Get the Marmalade Ready…….

For those not familiar with the metaphor in the subject line, it references a hopeful day. The sun feels a little warmer on your back. The air has a crispness which a day before might not have been noticeable. And your toast, which you normally take extra charred in the midst of Chicago´s winter, has popped up golden brown and worthy of an extra helping of marmalade.

Well friends, Buenos Aires = marmalade.

And since I’ve been here 72 hours, I figure it’s high time to make some sweeping generalizations/observations:

The people here are beautiful. Every tenth person looks like they’re out of an Enrique Iglesias video. 2) People drive like maniacs. On the first day I nearly got run over (twice) when attempting the patented Chicago move: start crossing the intersection as soon as the light begins to turn red. 3) Everything happens late. I mean late. Mid-week dinners take place at 9:00 pm or after. The bar I went to on the first night didn’t reference a closing time, merely, “open very late.” I also saw a review for BA nightlife that mentioned, “no self-respecting clubber would dare go out before 2am.” I believe it. 4) Your dollar goes a LONG way. Ham & Cheese on a croissant with an espresso: $2.50. Bottle of water (sin gas): $.50. Decent bottle of wine from the deli: $6.

In short, there is a lot to like. The city is relatively clean, massive, and has a distinctly international feel. I’ve walked 3 – 5 miles every day and only scratched the surface. IBM, Sun, and Microsoft all have big buildings “en el centro,” so it’s not as if you feel displaced in a 3rd world country.

And with that I think I´ll put an end to Fodor´s-like material. Plenty of opportunities for that variety of banter back in the States. Besides, we´re not here to talk about sites on the double-decker tour. From this point on I´m hoping randomness and musings will fill these pages. Having said asmuch, I´ll sign off for now with a question:

Which of the following is true: a) the pool at my apartment is littered with women who would rival Princess Leah in her bikini on Tatooine b) last night I went to a club that OPENED at 2:30 AM c) people with old school Atari shirts are everywhere d) I actually live in L.A. & down the street from George Clooney and Matt Damon (mis amigos) or e) all of the above.