like you'd find anywhere else. It's a nice neighborhood but has no real charm. Other neighborhoods like Palermo, Palermo Viejo, San Telmo are more residential and have a much more interesting local vibe. Buenos Aires definitely has a feel of worn grandeur that is likely not to come back anytime soon. The country had a major financial crash in 2000 and has limped along as an international pariah because it defaulted on debts and refused to pay creditors. This had a real negative effect on their psyche and made them a lot poorer and cut off economically from global markets. Having said that, Buenos Aires is a fascinating place to visit and has really neat (if not decaying) architecture and bohemian vibe. It's fun just to stroll around and check out the architecture, people watch, and grab wonderful food and wine.

I would do some research on what's going on with exchange rates. As of a few years ago, there were two types of rates, an official one and an unofficial one with a huge variance (last time I checked it was between 4 to 8 pesos for $1 USD, depending on which rate you sought out). When I went in 2009, the exchange rate was 4 to 1. I never visited an informal exchange bureau, but some people used them to get a much better exchange rate (I don't know what the case is now and whether they've turned away from this black market economy in favor of one standardized rate). I remember they had a real shortage of coins with which to make change while I was there. Other than that, food in Buenos Aires is a great value and high quality, especially if you like steak (I don't eat meat but my friends traveling with me partook of a lot of Argentinian steak). And don't forget that May is really the opposite season for them being in the southern hemisphere. It will actually be fall, so check the temperatures before you go so you're prepared.

One other tidbit - you can see a bunch of free tango shows in San Telmo (people just dance in the street and play music for passerby). No need to go to a tourist show which is likely to be really overpriced with bad food to boot. Had I known how many opportunities there would be to see people dancing the tango, I would have skipped the tourist show.

I had the occasion of being there twice - once in 1991 before the crash (but already with daily big inflation) and in 2013 after the crash. The city is much more run down now, to the point that you should be really careful in walking as it could be easy to put a feet in some road hole. Bring sturdy shoes.
I would not be afraid of big crime, what you will be constantly warned is about petty thieves or conmen. You should be careful of never leaving your luggage unattended, the front of your hotel may be the most dangerous place. Pay attention to your purse in restaurants. Also to try to have small change and not to be stuck with big bills; even legitimate shops may have difficulties in changing a big bill (and something like 20 US$ may be already be a big bill). I was told that a common scam is a taxi driver changing your large bill with a fake one, than giving it back to you telling it is no good; I was suggested, before paying with a large bill, to have a look to the serial number (say, note that ends with "....345") so that you can spot the scam if you are given back a bill with a different number.
There are not so many museums around, but the city is full of theatres and clubs with live music. Even the opera house is a glorious one.

The new President has lifted currency controls and there is no longer an Blue (Black Market) rate. Also, the reciprocity fee has been lifted for US citizens.