A Month in Buenos Aires. Dale

One lovely September day, we headed to Puerto Madero.

This is Steph, or as she is referred to in this country, “Stephs”, “Stephy” or “Stacy” swinging from the 200 year old rubber tree that is the center of well-known Plaza San Martin.

The tree is huge and very cool! On the right side you can see an Argentinean couple, who like most other couples in this country, seem to be super fond of PDA.

After eating some delicious pizza at a restaurant mentioned in the infamous Top 10 book (called Filo), we walked down through Puerto Madero with the intent of crossing the amazing footbridge called Puente de la Mujer.

And now for an architectural slide show of Santiago Calatrava’s Puente de la Mujer.

The translation of Puente de la Mujer (for all my English followers) is Woman’s Bridge. It is said to be called this because a large number of the bridge’s surrounding streets are named after women.

It was a pretty sight at dusk, and the end of a nicely spent afternoon outdoors. Afterward, we headed to the English pub Gibraltar in San Telmo with the intent of staying for like, an hour or two and maybe eating some dinner. At three a.m. (see: 7 hours later) we found our way home.

What’s a gal to do on a Thursday night when one roomie is already trying to fall asleep and sucking down Strepsils throat-lozenges like there is no tomorrow, and another feels a sore throat coming on and is deeply engaged in her season of Shameless (Hi Becky)? I suppose I’ll take up reading the latest Kindle edition of The New Yorker (my new favorite non-South American past-time) on the lovely trundle bed and enjoy an 11 peso bottle of Malbec. Best. night. EVER!

where the Argentinean elite are buried is an eerie place. The details of the mausoleums - skulls, broken windows, dead flowers - are what really creep you out. It’s a quiet place during the day, with alley ways and little streets leading you through this village of the dead, and the numerous stray cats seem to enjoy meandering around. I’d never want to be stuck here when the sun sets.

Amerika (pros)

• rumored to be a the place to go on Sunday nights
• gay club
• good electronica/house beats
• massive interior
• relatively close in location

Amerika (cons)

• 50 peso cover charge
• gay club
• 6-10 people present at 1:30 am
• lots of dancing queens
• creepy straight guys (trying to offer us roofied chocolate and attempting to entertain us with magic tricks)
• expensive drinks
• weird bathrooms (there was a communal toilet paper roll and you had to grab TP before you went into the stall)
• staff wore latex gloves

Uni Club (pros)

• recommended by a local waiter
• lots of studs
• awesome reggae cover & drum band accompanied by intense cardio workout
• cool graphics on screen behind band
• Amherst vibe made us feel at home
• cheap beers!
• new friends
• toilet paper in the bathroom
• reefer friendly for those interested
• casual, no need to get dressed up
• party goes all night
• no cons

Uni Club (cons)

• NONE

Conclusion: As three straight females, we are probably going to avoid Amerika at all costs and go to Uni Club every night for the rest of the month. See ya there!

Sunday afternoon we met up with our three tour guides, Rama, Juli & Agus to explore the outdoor stands and antique markets in the neighborhood San Telmo. The weather was perfect for strolling and admiring all the different goods up for grabs - Steph and I snagged some sweet hair clips and a Quilmes poster. In the antique market, Rama attempted to explain to us what the flaky pastry Pastelito tasted like by telling us it tasted like a sweet potato. A little bit lost in translation, he forked over 4 pesos and let us try one first hand. It was overwhelmingly sweet and chewy and a highlight of the afternoon. After wandering for a while, we stopped to get afternoon coffees (Coca Light in Steph’s case) and tostados and shared some entertaining conversations…not to be repeated. As the afternoon faded into night, we walked towards Plaza de Mayo, saw the church were Rama is getting married, and our tour guides gave us history lessons and told us the story of Argentina’s legendary Casa Rosado which houses the president’s office. It was a perfect way to spend the day in a cultural way…Rama, Juli & Agus - you’re the best guides we could ask for. La Boca next Sunday?