Laying awake, attempting to relax last night I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in myself. Was it just me, or was that last post desperate? My problem isn't so much writer's block as writers fatigue.
So here goes... in an attempt to stimulate my creativity, organize my thoughts and keep you all reading this wimpy little blog with its generic template and grainy iPod photographs, I would like to welcome you all to the first of multiple installments of my "Top 5 Buenos Aires" series.
And to start off, you know, strong... I give you:
Top 5 "Cheap Thrills"
Buenos, Aires Argentina
5. Virginia is for... tea?
Okay, one is for all you Virginians. Every time I see this brand in the supermarket I laugh; being from Virginia, I was a fan immediately. However, no one really understands why the slogan: "The Virginia - Flavors that Conquer" tickles my fancy so much.
Cheap thrills total: (ARS) $9.00 / (US) $2.02
4. SUBTE "A" Line
That's right: public transportation. I am sure you think I am taking the starving-student thing a little far in putting this on the list, but it's true. Every time I take the "A" line I get a little adrenaline rush - mostly from the distinctive hot, rubbery smell that permeates every station on this line. And the fact that the cars, tracks and tunnels are all original and date back to the 1913 - it was the first subway line in Latin America. Yes, I said 1913. I love the uncomfortable little benches - if you saw the "new" subway cars with their stained, worn fabric seats you would know why - and the heavy banging of the doors as they slam closed when the train gets moving. The "A" Line rumbles under one of the most important thoroughfares in the city: Avenida de Mayo.
As charming and typically porteño as the "A" Line is, I can't help but think I'm traveling on a wing and a prayer every time I get onboard. Once you see the web of underground tunnels, tracks and the hundreds of sinister niches and crannies you'll understand why. As we say in Spanish: vamos con Dios.
Cheap thrills total: (ARS) $2.50 / (US) $0.56
3. Milongear: (v). to go to a milonga
There is absolutely no excuse not to go to a milonga if you are in Buenos Aires. As a tourist (versus a student, ex-pat or other) you will probably be artfully coralled into buying a dinner and tango show package by your hotel, travel agent or some smooth talking hawker on Calle Florida. Personally, I think going to both a show and a traditional milonga can be perfectly worthwhile and exceptionally instructive, but dinner shows are as entertaining as they are expensive. Equally as entertaining, and undeniably more romantic, is a traditional milonga.
What's more, you don't even have to dance. Most milongas - with the exception of La Catedral - are held in beautiful old buildings and converted resto bars that are worth paying the cover charge just to get inside. A milonga is nothing more than a dance. Everyone from couples in their seventies, eager young tango students and groups of ten and fifteen good friends come to milongear; that isn't actually a verb, that's just what we tangueros like to call it.
While you won't be provided dinner, there is always a small kitchen that provides coffee, wine and beer and simple plates like facturas or tostados. More often than not there is also a live band. Cozy - and by cozy I mean impossibly tightly packed - tables and chairs surround a central dance floor allowing those of us with two left feet the perfect place to relax, enjoy the music and be carried away by the dancing or - at the very least - a few pepas caseras (delicious little shortbread cookies with quince jam that usually accompany your beverage of choice). While milonga, vals and tango de salón appear to have distinctive characteristics and rhythms, I am only just beginning to understand the differences, you will feel right at home from the second you step inside. Leave your T.V. preconceptions of tango (ie. Dancing with the Stars) at home and prepare yourself for something much simpler and exquisitely authentic.
Cheap thrills total: (ARS) $30-40 / (US) $6.75 - 9.00
2. Rise and Shine @ Teatro Colón
Don't be surprised if the Colón Theatre makes its way to another future list: Top 5 Favorite Places. I am desperately in love with Teatro Colón and not just because I like the way the name rolls off my tongue. I imagine this theatre - and there is a plethora of theatrical spaces in Buenos Aires - as the best foot the city has to put forward. Clocking in at more than a hundred years old, the Colón took nearly twenty years to build. The main theater (pictured poorly below) is horseshoe shaped and uses some of the most delicious elements of French and Italian design imaginable. It is one of the top five theatres in the world and renowned for its acoustics. Back in April I coughed up la plata to take a guided tour (US $25 for foreigners) which, I will admit, is worth well worth it. Recently restored, the halls and galleries around absolutely stunning.
