Every Sunday in Buenos Aires you can visit “Paseo de Recoleta,” at the large park near the Recoleta Cemetary and Señora del Pilar Church.

My travel mate Lou and I were wandering around here on a sunny October Sunday, taking in the live music in between perusing belts, jackets and other leather goods, while appreciating the relaxed atmosphere. Everyone was having a great time strolling the booths or picnicking on the green listening to live music.    These were exactly the type of crafts and souvenirs my friend wanted to find. He reminded me this again, the first time a week earlier when chiding me for purchasing an “Evita” coffee mug at a Florida Street crap shack.

I bought a few shirts for my niece Lili, a belt, and when I saw a stylish single fold leather wallet I immediately knew it was a perfect replacement for my current wallet of 10 years.  It was soft suede leather with a sharp emblem on the side.  The gentlemen selling them made them all, and I knew it would be an excellent personal investment.  More so than an Evita coffee mug.

Back home I transferred over my contents and showed off the craftsmanship to friends and coworkers.  The weeks after my return were busy training and getting to know C.J., a three year old special needs rescue chihuahua that had mysteriously found his way to our door from the Adams County animal shelter.

A month later I found my wallet on the floor next to a chair I never sit in. “Strange,” I thought. I assumed that it had fallen from my messenger bag. I don’t lose things, and that should have been a red flag that something was up.  A few days later I came downstairs to find C.J. entertaining himself on the couch by holding my wallet down while picking and tearing at the seams. He had stuck his little snout into my messenger bag, grabbed my treasured wallet, and entertained himself all Friday evening gnawing it apart.

My heart sank. I was furious that a special momento and something I valued was now a soggy chew toy. Why couldn’t he had found the stone I had heisted from Calle Laprida?

I reprimanded him in the best manner I was able and gave him a long time out while drying the wallet and the two slobber soaked 20 dollar bills.  The wallet was torn and ruined.   I’m not a professional dog trainer, but I know the window of discipline for dogs is short.  I went to bed without speaking to C.J., but we made up the next day and I could tell by his bulging brown eyes he knew he had done wrong.  Or maybe he just wanted to go for a walk in the park.

That weekend I looked through my little pile of stuff still in my travel bag. I save things like city guides, club flyers and art programs.  I had a small paper bag with the name and insignia of Luis Tinti – the gentleman who handcrafted his leather goods and ran his booth.  Even better, his email was clearly marked on the bag.

I snapped a few photos of the destroyed wallet, and sent him an email in Spanish explaining what had happened, and how much I appreciated the wallet. I asked him if he had an identical one he could mail, and sent him the locations of a Fed-Ex. He wrote back, very appreciate of my note and commiserated C.J.’s behavior. He said he was in the process of producing more with my favored design, and sending it Correo Argentino would be more economical.  I told him to take his time, and he insisted I not pay until it arrived.

A few weeks later a perfect wallet showed up.  I wired him some money (first time ever using Western Union) and send him some extra for his time and consideration.  Although I love C.J. I don’t trust yet that he won’t smell the new leather from three rooms away and do the same, so I’ve continued using the original ripped wallet while saving my new one for a special occasion – like my return to South America.

I suppose the down side to acquiring goods that have special meaning and significance, is that you can really get blue when they are lost are destroyed.  Fortunately in this case it worked out, and I thank Luis for that.   If visiting the Paseo de Recoleta I highly recommend tracking him down.   Just keep your good leather away from C.J. I also purchased a pair of leather shoes by Oggi, which I only keep at work.

I do use my cheesy “Evita” mug daily – it’s a perfect scoop size for C.J.’s dog food.

The potential CON that comes with renting an apartment, is the opportunity to BE conned. Payment methods vary among renters and companies. Some rentals request a deposit of cash be WIRE TRANSFERRED in advance. That’s a 100% no for me under any circumstance. I only rent with those that accept credit cards, or Paypal which allows payment via your credit card. Should your transaction turn sketchy you can easily dispute the charges on your card, and your email exchanges will provide proof for an easy chargeback. Even L.A. Times travel writer Catharine Hamm was bold enough to use herself as an example to warn others what can happen: Don’t send cash, period.

