"Buenos Aires" a Buenos Aires Travel Page by lkdahl

I just completed my second trip to Buenos Aires. I was in Argentina for 3 weeks, mostley in Buenos Aires, with a 5 day trip to El Calafate, Patagonia. The city is very beautiful and cosmopolitan. Located on the southern mouth of the Rio de la Plata, it has a population of around 12 million including the surrounding areas. The city is divided into barrios. The most well known being Centro, Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, Retiro, La Boca, San Telmo and many more.

Famed for Tango, Evita and Maradona. The city is alive at all hours of the day and night. The locals call themselves porteños or portenas and they call there brand of Spanish, Castillano.

Going from the international airport(EZE) to Buenos Aires proper, you could definately get the impression that Argentina is a just another poor Latin American country. However as you get into Buenos Aires proper, the landscape drastically changes.

Buenos Aires has a very European feel to it. The Recoleta neighborhood was designed to reflect Paris. This was and is the place for the wealthiest members of Argentine society. Like the Manhatten of Buenos Aires. Downtown is active with office workers and government workers busily going about there daily routines. Palermo has a very hip, trendy feel to it. With art studios, design shops and cool restaurants. Also Palermo has lots of parks and has the zoo.

The people of Buenos Aires are a handsome/beautiful mix of the imigrants that have migrated to this land. The major imigrant groups include Spanish, Italian, German, Irish and Ukrainian. They are extremely hospitible.

This year there seemed to be alot more tourists in town than last year. Lots of Americans and especially alot of Europeans. Also, it's becoming a popular place for ex-pats, especially in the Palermo neighborhoods. Some of the bars and restaurants have specific nights for Americans, French, Dutch, English and probably many more.

Beyond the normal cuts of beef and ribs that we all know, Argentines love ALL the parts of a cow. Blood sausage, kidneys, the meat around the heart and intestines to mention a few.

Prior to visiting Buenos Aires my impression of Tango was that it was "one of those old folks dances". The image of a middle aged couple, the women with a rose in her teeth, shuffling across the dance floor, like some kind of strange waltz was what I thought. The last thing that came to my mind was passion.

Boy, did I get a shock when I actually witnessed genuine Argentine Tango. It was not only passionate, but sexy, athletic and the dancers were incredibly snychronized.

If you have not witnessed Tango in person and want to see what I'm talking about, then watch the movie "Tango". It stars the beautiful and multi-talented Mia Maestro and well known professional tango dancers, is directed by the famous Carlos Saura and the music is composed by Acadamy Award winning composer Lalo Schifrin.