Buenos Aires: My New Favorite City
Trip Start
May 17, 2009
1
19
Trip End
Jun 16, 2009
Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina
Saturday, June 13, 2009
There are however a few very enjoyable upsides to ease our return to civilization and make me quite happy to be back. The wide array of things to do in the city is a nice change of pace from a town that would otherwise not exist if not for its proximity to a natural tourist attraction. At any time of the day or night, one can find appropriate entertainment to suit their interests including museums, theater, nightclubs, shopping, parks, concerts, and simply sipping the much tastier coffee at a street-sideside cafe, idling away hours people-watching. Then most importantly, is the city's food.
A city of immigrants, Buenos Aires is home to some of the best cuisine in all of Latin America. Italian, German, Chinese, and of course, the typical Argentinean and Porteño (Buenos Aires-an) restaurants can be found within a single city block. Also, the stars of the Buenos Aires food scene- Parrillas, or Argentinean Gaucho grills are a dime per dozen.
Up until three hours ago at the time of this writing, for the best three-day Argentinian experience one could have, I would have suggested a trip up to Iguazu to see the park. That still would be near the top of the list, but I now have a new suggestion that is truly "a cut above". Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, either from abroad or elsewhere in the country as we did, the first place one must go is my new favorite restaurant anywhere in the world: Siga La Vaca. After that, go back to your hotel and sleep as that is all you will have the energy to do. Then when you wake up, go back to SLV to take advantage of their discounted, yet equally filling lunch consisting of the same meats, salads bar, french fries, deserts and included bottle of wine (PER PERSON!) or pitcher of beer, soda or water that are all served buffet-style at the dinner sitting. The third day of the 3-day stint would certainly be sprent recuperatingting and walking off the excessive amounts of animal flesh and that you just spent the previous two days consuming. Siga La Vaca literallyally translated means Follow the Cow, but you can also "follow" the chicken, pig, and lamb, and by "follow" I mean "devour copious amounts of various cuts until you're physically ill". The desserts are just as gluttonously delicious as the main courses with options ranging from the Volcán Chocolate (Chocolate Volcano) to Crépes to fruit salad, to an assortment of fresh ice creams. The restaurant fronts the River Plate in the swanky, posh neighborhood of Puerto Madero.
Following the advice of fellow travelers, we chose to have our final dinner in South America at Siga La Vaca, but in the day and a half between our re-arrival into Buenos Aires and the intoxicating dining experience I just described, we did more than just fantasize about the carnivorous extravaganza we knew awaited us. This is where I pull a Tarantino and recap the series of events leading up to what was without a doubt, the most satisfying meal I may have ever consumed.
The last overnight bus ride of the trip ended when we arrived at the bus terminal in the barrio of Retiro at about 12:30pm Friday afternoon. In need of a place to stay, we actually took the time to listen to one of the swarm of hostel "recruiters" that wait for buses to arrive and approach their targeted demographic customers (mostly young gringos). We were glad we did, as the guy who we later learned was named Niko handed us a brochure for Hostel Suites Florida located in the center of town, just a few blocks from Plaza de Mayo. HSF is the newest member of the Hostel Suites family and boasts 12 computers with speedy and free internet access, pool tables, a well equipped guest kitchen, and stylishly furnished rooms with huge lockers for securing belongings. The relaxed lobby with over-sized leather couches, is a gathering place of all types where tours, tango lessons, pub crawls, and airport transfers are organized. The affiliated Fusion Bar downstairs has special drink specials for guests and hosts a raging party every Friday night. All this is set in a modern, hip atmosphere that is a welcomed change after staying in mostly family owned and operated hostels where facilities are often outdated and little actually reflects what their pamphlets depict.
After checking into HSF, we decided to go see some more of the town. We made our way north of the downtown area to Recoletta where we had some lunch before checking out only the second museum of the entire trip. El Museo de Las Armas del Nación (National Arms Museum) is a collection of just about every type of weapon ever used over the course Argentina's violent history. I should also note that in the hour and half we spent wandering the spartan halls, we noticed for every 20 men, there may have been one female visitor. This is definitely a museum for guys. Swords, guns, knives, cannons, amour, and stories of fierce battles and dioramas with little soldiers in various realistic uniforms create an environment best enjoyed by patrons with a lot of testosterone.
After the museo, we headed back to the hostel to change. Dinner was of the inexpensive but filling kind since we found a Chinese buffet that was better than most I've been to in the states. "King Kirin" provided a series of Chinese and other random dishes including a mediocre parrilla where servings were limitless. I guess in hindsight, it was a good training round for the following night's dinner. Then it was back to the hostel for a nap before we went out to experience some of Buenos Aires' legendary nightlife.
We slept in late Saturday morning for the first time all trip, skipping our included breakfast. When we finally pulled ourselves out of bed, we walked around to find some delicious baked goodies from a panaderia (bakery). We've both decided that the fresh baked breads and sweets that we have become accustomed to over the past month will be one of the first things we start to miss when we get home. We ended up back at the hostel to catch up on some reading and worked on the internet.
Around 3, we left again and headed up to a park near Recoletta to see the famous metal rose statue. Next to the park is located the National Congress which is an imposing stone building housing various and changing displays and a large concert hall. We saw a sign promoting a free concert that evening by the University of Buenos Aires' symphonic orchestra so we decided to check it out. We had a good taste of some of the city's culture, then it was time to make our way over to the Mecca for meat eaters.
Dinner, as I emphasized before, was phenomenal and filling. We ate no less than fifty (50) ounces each of different meats including rack of lamb, chorizo, chicken and a few different cuts of beef. The salad bar was perfectly stocked with multiple types of salads (my favorite was the caprese salad with Roma tomatoes and fresh cubes of mozzarella cheese) among other cold cuts and add-ons like deviled-eggs, potato salad, and fresh veggies. They tried to serve us some french-fries, but we saw through that attempt to fill us on the cheap stuff and stayed on pace with the meats. Taylor washed down his meal with an entire bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Feeling slightly dehydrated and not wanting a bad headache, I decided to stick to the pitcher of soda. For dessert, we both were floored by the chocolate volcano with "molten" fudge in the center and home-made ice cream on the side. Needless to say, we left holding our sides.
Sunday morning we will check out of the hotel, check out a famous Sunday morning street market in San Telmo Barrio and get ready to head to the airport. We leave South America feeling fulfilled and blessed for the opportunity to see the sights cultures and peoples we have seen. This trip was an amazing experience that both of us will never forget.