Unlike hotels, with rentals you can’t filter through dozens of Tripadvisor reviews for details. You’re dependent on the referrals you find on the ‘net and the interaction you have by phone and email leading up to your stay. Good research pays. One night in a crummy hotel is far less lost than a rental provider not following through on a unit or ditching you upon arrival. For that reason I also take the name and address of a nearby hotel or hostel with availability, as a backup in case plans falls through. I’ve never had to use a backup, but it’s better to be prepared than sitting on your suitcase at a foreign payphone looking for someplace to sleep.

In a big city the options can be overwhelming. Googling “Buenos Aires Apartments,” or “short term rental” with any other large city yields a multitude of results.

In Buenos Aires I recommend BA4U Apartments. I found them through a small company specializing in day trips and activities geared to GLBT folks. BA4U Apartments only requested one night up front for my 15 day stay. I sent this on my credit card via Paypal, and was able to send the deposit via Paypal which was promptly refunded after departure. Their units are located primarily in the Recoleta, Barrio Norte and Palermo neighborhoods. The site is easy to use with plenty of photos and rates clearly posted, and most importantly my email communications were a breeze and all questions and any concerns answered promptly.

I had originally booked “The View”, but a few days before departure my contact Tomas informed me of gas problems in the building that would require substantial time to fix. He was apologetic and offered an upgrade to the “River View,” a new unit near Las Heras and Aguero, near Parque Las Heras, and also included airport transportation at no charge. Issue solved proactively and with excellent communication. Mind at ease I was then curious what the residents of the other building were doing without hot water. The only stipulation to my upgrade was that I water the plants. They obviously were unaware of my history with gardening. Thankfully it rained heavily the third day.

I actually preferred “RiverView’s” neighborhood along Las Heras over our original apartment along the stuffy designer store laden blocks east of Recoleta Cemetary. The neighborhood is perfect, and we found many small cafes walking various streets down to Avenida Santa Fe and back. This may have been particular to the building, but the two building managers were some of the friendliest Portenos I’ve ever met. I felt as though I had lived there for years and was more than just a tourist staying for a few weeks. On a few nights we had friends over with some new acquaintances for drinks – and I truly have never felt more like an expat living in a new city, even if it was for only half a month.

When returning I’ll definitely be scouting their catalog of residences again. And for those looking for a referral I highly and happily recommend them.

Doing it: All apartments and contact info listed at http://ba4uapartments.com.ar/

Above: View to the north and the Rio de la Plata. Right: Overlooking Avenida Las Heras and Hospital Rivadavia

Below: Drinks with friends. Right: The neighbor across the way tending to her flowers

Related: Marnixkade Canalview . Amsterdam

photos/edits by Caleb Cross Denver Colorado

The area of Puerto Madero, the former docks along the waterfront, is a still rapidly developing part of the city with similar modern looking styles shooting up from the ground.

Check out the “skybridge” connection the top floors of the two skyscrapers on the left.

The highrises are amazing in design and quite futuristic, but the neighborhood is utterly boring. It’s not nearly as lively as the older neighborhoods and there’s little to do by night. Many of the large chain hotels are located in this area, with overpriced steakhouses you’d find in many downtown U.S. cities. There’s a Hooters in the neighborhood too.

The most common are these medium size square blocks with the raised ridges. More upscale apartment buildings and stores will maintain a polished marble or glossy high end look. Some sidewalks can be in rough shape and unmaintained if a storefront is vacant, with small chips eventually spreading, cracking entirely and creating big pockmarks in the sidewalks. Very few are gray concrete slabs. The variety is quite amazing, and some edifices and institutions like churches will have very unique and ornate designs extending to the street.

When the day starts at 5am, (or when the night is ending for others,) you’ll see building managers and shopkeepers hosing down the dust and dirt from their parcels – part of their daily morning routine.

This probably tips the unethical versus ethical side of the scale, but I took this tile from one of the busted up sections along Calle Laprida, between Avenida Santa Fe and Las Heras. It was an undamaged piece teetering into a section of dirt that needed repair, so I decided for the city of Buenos Aires that it would be better utilized as a coaster on my desk at work.

After scrubbing it thoroughly I now have a very unique “recorrido” (souvenir or memory) which has special meaning to me. Hopefully my transgression will be overlooked in light of my love for the city, and appreciation for all the past people who have walked over this small piece of the city.

100 or so more and I could redo my back patio. But I’m sure excess luggage fees would have applied.

Here at home we have the occasional rally at the capitol building. For the most part they’re few and far between, and the amount of people that participate pales in comparison. On the streets of Buenos Aires you’re likely to see a demonstration often, especially during election season.

