Buenos Aires - Day 4

Yesterday was mostly work. I woke up, slightly hungover, at 9:24…I was supposed to meet my colleague for breakfast at 9:20, so this posed a problem. I ran up to the floor where we were meeting to tell him I wasn't going to breakfast, and we decided to meet in the lobby around 9:45. A quick shower later and I was on my way! The walk through Plaza San Martin was pleasant…the weather really is beautiful down here.

Work was uneventful…we did what we needed to do. For lunch we went to a pizza joint. We walked through all of these plaza/malls to get there. That was interesting because it seemed this is where the locals were eating, less touristy…though we passed a few McDonalds' along the way. The pizza was good - flat crust, brick oven style. The first one we got was with mushrooms, but the second was very interesting. It had cheese, bacon and eggs! It was my choice, just because it sounded so odd. It looked as though they made the pizza with the cheese and bacon, and then right before putting it in the oven, they cracked an egg in the middle. Basically a bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a pizza. It was very good. Our host was telling us how the waitresses at that place used to be a little off-putting/unattractive…then there was a Victoria's Secret fashion show somewhere and the girls wound up at the pizza place (I think something was lost in the translation here) and the place was packed, so they started to hire more attractive waitresses. Not sure if any of that was true, but the waitresses weren't bad!

We worked into the evening, slowly getting our stuff done. One of my colleagues left for the hotel because he had nothing to do until the next day. We finished up around 8ish and then went to dinner.

We went to the same general area as the night before (a plaza behind the Casa Rosada), but this was an Italian place. We showed up around 8:30 and the place was almost empty. I figured it was because it's the middle of the week in the summer and most of the locals are on vacation. We ordered - I had the gnocchi a patata with a cream sauce, ham, chicken and mushrooms. My meal was by far the biggest on the table - I swear it was for two! I couldn't believe it! My American colleague had lasagna and was done before I even made a dent in my plate. Not wanting to insult our host, and not wanting to hear it from the other American, I put my head down and finished the whole plate! Afterwards, the dessert menu came. It contained tiramisu...so I had dessert. I am still full at 10am the next morning as I write this! I swear I'm hungover from the food! But the meal was excellent. By the time we were done it was about 10:30 and the place was packed! Every table was seated. It turns out that most Argentines don't eat dinner until around 9:30. They seem to have a very care-free attitude down here - we were always the first to arrive in the morning as everyone else would breeze in around 9:30, 10am. They'd work until around 6 or 7 usually and then head home. I guess it works for them, though our host was saying that they eat such a big meal and then go to bed a few hours later. That's not the best thing!

The restaurant was along an inlet from the Rio de la Plata. We had a table right on the window (imagine an outdoor section of a restaurant, but enclosed in glass) and had some nice people-watching on the walkway between us and the water. On the little island/peninsula (isthmus?) they are building tall towers full of condos. Our host was telling us that they were going for about $3,000 (US) per sq ft. He said it was by far the most expensive housing in Buenos Aires. He also told us of the political turmoil from about 7 years ago when they had 5 presidents in about 2 months. I couldn't even imagine what it'd be like to go through that. He said that the economy was at it's worst point then, and they have been stable and growing ever since those events calmed down. The booming tourist industry has helped this. It was very interesting to hear this kind of history from a local instead of reading it in the paper or in a book. To hear how the people all basically came out to protest and oust one of the Presidents was very cool.

After dinner we were dropped off at the hotel. After freshening up, my buddy and I walked around Buenos Aires a little bit. We walked a different route than the night before, but most of the places were shut down. This was a little troublesome as my colleague doesn't seem to know how to not act like a loud American. Here we are walking around downtown Buenos Aires at night and he's talking English to me as if we were at a NASCAR event and he was screaming over the engines, wearing his shorts and white sneakers with his New England Patriots t-shirt and his Superbowl ring he got from when he used to work for the Pats. I, on the other had, am dressed a little more conservatively and was keeping my head on a swivel to make sure no one started trailing us since we could obviously be pegged as tourists. We wound up back in the same area as the night before, but in a different bar. The place we went to had a Pirate theme…but it really just felt like we were in a Chilis. But they had a Sprite Zero, so that helped the digestion of that mammoth meal.

