Journal Entry #16

Back in BA. I have decided to include some quotes of some horrible English translations I have found in this city, so here goes:

--- “Perhaps the greatest pleasure to be found each morning in this city of polluted airs which is ironically named after good ones is the color of its dawn”

--- “Of course, there are the museums, and the walks, and the walks, and the park, and the secret places that every person has a preference for in all cities. Buenos Aires has them too, and without doubt an abundance. The nearly 1,000 pages of Buenos Aires Secret City (Buenos Aires Ciudad Secreta), of which the Sudamericana publishing house printed the third big fat edition in 2004, shortly before the death in September of its author, the well liked writer and journalist Germinal Noguès, have a wealth of historical secrets that belong to the walls and the doors of corners and buildings in the capital."

Theses come from: The Golden Book Buenos Aires, a guide book to be found in every major hotel.

We arrived and made reservations at the NH Jousten, where we stayed for just a couple of nights upon our arrival. This hotel was adequate at best and definitely not worth the money, so we soon decided to change hotels, for the 6th change this trip. It is not so easy trying to explore new cities in new cultures, especially when you do not speak the language perfectly.

One afternoon, a couple of days ago, we took a stroll around downtown to do some sightseeing. We saw the the Casa Rosada (presidential House), the monument to Juan de Garay (the founder of Buenos Aires), and a monument to Christopher Columbus, among others. Afterwards, we met with a contact of my mother, who is a commissioner of some sort and oversees some high-ranking financial institutions in Argentina. He gave us a tour of the Argentina stock exchange and treated us to lunch, all of which was very interesting and pleasant. For instance, the stock exchange and the stock market are two separate organization here, unique in the financial world.

Emilio, my mom´s friend, recommended that we eat at a restaurant called La Caballeriza, which turned out to be an excellent recommendation. This restaurant, modeled after an old horse stable, makes a great piece of beef, and has a fun casual atmosphere. We both had couple of fat slabs of meat, cooked al punto(medium rare), drank some delicious Argentina Malbec, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Afterwards, at the recommendation of the front-deskman of our hotel, we went to another hotel for a night cap. The Faena Hotel surprised us when we arrived, as we were greeted by a few men dressed in all black wearing earpieces who directed us where to go. We ended up at El Living, a very high-class bar. It was a very strange and comical situation. A very pretty girl greeted my mother and me and informed us that the bar was too full (even though I could see plenty of places to be seated), and that it would have something available in about 15 minutes. She recommended that we walk around the hotel in the meantime, exploring the remainder of the facilities. It was dimly lit and seemed very posh, so I was expecting to see a nice lobby with other features, yet after walking down a very short corridor and past another very expensive-looking restaurant, we came to a dead end. After only about two minutes, I walked back, and very disappointedly asked “¿Hay algo mas para ver?” (Is there anything else to see)? She responded that we should be seated in the hall way and continue waiting, to which I responded by rolling my eyes and walking off. Miraculously, something opened up before I could take two steps and we were allowed in. Laughing at the situation, we discussed how funny the events were and how we had stumbled across this eloquent little bar. Around us, big, fat, and obviously rich Argentine men puffed cigars, and deer’s heads lined the walls.

Today we changed hotels to the Hilton, located in the modern Puerto Madero, and have been very pleased thus far. In the same price range as every other hotel at which we have stayed, it is far better. We decided to have a lazy day and enjoy the hotel, use the gym, and walk around the neighborhood a little bit. This is the most modern looking neighborhood in Buenos Aires, with great views of the city, the docks, and a famous bridge, La Puente de la Mujer.

For dinner, we went back to the pizza joint in El Centro called Güerrin. Afterwards, we took a stroll down Corrientes, which is like the Broadway of Buenos Aires, where theaters are abundant. Next, we stumbled upon the Spell Café in Puerto Madero to have a little dessert and wine. The service here was great (maybe because the all female staff wearing the little black miniskirt and tank-top uniform looked great!!!) and the atmosphere was good. Dimly lit, upscale yet casual, this place also had nice views of the bridge, which was illuminated with green lights at night.

Now I am going to bed, so Buenos Noches de Buenos Aires!!!