Occasionally I’ll mention to friends how active Porteños are in politics, and the frequency of the street demonstrations and protests. They assume I’m exaggerating, but if put on the stand I think this verifies it in an interesting and humorous manner.

I watch but mainly listen to C5N for an hour or two every morning. It helps me practice my Spanish, and gives a feel for daily life there. (Even if like here the news carries a heavy focus on the irrational.) C5N is a 24 hour news channel serving Buenos Aires, and is always up to speed on what’s happening in the streets. I grabbed some few screen shots over the past few months to highlight some of the daily occurrences.

The daily interruptions of traffic flow on the streets are so common they are included in the traffic reports, and even plan for upcoming events that are scheduled. These are never violent, but occur to facilitate the awareness of issues important to the workers and residents. And apparently standing in the streets with large signs accomplishes that.

Now that the mid term elections are finished the daily demonstrations have subsided some. It’s chaotic, unorganized, and crazy – and I love and appreciate it. Here are some shots from April and May:

March 23:

April 30:

April 27:

April 9:

April 16:

April 10: Blocking a bridge

May 14: Taxi drivers demonstrating:

May 1: Downtown

May 29: Scheduled protest at 6pm

I really didn’t catch what was going on here, but there is a crowd of people dancing in the street:

Other random shots:

Here’s Christina Kirshner delivering one of her uplifting speeches:

Dealing with the H1N1 virus:

Traffic backup. Makes the 405 look like a country drive:

And of course coverage of South Carolina governer Mark Sanford:

As mentioned in previous posts, my “Future Gringo” goal is to take two overseas or international trips per year, one in the spring and one in the fall – when the weather is generally agreeable in most regions. Combined with weekend trips in the U.S., and some bike trips and summer camping in Colorado and Wyoming I think that makes for a well rounded travel schedule. At least for someone who works full time.

With pressing obligations at work factoring in during the first quarter I didn’t think it wise to disappear to Europe for two weeks, even if Skype and VNC can facilitate easy virtual accessibility. So my spring trip was a jaunt down to Puerto Vallarta to hang out with friends. After things settled down at the desk I pondered where to go this fall. Buenos Aires was the first place I found to be a true cultural learning experience and exotic place. Although I’ve been to Europe a couple times since, something about Buenos Aires still intrigues me. I love the culture, the food, the architecture and styles that abounds throughout the city, and the passion of the people young and old.

I’ve decided to return in order to learn more, polish my Spanish, (or Castellano,) and to further explore Argentina. I have an apartment rented in Palermo, and will be traveling with a friend here in Denver who’s an artist and designer, and will no doubt appreciate everything the city has to offer. I’ve maintained contact with a couple friends who I met during my last stay, so in addition to meeting new faces I’ll have some friends to catch up with as well.

I’ll be taking some Spanish classes in order to improve on and refine what I already know. I have no idea how I’ll manage daytime classes while taking part in an active nightlife schedule too, which begins strictly after midnight. I guess I’ll adapt to the Porteños way of doing it.

Although not yet secured I’m planning a side trip down south to Ushuaia or somewhere in Tierra del Fuego. I’ve always wanted to see the “bottom of the world,” – and am working on arranging a glacier hike, a dive in the Beagle Channel, or something similarly active. If anyone has adventurous itineraries I’d love to hear – provided it’s actually doing something rather than just sitting on a boat.

When I visited a few years back we filled some spare time with shopping. I’m not an active shopper, but the exchange rate is still favorable and I found styles and brands that aren’t seen outside of New York and L.A. I’m instructing my friend keep his bags empty and fly down with the bare minimum – so we can spend our first day visiting Abasto Mall or Alto Palermo.

I’m quite enthused about returning. However even though the city is exotic to me, like any other city it’s not without its own unique and specific problems. Last night I was grabbing a bottle of wine and saw that the Smithsonian had a cover feature on Argentina. (Yes my liquor store carries the Smithsonian.) The writer, Daniel Politi, shares my “pie in the sky” view of the city, however in reading the online version at home I saw the comments of several residents and ex-pats offering various criticisms of the “American in Paris” outlook. It’s worth reading and noting the quality of life issues affecting the citizens.

Read the Smithsonian’s “Hola Buenos Aires” here.

