Argentina-BA trip report
Apr 29th, 2008, 06:16 PM
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Argentina-BA trip report
Ok Following up on my previous post: Just got back from about 6 days in Buenos Aires and had a great time!
Day 1:We got in on a Sunday and hit the ground running at the San Telmo market; I was more impressed by the cool,somewhat crumbly buildings than the trinket-type souvenirs honestly. And there was an orchestra playing divine tango music- 2 bandoneons, an upright piano, and a string section- it was such a rich sound- just perfect!
In looking at the window displays, I think the mannequins are even thinner in Bs As- is that possible??
Day 2: our first full day on little sleep (if you saw my previous post we switched hotels b/c of traffic noise). Decided to make it a shopping day on Calle Florida and revelled in the Prune store where I got a gorgeous black patent handbag. Proceeded down the street enjoying more shops and then had lunch at Cafe Tortoni. I'm not sure why the guide books go on about it- if you've been to any cafe in Vienna, you'll know what I'm talking about...had a GREAT dinner at Bar Uriarte: Appetizers of perfectly prepared sauteed calamari- fresh and so tender- just right, as well as a "country egg" served in a cast iron skillet with great sausage and potatoes. Our entrees were also super- duck risotto and pork tenderloin. Highly recommend Bar Uriarte for dinner; make reservations!
Day 3
witched hotels- moved to Legado Mitico in Palermo Viejo and fell in love with the place. Damien couldn't have been more helpful and it was so relaxing, great breakfasts and loads and loads of hot water (showers and sleep are a big deal to me when I travel...)! We met fellow travellers while there and really enjoyed wandering the neighborhood night and day.Overall fantastic! Walked thru the gardens nearby and then onto the Evita museum which was fascinating and creepy all at once.In one of her speeches she mentions how one has to be "humble to serve the humble" but she was always sporting Perugia shoes and a Jacques Fath couture wardrobe...that didn't spoil our appetites however and we managed to have an awesome lunch in the Evita cafe.Later that evening we had a casual dinner at Bar 6 close to the hotel.
Day 4uper touristy La Boca was our first stop- I wouldn't even recommend going her just b/c of the sheer amount of hassle doled out to tourists; even was told a sob story by one of the cabbies upon leaving in an effort to extract dolares. Felt more like Morocco than Argentina.
Balanced that out with drinks at the bar at the Faena Universe Hotel- prefect bellinis! It turned into a liquid lunch that day...
Then we returned to our 'hood and wandered into Cluny for a late afternoon salad. That night it was Campo Bravo for dinner. At 10 it was already packed and we were offered a glass of champagne while we waited for our table. we ordered the most massive Parillada laden with blood sausage, steaks, chicken, intestines, you name it! There was no way we could've gotten through all of that even if we'd taken the entire week! Luckily there was room for dessert as they have one of the greatest chocolate mousses I've ever tasted! Truly decadent.
Day 5: We decided to investigate a spa at the other end of our street-Gurruchaga- and got sidetracked upon discovering the Prune outlet store! What a find- so of course an hour passed there with no problem! We did make it to the Oxivital spa on Aquirre in order to see what it was about, and then made appointments for massages later that afternoon. A pedicure and massage totaled less than $50 with a tip and I practiced my Spanish even more which was fun!
We grabbed some empanadas and a bottle of Malbec and retired to the little courtyard at the back of the hotel before naptime. Made reservations at 647 on Tacuari in San Telmo that night and had our best dinner of the week! My app was the grape tatin- over the-top good! and incredible veggie ravioli. Oh and the cocktails were fab too!
Day 6: Wandered the Recoleta cemetery and saw some truly beautiful sculpture (not to mention very cute cats!). Of course saw Evita's final resting place- it took alot for her to get there. I hadn't realized different groups of people hijacked her corpse and had it shipped everywhere before her family got it returned to Bs As- very disturbing...all that death made me want a hamburger for some reason and we wandered over to the touristy Mendoza very near the cemetery for a hamburguesa and an enormous glass of malbec...napped again and then had a super time at Tango Porteno! Initially we were going to skip the dinner part of the show but were glad we didn't! Had a lovely salad, steak and dessert and the show itself was a great production! I was surprised that it wasn't solely tourists who were there; the 12-piece orchestra was out of this world and the dance numbers were so inventive along with classic. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!
Day 7 (last day-boo hoo!): we wandered through MALBA today and I thought the building as well as the art were really inspirational! Though I wish I had gotten out of the city to see more, I really enjoyed the pace of this trip- equal parts exploration and relaxation- exactly what a vacation should be! Before getting on the plane, we had a great lunch at Mott and then said goodbye to Damien and the folks at LM. Thanks for tuning into my trip report!
Christine
Day 1:We got in on a Sunday and hit the ground running at the San Telmo market; I was more impressed by the cool,somewhat crumbly buildings than the trinket-type souvenirs honestly. And there was an orchestra playing divine tango music- 2 bandoneons, an upright piano, and a string section- it was such a rich sound- just perfect!