But what is even more thrilling is actually going to hear a concert and what better way to do so than... well, with a free ticket! Monthly, the theater holds classical concerts, about an hour to an hour and a half in length, on Sundays at a robust 11:00am. Featured are Argentine musicians and members of the theater orchestra. The catch: tickets have to be picked up the Friday morning before the concert. The ticket office opens at 10:00am and there is always a line so be sure to arrive early - that goes for Sunday morning too since the seats are not numbered. Of course, there is nothing more touching, or more exciting, than seeing the theatre fill up before a quartet of talented musicians in the midst of one of Latin America's (and arguably the world's) most distinguished theaters. As you can imagine, I'll be back next month - even if it means getting out of bed, and out of my cucpake pajamas, before noon.
Cheap thrills total: gratis / free
1. Stage a protest... or just enjoy watching
The fact of the matter is that although there, typically, is some sort of protest, march, stand-off or calle cortada every day in Buenos Aires, at any given time and in any part of the city a tourist would probably miss it. As a resident (even if only a temporary one) I hear the drums, backfiring tires, honking and chanting from my office building daily and after three months of almost weekly subway strikes I have to admit I am no longer surprised nor generally amused. Argentina is considered one of the most volatile countries in Latin America and I have to agree with the critics. Argentines are notoriously spirited, emotional and out-spoken; after all, these are the same people who invented the tango, who survived a period of senseless terrorism by the State, a devastating economic crisis and whose first love is, above all else: red meat. It is no wonder that when the pueblo has something to say, it gets up and shouts at the top of its lungs.
Most demonstrations are peaceful - like the one pictured above which was celebrating the 36th Anniversary of the end of the Golpe del Estado. Sure, I've been to perhaps two protests, but I have accidentally participated in a dozen: riding the bus to work, crossing Avenida 9 de Julio, walking to pick-up my vegetarian lunch from the friendly Korean family down the street. But, why would I put this on my list of cheap thrills? If there is anything more representative or more typically Argentinian than gathering up a few hundred friends and neighbors, lighting some trashcans on fire and blockading a vital public thoroughfare... I don't know what is. Maybe tango...Just keep a cool head and an eye on your wallet if you decide to go.
Cheap thrills total: gratis / free
Cultural Notes / Vocabulary:
Calle Florida: (n). a pedestrian only shopping district ending in the elegant Galería Pacífica shopping mall. Notorious for street performers, pick-pockets and tourists. Look for cheap leather, electronics and "I LOVE ARGENTINA" memorabilia.
El Pueblo: (n). a town or small provincial city; also used to refer to the general body or people of a given place. Ex. "El pueblo Argentino" / "The Argentine people".
El Golpe de Estado: (n). A coup; in the 20th century Argentina has experienced 7. The last, often referred to as "El Terrorismo de Estado" and resulted in the "disappearance" of hundreds of men, women and children. The echos of this event - to be detailed further in future posts - are still alive and very much in the minds of the people in this country.
Facutura: (n). the Argentine term applied to a wide range of "pastries" including churros, scones, alfajores and tarts. In other parts of the Spanish speaking world the term "pastel" is often used.
La plata: (n). Money. Ex. "No tengo la plata para ir al cine" / "I don't have the cash to go to the movies."
Pepas: (n). a shortbread like cookie, resembling the American thumb-print cookie, with a dollop of quince jam or, in some cases, dulce de leche or other sweet.
Resto Bars: (n). a combination bar/restaurant that serves anything from beer and pizza to small plates made to order. Note: hyphenated words do not exist in Spanish.
Tanguero: (n). a popular term for someone who dances and/or practices Argentine tango.
Tostado: (n). a sandwich composed of ham and cheese or other popular combination: ham and tomato, cheese and olive etc. that is toasted. The sandwich is much larger than packaged sliced bread, crust-less and (unlike the American grilled cheese) uses no butter.
Tranquila / "tranqui": (adj). tran-key-la - used to describe people, places and things. Generally meaning calm, layed-back or relaxed.
"Una cortada" / Cortar la calle: (n). a street no longer than a block to a block and a half long; often unlisted or hard to distinguish on maps. (v). to stage a protest or otherwise disrupt the flow of traffic on a given street.
"Vamos con Dios": (fr.) a phrase used to indicate resignation of control. Literally, "we go with God"
Ciao, ciao!
-S