And finally I can figure out what Te Mataré Ramirez is all about. Updates to follow…

Paul is an Argentine originally from Los Angeles.  He immediately made us feel welcome, helped us get our bearings in the city and gave us some restaurant tips to start. My sense of being totally overwhelmed, (attributed partly to flying all night with limited sleep), soon eased. The hostel is on the third floor of an old building, up two beautiful marble staircases with iron railings. We had a great room overlooking the corner of Montevideo and Marcelo T.

Paul was also kind enough to send a taxi for us to Ezeiza Airport some 15 miles out.  To be greeted at the airport with your name on a sign, and get a smooth friendly ride into town definitely gives you positive vibes upon arrival in a new city.

We had a private room with bathroom, and a great balcony which I spent hours on over the next two weeks just watching people rushing about. Paul made our entire trip a wonderfully positive experience, and I’d recommend his accommodations to anyone. We got settled in, showered, and had a late lunch at a nearby restaurant.

The approach into Mexico City was an aviation treat:   After clearing the mountains and peaks that ring the city we immediately swooped down and around the sharp edged skyscrapers and for a perfect landing against a reddish sunset – thanks to the haze no doubt. The Mexico City airport was enormous but easy to navigate.

En route to Buenos Aires from Mexico City I realized why many foreign carriers, (foreign to the United States that is,) are given such high regard.  Even in coach we were provided wonderful treatment by the crew.  For the overnight flight we were given eye masks, earplugs, and of course pillow and blankets.  Actual nice pillows, not the crusty disgusting ones found in the usual overhead bins.

When the morning sun and Atlantic Ocean over South America came into view we were given hot towels and a decent breakfast to start our day.  Sure sleeping overnight in coach is not pleasant, but I was surprised and thankful for our crew and the service of Mexicana for the long duration of this flight.  Our return flight was long – ok VERY long, but again the good treatment and cheerful spirits of our nearby passengers made for a happier than usual flying experience again.

Photo from Airliners.net

Later Paul, the proprietor of the El Sol hostel, 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 later at 2am and they were painting the inside.

edit to add in ’07: My Spanish has vastly improved since first visiting, however my appreciate should be noted to the staff always selecting the a different flavor of ice cream upon every visit. Knowing I wasn’t the best communicator they took the initiative to ensure we were happy – and we were.

Upon arrival it seemed more classy and refined, and not cheesy or tacky. We got there and were seated. Although we were the second people there, the restaurant soon filled up, and I was surprised no one left. People take their time with meals, and don’t rush through their dinners. The tables were filled with mostly couples, but some small groups of friends congregated at tables too. Again we had an incredible meal of chicken, asparagus, and a chocolate dessert.

Then came the weird part: We had been there about two and a half hours and were ready to head out, but we realized no one else was leaving! We weren’t sure if a show of some sort was going to start, so we got up to leave and our waitress rushed over to make sure everything was ok. We explained we had some plans for the night and it certainly wasn’t our perfect meal and mellow ambiance causing us to leave.

Edit: We probably should have stayed and seen what events would have transpired. Unfortunately my short patience got the best of us. This later dated NY Times article explains in detail the food and concept of Te Mataré Ramirez.

It’s an erotic restaurant, both in its food and decor. Sensual combinations include garlic and sun-dried tomatoes mixed with sweet elements and poured over sautéed or marinated meats with deeply embedded flavor. This emphasis on contrasts creates some of the most flavorful cooking in town. The ceilings are decorated with paintings of naked men and women with nothing more on than high-heeled shoes, mixed in with naughty cherubs. Erotic art hangs on the walls, all of it for sale. The lighting is boudoir red, and wine is consumed out of antique cut crystal glasses that cast red sparkles on the tablecloths. Black-clothed actors perform playfully racy shows on a small stage, using hand-held puppets who do very naughty things. It’s hard to describe this place as romantic, but certainly a dinner here could lead to post-meal hanky-panky when discussing the play. Slow, soft jazz or bossa nova music plays as you eat, adding to the mood for love.

Website at (and photo from,) tematareramirez.com. They’re at Paraguay 4062, in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

One place I found myself visiting almost daily during my stay in Buenos Aires was “Aroma,” a large coffee shop on the corner of Avenida Santa Fe and Parana.

Aroma is a chain, so don’t confuse it with the older and smaller relaxed coffee shops that dot the city. At Aroma you order at the counter, grab your food, pay, and sit. For a traveler who needs a quick breakfast before jetting to “do” the city its a convenient option.

