The Kiddie Table is Down the Street...

When you are new and alone in a city, you are never far removed from “tourista” status, whether you want to admit it or not. You tell yourself that your pre-trip due diligence has given you the inside track on the coolest bars, lounges, and restaurants. In truth it´s still guesswork at best.

After you arrive you think the lounge you sleuthily (yes, I just made that word up) unearthed down the street is a reverential gem, but in reality it could be the local version of Planet Hollywood. The moral here: you think you’re eating at the grownup table, but when the meal comes don’t be surprised if you’re being served applesauce and milk in a plastic bottle.

Until one day…..

You arrive at a club that looks like the Sydney Opera House for “after-office” (happy hour) and find 2,500 of the most attractive, fashionable people on the planet. At this particular juncture, it´s probably safe to do away with the bib.

For those of you who have not been to Buenos Aires but are contemplating the trek, there are some things you have to do. 1) Recelota Cemetery – where the heroes of the revolution and aristocracy are buried in gorgeous, gargantuan shrines. 2) Plaza de Mayo – where Evita gave her beloved, balcony speech. 3) Visit a milonga – to learn about and see tango at its most authentic and seductive 4) Palermo Viejo – where cobblestone streets meet fashionable stores and restaurants. 5) And finally, if you like a nice lounge/club in the States, for the love of all things right in the world, you HAVE to go to Opera Bay for after-office on Wednesday.

Opera Bay is a dazzling club/lounge which overlooks Buenos Aires´ main port in Puerto Madero (http://www.operabay.com/). Imagine a mid-week happy hour on Navy Pier in the summer with 2,500 attractive Chicagoans . Now imagine that scenario with 2,500 beautiful Argentineans that could outshine our pale arses any day of the week.

The setup of the place is stunning. A huge outdoor deck allows you to view the port/water on one side and watch the sunset behind the city´s skyline on the other. Inside there are four rooms serving as separate dance areas, with different styles of music coming from each (inexplicably the Counting Crows appear to have cross-over appeal, as I actually heard them in two different rooms). When the DJ on the back deck played a terrific version of U2´s “One” right at sunset, it was about as pleasurable and serene a moment as one could ever hope for without the company of friends.

Other random observations from BA:

The rickshaw appears to be alive and well and has apparently stayed true to its utilitarian roots. Pigeons truly rule the world. There is a huge billboard for Corvettes near my apartment, advertising different models of the car, all of which are orange (weird). Waiters in the cafes regularly take espressos (on trays) across the street to workers in nearby stores: laudable. Cats are permanent residents in many of the local gardens and the Recoleta Cemetery. The helado (ice cream) is truly to die for, and I would highly recommend the little known international flavor: frutas del bosque (fruits of the forest).