We only had a drink and then headed back to the hotel. I was so freakin tired I just about passed out upon entering the room. I scheduled a wakeup call (didn't want to make THAT mistake again) and fell asleep watching the Sharapova match from the Aussie Open Semifinal. I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but that's a story for tomorrow.

Buenos Aires - Day 3

Yesterday I woke up a little early so I could check out the breakfast up on the club floor. I just went in real quick and grabbed a couple of rolls and a muffin, then I headed into work. The muffin turned out to be really good - it had some sort of cream in the middle, which was a nice surprise. I'm not sure what that cream was, but me gusta!

Work was uneventful - got some stuff done, but not much. For lunch we had empanadas...yet another food I have never had. They're like a cross between a giant perogie and a taco. All different fillings are put into a pastry type "shell" and then sealed. The way that the shell is folded tells you what is in it. The beef one was good...I tried the cheese and (I think) ham, and it was okay - there was another one that was cheese and onion...but it was a VERY strong cheese...I only had one bite of that!

From there, we hopped in the car, picked up a colleague that had just gotten to the hotel and headed off to the new building that they are constructing in the suburbs. It is still very much under construction, but we got a tour of it and had a meeting to get everyone on the same page of what is happening. Quite an interesting experience being in a meeting conducted in English, but every once-in-a-while breaking into a cavalcade of Spanish that can make you go loopy. I tried to follow - and every now and then would pick up on a word or phrase, but mostly I just checked my email on my Treo.

After we left there we headed back to the office as I had left my bag and laptop there. We finished up and went off to dinner!

We went to a place called Cubana Las Lilas, which Frommer's lists as very expensive but a great experience. We went with the traditional Argentine BBQ - which would give us each a sample of different meats and then steak at the end. We had two types of sausage to start, followed by blood sausage. The blood sausage wasn't that bad, but I doubt I would ever order it on its own. The bread they were serving was fantastic, and I noticed the locals would eat that sausage on a piece of bread. The beef in the end was good, as is all the beef down here, as I've noticed. The wine for the evening was Malbec, as usually, but this one was especially good. It was a DV Cantana, 2004.

After the main course we had dessert. I discovered the Argentine delicacy dulche de leche. It's like a sweet rich, slightly chocolate/caramel/dark custard. It came in a custard form or as ice-cream. I had the ice-cream, but we also had a plate of the custard there as well, so I was able to sample both. Turns out, the cream in the muffin from breakfast was dulce de leche! Muy bueno! We also had a lemon liquor which was very nice. My colleague, however, misunderstood what it was and drank it like a shot (it was in a small glass). Afterwards, while everyone else took a sip, he said "that was good" to which our very gracious host replied "how would you know? You didn't even taste it!!" A hearty laugh was had by all...even our guests that didn't speak English! There was another plate of dessert that was served...this one with little white chocolate balls (but not white chocolate) covered in cocoa powder. Those were good as well!

We got a ride back to the hotel, and my colleague and I (the one that had just arrived) decided to head out for a nightcap. After speaking with the concierge, we headed out a few blocks. Unfortunately, our concierge was mistaken on where I could find a Cuban cigar (hey, I HAD to try one!) and we walked a few more blocks. I found a bodega, and I'm sure I overpaid for it...but it wasn't too expensive. We then walked another block as my buddy wanted to sample a local beer.

We pass one bar that looked cool, but the next one said "Jaz" in the window. I figured it meant Jazz, so I said, "hey, what's this?" As we got closer, there were two guys that looked like bouncers or something outside of it, beckoning us closer, and I noticed that there were thick curtains on the windows and you couldn't see in. Well, my spidey senses kicked in and I decided - let's go to the first bar...that we can see in. After the guys kept saying "no no, venga aqui" I think we made the right call.