This bright cheery place offers coffee of all types, plus a very large breakfast menu for a coffee shop. Down a large open staircase is a lower level offering a quiet place to sit with friends, or if you’re me attempt to improve your Spanish.

I’m not sure why exactly I took a picture of my empty cup and trash – but there you go.

Since the Buenos Aires provincial elections were occurring on Sunday, many businesses including restaurants were closed for the day. For a day trip out of the city we made plans to take the ferry to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay that day. BBC Country profile of Uruguay

History of Uruguay from BBC

At 7am we took a cab down to the docks (which are just northeast of the downtown area) and were brought to the Buquebus terminal. Buquebus is Spanish for “boat bus” and is a large ferry company providing service between Buenos Aires, Colonia del Sacramento, and Montevideo (Urugauy’s capital). Buquebus offers a high speed boat makes the journey across the bay in just one hour, but we opted for the three hour ride there and back.

Uruguay passport control was efficiently located in the Buenos Aires terminal and we were processed before boarding, making it easy to exit upon arrival. We headed upstairs to the loading bridge and once inside were amazed at the size of the ship. I expected a boat with two decks and a bunch of seats similar to the ferries between Long Beach and Catalina Island (California), which I’ve taken many times. This ship had five levels, including an open air deck, and a large viewing area in front with first class. reclining seats. We bought a first class ticket which provided us access to a private area on the top level. Other than a private cafe, the seats and accommodations were the same as the rest of the boat, but it was quiet and empty, allowing us a well needed nap en route. The picture in the left is the Buenos Aires skyline. I wandered around the boat a bit more and took some pictures, visited the duty free store, and played some Ms. Pac Man on the circa 1986 video games. As I woke up from a nap the shores of Uruguay came into view.

We exited the boat and wandered into town, getting as lost as we could in a 16 block area, with the help from some attractive traveling Dutch girls we eventually made it to the main street.

Being a map geek I always want to know everything about a town before. I did absolutely no research on Colonia, but we found a map, and the town is small enough to learn quickly just by walking around.

Having no idea what the currency exchange was I withdrew 40 Uruguayan Pesos, which turned out to be the equivalent of about 7 US dollars. Fortunately the small café we found took credit cards, and we enjoyed an early lunch outdoors before I made a second more informed trip to the ATM. Sitting in the cool breeze of the cafe was a nice change from the busy streets of Buenos Aires.

We walked around the blocks on centuries old cobblestone streets, taking in the lush trees and slow pace of life. Colonia del Sacramento is a very old city, and is listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

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Entering the restaurant was like entering a dark musty mansion. Not much activity in the entry foyer, but arriving atop the beautiful staircase revealed a bustling cacophony of wait staff, hosts, and diners enjoying the best Argentinean food I was about to eat. We were escorted to a table overlooking a quiet leafy courtyard where we spent the next three hours enjoying steaks, fresh roasted potatoes and veggies with a wonderful red wine.

Our young and enthusiastic waiter was surprisingly dressed down wearing a t-shirt and sandals. It certainly didn’t bother me – but was just something different to see. He made us feel more than welcome and was more than attentive, as was a small black cat sitting on the rail overlooking the patrons.

In the afternoon we took the subway to the Teatro Colon Theatre, but were unable to tour the inside, as the technical workers and crew were on strike.

From Tuesday to Thursday we visited Iguazu Falls, which was set up by Barbara at Columbia Travel. Many people that do trips to Buenos Aires for a week or more often do a side trip to Iguazu Falls, Patagonia, or Cordoba. These quick flights are affordable and depart from the airport in the city, so you don’t have an entire day taken away by flying.

Our second to last day we took the subway south to San Telmo, a neighborhood on the south side of the central area. San Telmo is an older working class neighborhood, and becoming gentrified and rejuvenated with artists moving in and people buying old homes there and fixing them up. We walked through the market and looked at the antiques, and found everything from old Fiat license plates, to old turn of the century maps, to beautiful restored furniture. San Telmo has an open square on one block, with food vendors, craftsman, and restaurants around it.

