Aerial view of Obelisk of Buenos Aires and Avenue 9 de Julio at night, Argentina
Buenos Aires is currently on the top of the list for most world travelers mainly due to the devaluation of the Argentine peso. An American traveling in Argentina will find the American dollar will go a very long way, and at a point in time when the dollar isn’t even going very far at home.
What you should know before you go to Buenos Aires? My recommendation is to enjoy the shopping, dining/nightlife, and to partake of the inexpensive services that Buenos Aires is currently offering. And with this bit of insider information you can have a spectacular time here.
Buenos Aires is a city that never sleeps and if you go here to visit, I suggest you don’t sleep either. Even if you can only make it until 2 am, you’ll see what I’m talking about. If you’re getting in your cab at that time, you’ll feel like you’re leaving the party early. The streets will still be filled with people, most of the restaurants and bars will still be open, and it just won’t seem late. I’ve been drinking after dinner at a restaurant in this city to suddenly discover that it’s 5 am. Several bottles of wine were involved, but no matter, that would never happen to me in Denver because we would have been asked to leave the restaurant several hours earlier so that they could close. In Buenos Aires, when we left the restaurant was still half-full even though the sun was coming up.
Couple at milonga, dancing tango
One very touristy thing to do is to go to a tango show, and if you truly want to do this, then by all means do so. But many of these shows are really overpriced ($100 and up) and even though they usually include dinner, it’s usually not a bargain by Argentine standards. There are tanquerias, the most famous of which is La Confiteria Ideal, that allow regular people to come and dance with partners of their choice. The best part is watching the others dance because this is where you’ll see the real show. Some of the characters in these places will stick with you for the rest of your life. For instance the 80 year old man in plaid pants belted up to his chest that came in with his 60 year old “arm candy” in a tight red dress and jet black wig. They cut a rug across La Confiteria Ideal that was unmatched by any professional I saw in shows, on the street, or anywhere. I was mesmerized not by their superb ability they actually were pretty good but by their showmanship. And it felt real, which is something I never got in the fancy shows.
So if you are going to Buenos Aires, be prepared to forget your own path. Shopping, eating and going out at night should be the basis of your agenda when planning a trip here. There’s just one more thing that I can’t fail to mention and that you can’t fail to miss: the cheap services 
To be continued…
See you soon in the next post 