High school Spanish helped again as we ordered a glass of wine for me and a Quilmos for my buddy. The prices weren't bad and we stayed there for a half-hour or so. The big rivaly match was on TV - Boca vs River. Very big Futbol rivalry!! After that I showed him Plaza San Martin we decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel.

So that was day 3 of my great Argentinean adventure! Stay tuned for another installment tomorrow. Hopefully I'll shake off this slight hangover I have right now.Hasta manana!

Buenos Aires - Day 2

Yesterday wasn't as eventful as I had to work for most of the day. The people that I've met here are very nice - my main contact speaks English very well, so that offered some relief. His 2 employees don't speak it very well, but we seem to be able to get by with their broken English and my broken Spanish.

Lunch yesterday was great! I tried Argentine beef for the first time. Bravo! I had a piece of meat that is similar to sirloin I think, in a mushroom sauce, and these awesome french fries. Imagine taking a melon baller to a potato and then frying it. French Fry Poppers! The sauce was a little overwhelming, but the meal was very delicious.

After work I headed back to the hotel to freshen up and try to figure out what I was doing for the evening. My colleague had asked me if I had visited Calle Florida yet, and that I should check it out, but just look. He said it was a bit of a tourist trap and catered to that. Well, I took a walk, and he was right! It's a long street that had the feeling of street fair meets Times Square. Many little souvenir shops selling the same crap that you can buy in Times Square, but made for BA, not NYC. I think I may have to get the I Heart BA shirt for irony purposes. They had other shops along it as well, but they are very expensive, even with the exchange rate. And on every corner before crossing the street are guys with their little handouts "Chicas muy bonitas!" Nice to know the hand wave "no" signal is universal!

There were some cool parts to it. There was a street-performing couple dancing the tango which was nice. I actually found myself watching for a few moments. There also were some embarrassing parts...like the 5 McDonalds I counted along the street. America's Greatest Export, eh? Ugh. Many other street magicians etc. I wonder how you say rube in Spanish?

The Good: Tango in the streets

The Bad: Need I say more...

When I got to the end I veered left (because I didn't want to wait for the light) and wound up walking to the Casa Rosada (the Pink House). This is where the president works. This is also where Evita made her famous speeches to the masses. The government actually let Madonna use the famed balcony in the movie (to increase exposure of the city I suppose). I was struck, however, by the fact that it didn't really look pink. I mean, it stood out from all the other buildings, and the color was unique, but it seemed more of the color of a terra cotta pot. I snapped some photos like the good little tourist I am, waived off a couple of beggars (remember, the waive is universal!) and started heading back.

La Casa Rosada

There is an area outside the Casa Rosada that is barricaded off for protesters. There were many signs and pleas left there...I can only assume they said "We don't like the government" and that was a little wild to see. I know Frommer's mentioned that there is a group of mothers that protest there every week (I think on Thursdays?) because at some point, the government was censoring protesters and a whole lot of students "disappeared." This was back in the 70's I think. Each week they march and protest. Others protesters are those who were victims of the decline of the Argentine Peso and lost everything.

You can see the barricades - the blue on the right and left - with white in the middle. The white is boards with protest messages.

I walked along the Diagonal Norte to a monument that looks like a shortened version of the Washington Monument. I don't remember what it is or what it represents. I walked along that street (Ave 9 de Julio I think) back toward the hotel. Several more McDonalds and Burger Kings, as well as other eateries. I took a right at one point (again, didn't want to wait for the light) and walked back toward Calle Florida. After some more exploring, I found a cool little Cafe/Steakhouse for dinner.

The Oblesce

It's called La Rienda. I walked in and sat down, and the guy immediately gave me an English menu. I looked at him and he smiled. Do I really give off the "I don't speak Spanish" vibe? I guess I should take off my American Flag hat.