I love walkable cities with good transportation, and Buenos Aires is perfect for walking tours. The subway lines extend out in a fork pattern from downtown, but the C line bisects it north from Retiro Station, and the H line is under construction, eliminating the need to go downtown for north/south trips. We road the bus once, but due to the many many bus lines and one way streets it takes some time to master. In addition to walking we found the taxis to be affordable and easy to hail. Always use the “radio” taxis – we took a regular taxi from Aeroparque (the local airport) and it was double the price back to our neighborhood as the radio taxis were. If you know the cross streets or address, taxis have no problem getting you there efficiently, but in heavy rush hour traffic walking may be quicker. Being a fan of rail and trains I loved riding the Subte (short for Subterranean), especially the A line which still uses old cars with incandescent lamps in them.

http://www.metrovias.com.ar/spa/home.asp Buenos Aires Metro

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires_Metro

By the end of our stay we were walking to the grocery stores, markets, coffee shops, and doing regular local things the way residents do. Our second week I visited a barber for a haircut, and I picked up some laundry at the cleaners. Nothing makes you feel more assimilated into a culture, or like you actually belong somewhere, (rather than just visiting) than by doing banal daily chores. I think visiting one place and getting to know the people, culture, and daily ways of life is much more rewarding than rushing from place to place.

Our last dinner was at Te Matare Ramirez. (Spanish for “I will kill you, Ramirez”) We had seen this restaurant advertised in a local paper, and was advertised as an erotic themed restaurant. It seemed more classy and refined, and not cheesy or tacky. We got there and were seated. Although we were the second people there, the restaurant soon filled up, and I was surprised no one left. People take their time with meals, and don’t rush through their dinners. The tables were filled with mostly couples, but some small groups of friends congregated at tables too. Again we had an incredible meal of chicken, asparagus, and a chocolate dessert. We had been there about two and a half hours and were ready to head out, but we realized no one else was leaving! We weren’t sure if a show of some sort was going to start, so we got up to leave and our waitress rushed over to make sure everything was ok. We explained we had some plans for the night, but we probably should have stayed and seen what events would have transpired.

After a night of dancing at Amerika again, we went back to our hostel, packed up and caught a cab to Ezeiza Airport.

Our flight to Mexico City was 11 hours, and we arrived in the evening, spent a night in the Fiesta Hotel near the airport (where we had stayed en route to B.A), and our flight to Denver was Sunday the next morning.

After spending two weeks on airplanes, boats, cabs, subways, and in airports and two enormous cities, when I walked into our home it felt as quiet as a tomb, and I instantly missed the street noise, faces, food, and life that we had experienced, and I’m looking forward to returning someday.

Nightlife in Buenos Aires gets started very late, and people generally arrive around 1am, and dance until morning. One thing about the culture I noticed when we were out late at night was the absence of complete intoxication. In the U.S. many people simply go out to get drunk, as the primary goal of the evening. It was different and refreshing to see people use alcohol as an addition to their entertainment, not the sole purpose of it. Even though people there drink, they take it a bit slower and enjoy it more. Probably one reason many are able to stay up all night dancing.

Saturday during the day we went downtown to Florida Street, had lunch and walked through Puerto Madero to the Ecological Preserve. Puerto Madero has changed over the past ten years, and like cities in the U.S. it used to be an abandoned port area, but now a modern and trendy area with lofts, restaurants, and recreation. We rented bikes, (which didn’t work that great), and ended up walking them up and down the docks, which now just house small boats, as the large ships dock at newer larger ports to the north. Puerto Madero has some chain restaurants and hotels, and naturally I recommend staying in the older neighborhoods for a true city experience.

On Saturday night Paul took us to watch Tango dancing at La Viruta. Many Tango places in the city are geared towards tourists and have high priced full choreographed shows. La Viruta in Palermo Hollywood is a true authentic Argentine Tango Hall.

The tango dancing is held in a large lower level, and along the sides are tables to sit at and eat and drink. We enjoyed a pizza and Quilmes, Argentin’s beer that’s as good as Pacifico, my other favorite. Soon the dance floor was broken up into three sections for beginners, intermediate, and advanced. We didn’t see the stereotype tango couple dashing through the floor with their arms pointed forward and a rose in the man’s mouth, but we did watch them dance and slowly move in a circular direction. It was great watching the new folks learn the moves, and the pros turn and move their arms and bodies with such skill. You could tell it takes a lot of talent, and it was a wonderful experience watching people gather for dancing, food, and fun.

Frommers had some great things to say about La Viruta.

Since we were taking a day trip to Uruguay the next day we left early (about 1am), and the best line of our trip, and what perfectly sums up Argentine’s night owl tendencies is when Paul said “Well they go on longer but I know you had to get home early”. This made us laugh, as my usual bedtime is 10pm.

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