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!