One of the most rewarding and memorable experiences I had was visiting the English Club. I had posted some general city questions on the Lonely Planet message board a few weeks before leaving, and Laura sent me an e-mail inviting me to a group that gets together on Friday nights to practice and speak English, and enjoy company and food together.

We took the D subway up to Congreso de Tocumon (the last stop), and walked to a big American style coffee shop/restaurant called Fame. Fame was the first time I’d actually seen a coffee pot, as most small coffees are made fresh from a machine. We met Laura and soon others came arrived. We had a great time talking about life, politics, culture, and many other things. Talking about the positives and negatives of different cultures, as well as the mundane aspects of life in different countries was a wonderful experience. I learned more about Argentina, the recent history, and opinions on their country than I ever could through a museum, book, or walking the streets.

We met Laura, Mercedes, Gilad, and Sarah from Chicago, who took us the next week for dinner and some drinks. If you are visiting B.A. and looking for some company send Laura an e-mail and say hello! Their web site is: http://www.geocities.com/grupo_de_ingles/

We ended up visiting with the group for three to four hours. By the time we left the subway was closed so we took a cab back, and were driven down Avenida of the Liberador, a beautiful wide boulevard with statues, country clubs and large old social club type buildings.

Later in the week we got in touch with Pablo, who we had met a few nights ago at a club near our hostel. He spoke English very well and we had a great time again staying up much later than I’m used to. We had wanted to do some shopping and buy some original clothing so Pablo took us to Abasto Mall, which is a modern mall built around a large old 19th century market. It reminded me of the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, many levels and stores, and even had an indoor subway station. Since the exchange rate is currently three to one in favor of the dollar, we bought many cool funky shirts, pants and other clothes which doubled the spartan amount of luggage we took with us in backpacks.

Pablo lives in Mar del Plata and was in Buenos Aires visiting family, but knew the area well was a big help in learning about the area, and was one of the nicest people we met. Paul had recommended Millon restaurant to us, near the hostel at Parana and Avenida Santa Fe. We went there with Pablo, and enjoyed a steak dinner with plenty of wine and rich desserts. Millon was an incredible place in an old house, with an upstairs balcony overlooking a beautiful courtyard.

Argentina is well known for its beef, but we enjoyed a lot of original food. I didn’t find the pizza to be that incredible, but my favorite fair was definitely the empanadas. At first I thought they were just desserts, but the third day I was ordering them left and right. They’re made with beef and chicken, and most have a multitude of ingredients tucked inside including hard boiled eggs, olives, and many other things. Now I make them at home.

We didn’t get to the Solo Empanadas chain, but they’re web site has an empanada with arms and legs, if that’s your thing. I still can’t figure out why every web site in Argentina uses flash, but maybe I’m jealous, as all I know is simple HTML.

I walked by this business called “Freddo” a number of times. It was only a block away from our hostel and blended in with all the other fashionable stores. I didn’t think of it, but must of subconsciously deduced it was a jewelry store of some sort, with the long light countertop and people peering over. Later Paul told us it was a gourmet coffee and ice cream shop, with wealthy owners who made a point of constantly remodeling their chain of stores. We enjoyed great coffee and ice cream there, and a great place to visit after a good steak dinner. And true to Paul’s word one night we walked by at 2am and they were painting the inside.

We were about ten blocks from 9 de Julio, which is known as the widest street in the world, but it seemed much easier to traverse than many suburban arterial streets I’ve crossed. The obelisk is located along this street as well, a famous landmark in the city.

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