In looking at the window displays, I think the mannequins are even thinner in Bs As- is that possible??
Day 2: our first full day on little sleep (if you saw my previous post we switched hotels b/c of traffic noise). Decided to make it a shopping day on Calle Florida and revelled in the Prune store where I got a gorgeous black patent handbag. Proceeded down the street enjoying more shops and then had lunch at Cafe Tortoni. I'm not sure why the guide books go on about it- if you've been to any cafe in Vienna, you'll know what I'm talking about...had a GREAT dinner at Bar Uriarte: Appetizers of perfectly prepared sauteed calamari- fresh and so tender- just right, as well as a "country egg" served in a cast iron skillet with great sausage and potatoes. Our entrees were also super- duck risotto and pork tenderloin. Highly recommend Bar Uriarte for dinner; make reservations!
Day 3
witched hotels- moved to Legado Mitico in Palermo Viejo and fell in love with the place. Damien couldn't have been more helpful and it was so relaxing, great breakfasts and loads and loads of hot water (showers and sleep are a big deal to me when I travel...)! We met fellow travellers while there and really enjoyed wandering the neighborhood night and day.Overall fantastic! Walked thru the gardens nearby and then onto the Evita museum which was fascinating and creepy all at once.In one of her speeches she mentions how one has to be "humble to serve the humble" but she was always sporting Perugia shoes and a Jacques Fath couture wardrobe...that didn't spoil our appetites however and we managed to have an awesome lunch in the Evita cafe.Later that evening we had a casual dinner at Bar 6 close to the hotel.Day 4
uper touristy La Boca was our first stop- I wouldn't even recommend going her just b/c of the sheer amount of hassle doled out to tourists; even was told a sob story by one of the cabbies upon leaving in an effort to extract dolares. Felt more like Morocco than Argentina.Balanced that out with drinks at the bar at the Faena Universe Hotel- prefect bellinis! It turned into a liquid lunch that day...
Then we returned to our 'hood and wandered into Cluny for a late afternoon salad. That night it was Campo Bravo for dinner. At 10 it was already packed and we were offered a glass of champagne while we waited for our table. we ordered the most massive Parillada laden with blood sausage, steaks, chicken, intestines, you name it! There was no way we could've gotten through all of that even if we'd taken the entire week! Luckily there was room for dessert as they have one of the greatest chocolate mousses I've ever tasted! Truly decadent.
Day 5: We decided to investigate a spa at the other end of our street-Gurruchaga- and got sidetracked upon discovering the Prune outlet store! What a find- so of course an hour passed there with no problem! We did make it to the Oxivital spa on Aquirre in order to see what it was about, and then made appointments for massages later that afternoon. A pedicure and massage totaled less than $50 with a tip and I practiced my Spanish even more which was fun!
We grabbed some empanadas and a bottle of Malbec and retired to the little courtyard at the back of the hotel before naptime. Made reservations at 647 on Tacuari in San Telmo that night and had our best dinner of the week! My app was the grape tatin- over the-top good! and incredible veggie ravioli. Oh and the cocktails were fab too!
Day 6: Wandered the Recoleta cemetery and saw some truly beautiful sculpture (not to mention very cute cats!). Of course saw Evita's final resting place- it took alot for her to get there. I hadn't realized different groups of people hijacked her corpse and had it shipped everywhere before her family got it returned to Bs As- very disturbing...all that death made me want a hamburger for some reason and we wandered over to the touristy Mendoza very near the cemetery for a hamburguesa and an enormous glass of malbec...napped again and then had a super time at Tango Porteno! Initially we were going to skip the dinner part of the show but were glad we didn't! Had a lovely salad, steak and dessert and the show itself was a great production! I was surprised that it wasn't solely tourists who were there; the 12-piece orchestra was out of this world and the dance numbers were so inventive along with classic. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!
Day 7 (last day-boo hoo!): we wandered through MALBA today and I thought the building as well as the art were really inspirational! Though I wish I had gotten out of the city to see more, I really enjoyed the pace of this trip- equal parts exploration and relaxation- exactly what a vacation should be! Before getting on the plane, we had a great lunch at Mott and then said goodbye to Damien and the folks at LM. Thanks for tuning into my trip report!
Christine
Apr 29th, 2008, 08:52 PM
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"..all that death made me want a hamburger for some reason "
LOL!!!
Loved your report. Love the look of the hotel, agree about the Prune stores and La Boca and have you heard the music on the Faena website? I am trying to find out what the music is
Thanks so much for posting, enjoyed this trip report very much
Gracias, Scarlett
LOL!!!
Loved your report. Love the look of the hotel, agree about the Prune stores and La Boca and have you heard the music on the Faena website? I am trying to find out what the music is
Thanks so much for posting, enjoyed this trip report very much
Gracias, Scarlett
May 1st, 2008, 07:41 AM
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Glad you enjoyed this! It's always great to share travel tips w/ fellow enthusiasts! If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me:
[email protected]
[email protected]