I ordered the 1/2 beef tenderloin with french fries (papas fritas), a glass of Ruca Malen Malbec and Agua sin Gas (Uncarbonated water). The beef was out of this world! I ate while watching the local news on the TV there before he switched it to SportsCenter. For dessert I had Flan Casero. On the English menu it said Custard...but I think it's more like rice pudding (I never really had rice pudding before, but it had that bumpy texture). After I got over the initial reactions to it, it turned out to be a very good dessert. All of that, plus another glass of Malbec, came to $75 pesos. About $25 American. I love this place!

It was a short stroll back to the hotel where I hopped on the bed to unwind. After watching the Spanish version of Woody Woodpecker (that crazy bird!) I put on the tango network for a few, then fell asleep watching the Democratic Debate. That was some good watchin!

So that was Day 2 of my great Buenos Aires experience. At some point I will try to download my pictures from my camera and share them. I hope you enjoyed my report!

Buenos Aires - Day 1

Originally composed on January 21, 2008

Greetings from sunny Argentina! It is 80 degrees and gorgeous down here.

I landed yesterday a little after noon Argentina time and took a car service to the hotel. On thing that was cool - all along the highway, people were pulled over and having picnics or just laying out. It seemed like every tree had a car parked next to it and people sitting below it...very cool.

I checked into the hotel and took a shower...slathered on some SPF-45 and hit the town! I'm staying right across the street from Plaza San Martin...they have a clock tower there that resembles Big Ben and was a gift from (appropriately) the British. It's one of the only things remaining from Britain, as the Argentines are very bitter about them ever since the Falkland Island War (Or, as it's called here, Las Minevas). There is also a monument to those who died in that war, resembling the Vietnam Memorial with the names on a wall.

This was the view outside my hotel window of the British Clock Tower.

I also took a walk to the Recoleta Cemetery. That's where Evita is buried. The cemetery is very different - it is all cement, with cobblestone roads and mausoleums everywhere. It actually looks like a little town. Most have doors with glass on them. When you peer inside, it looks like an altar containing usually one or two coffins...then, most of them have a little stairwell to an underground chamber that contains more coffins...family plots. Evita is buried there under her family plot - with little fanfare. I guess they didn't see the Madonna movie. There are a ton of very impressive building in that cemetery. I took a couple of pictures - most people there were, but it felt a little odd, so I didn't take many.

Recoleta Cemetary - it looks like a little town.

The Duarte Family Plot (Evita's maiden name)

This is the gate to the tomb

Public displays of affection are very common in Buenos Aires - even in a cemetary.

Right next to the cemetery is a church from the 1700's. I took a small tour of that. I remember reading something about it in Frommer's, but I don't remember much. I have to go back and research what I toured. They did have a little music room in the back with a giant chant book. The book used a very old style of music writing that I remember learning about in college. That was kinda cool to see.

This is the view of the cemetary from the church. You'll notice that the window is open. That is not glass, but a very thin sheet of marble - not see-through but it lets light through.

Notice that the "notes" are blocks, not circles, and there are no stems or clefs. These are called "numes" and it deals with relative pitch - mapping the interval from your current pitch.

On the way to the cemetery I passed through a crafts fair. That was fun - I wanted to buy tons of stuff but I didn't know how I'd get it all home! It was a lot of pottery and glass stuff.

On the walk back to the hotel I stopped in a bakery to get some local pastries. It boiled down to me point at the cookies and saying "dos por favor, y uno por favor". Ahh, high school Spanish - finally paying off!

I got back to the hotel and took a nap while watching the Patriots game dubbed in Spanish. After that I went down the hotel bar to grab a quick bite (I was so exhausted) and wound up watching the whole Giants game there. There were a few Americans - one from Green Bay and a couple from Jersey, so we watched the game - again dubbed in Spanish.

This morning I got up and found my way to the office here. It wasn't too far and was a nice walk - right by the park in Plaza San Martin. I felt like I was in NYC with the park, and the lights, and the traffic, and the people speaking Spanish....

Well, that's all for now - I just figured I'd give a little update!

I'll write more if anything cool happens.