If Your Compass Could Talk…

This city scape, while tranquil and still, hardly represents the sort of nightlife that goes booming each night in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires has perhaps one of South America’s most active night-scenes. For the casual bar goer I’m sorry to say, you’re out of luck. The type of nightlife you’re apt to find in Buenos Aires is bigger and bolder than a pint shouldered up at the bar.

Known for its night clubs, a night in Buenos Aires won’t commonly begin until the sun has long since set. A normal evening out might begin around 11pm or 12pm, and this doesn’t mean you’ll be arriving to the clubs at this hour. This is simply the time you might be heading to, or finishing up dinner. When going to a night club in Buenos Aires the real action begins around 2am or 3am. This isn’t by any means an overstatement as you’ll find that arriving any earlier than this means social ruin. Your night wont’ commonly wrap up until about 6am or 7am – just in time for a coffee and stroll around sun-up.

Finding a club in Buenos Aires won’t be tough either, as bars are more commonly treated as clubs with dance floors, disco balls, loud music and of course, doors open until all hours.

Have fun!

Tennis for Argentines is a favorite sport. The city of Buenos Aires hosts several tournaments and Argentina throughout the years continually turns out excellent players. If you want to crack the ball back and forth a time or two yourself you can try out these locations:

Sarmiento y Alcorta: There are only a few tennis courts here but the location north of the parks makes for a nice little club. Payment is about $AR 40/hour

Salguero y  Costanera: Near by the river, these courts aren’t any more costly but offer a nice view.

In what has turned into a major hype in Argentina, Diego Maradona (pictured here as a much younger version than his current self) will be a national coach for the Argentine team. With promises that include bringing glory to Argentina by winning, like he did when he was a player,  Maradona who has no coaching experience has taken on the job.

Check out the yahoo article here.

If you need a break from the city of Buenos Aires, with the weather improving it may be time to take a little mini-vaca. Here are a list of places that will allow you a slight get-a-way from the hustle and bustle of the city.

 San Isidro – San Isidro is still very close to Buenos Aires. Located to the North of the city, there are many buses (try the 60!) and trains that go to this beautiful part of Buenos Aires. From San Isidro you are just miles away from Tigre and Martinez beach. There is less hustle, less bustle and some more space to enjoy a lounge in the park or some river side sun.

Tigre – Tigre is like the more laid back watery version of San Isidro. Located just a touch further outside of the city, Tigre is an easy day trip that allows you to enjoy the beauty of the Delta and enjoy some sun. There is even an amuesment park open on the weekends.

Cardales  –  Cardales is a little harder to access and might take a remise or sevearl buses to reach but it is very tranquilo. Located by some posh golf courses and home to a very wealthy neighborhood of Buenos Aires – you can find some great times in this laid back neighborhood.

Mar del Plata –  Mar del Plata is a Buenos Aire favorite and is about 6 hours by bus and four or five by car. More befitting of a weekend away than just a day. During the summer, these beaches are full of crowds and the beautiful people of Buenos Aires taking time away from the city.

When the time comes, and I’m sure it will, to learn Spanish you can always hire a private tutor, buy expensive classes from a boutique school OR you can learn Spanish and other foreign languages the BA way.

UBA, or University of Buenos Aires offers THE most Spanish classes for the least amount of money in the city. For 60 hrs (2 hours a day, four times a week for two months) you only pay around AR$800. That is a ton of Spanish! Also, they have intensive courses in the summer in addition to discounts offered to returning students. Once you’ve perfected your Espanol you can then start learning Portugeuse, French, Italian, Hewbrew and other languages UBA offers.

Classes are run in two month periods so you have to time your enrollment just right. The language school is located downtown on 25 de Mayo by the Pink House.

Dale!

The polo players in Argentina are treated like Kings. The most famous polo players are those who take part in the Polo Abierto in Palermo at the end of November through December. Most teams are made up of family members or comprised of two or more families.

The Abierto marks the end of the polo season and near the Hipodromo in Las Canitas near the border of Palermo each year beginning in the last few weeks of November the teams compete. The tournament last a month with games being held on the weekends. Attendence is hugely social and there are champagne tents, clothing booths and of course polo around every corner.

Come rub shoulders with the Buenos Aires elite at watch a cool sport!

In Buenos Aires there is a serious lack of tex-mex. Tex-mex, not Mexican food (although there is an extreme lack of this as well). No tortilla chips to say the least. In any case a favorite tex-mex place is California Burrito Company in downtown Buenos Aires.

It was started by three Americans from San Francisco and is the only place in the city with buffet style burritos, nachos and other good tex-mex food.

Its an expatriate favorite and perfect hangover food. You can thank me later.

California Burrito Company

Lavalle 441, Buenos Aires

For many visiting travelers to South America, the chance to enjoy sun on the beaches is one of their top travel priorities. Here in South America however, the sun exposure visiting Americans and Europeans take in is higher than they are used to back at home.

In the summer in South America the tilt of the globe means that the sun is shining stronger in summer below the equator than during summer above the equator. This means that you can burn and damage your skin much easier than you can up north.

It is always important to take good care of your skin when you’re outdoors and especially when you’re in a place that can damage yoru skin more easily.

In Buenos Aires there are plenty of opportunities to drink some Quilmes (the lcoal beer) but finding a flavorful microbrew is a different story.

Many Europeans and North Americans are accustomed to drinking more than just your ‘simple’ beer. In Buenos Aires here are a few companies and places that offer a microbrew haven from the rivers of Quilmes:

Antares– This restaurant in Palermo SoHo has a variety of Microbrews

www.otromundo.com – A company that provides stouts, reds and blonds. A step up from Quilmes, no?

El Federal, on Uriarte 1667 serves up these delcious Otro Mundos and is a great place to grab a brew along with some great food.

Buenos Aires is perhaps one of the best places in the world to take in some Tango. Whether you want to see a show, take classes or see some street tango, the dance is can be found almost literally around every street corner.

Street Tango

Seeing Tango on the streets is slightly more refined than all the soccer you’re bound to run into in Buenos Aires, but just as prevelant. On Florida street there are Tango dancers almost every few blocks and in the San Telmo fair on Sundays you will also see some impressive dancers.

Take a Class

If you want to take a Tango class you’ve come to the right place Many language schools offer excursions to learn tango and there are probably just as many tango schools and venues as there are tango shows. Many shows have a ‘learn tango’ option if you want to learn some moves from the pros and if you’re savvy enough, you’ll find an underground tango sho.

Watch a Show

You almost have to watch a Tango show if you’re in Buenos Aires. Most shows include dinner and drinks and its a fabulous way to spend the night out. There is the famous Carlos Gardel tango show which houses close to 100 people and offers an amazing dinner. Some of the smaller shows might only seat 20 and is a great idea if you’re looking for a more intimate feel. Faena Hotel is the ritziest tango show in the city and tickets purchased will earn you a private car pick-up, dinner at one of the most exclusive hotels, the tango show itself and an empty wallet. But of course, it’s more than worth the pesos you’ll speand to take part in an iconic Buenos Aires past time.