Buenos Aires - Casa Rosada - Front

Manzana de Las Luces and Barrio Montserrat

The old neighborhood of Montserrat covers the oldest part of the city and it is one of the most attractive districts for cultural tours in Buenos Aires.

Montserrat’ sidewalks feature some of the most important buildings in the city, including the presidential palace (known as Casa Rosada), the colonial town hall, the Parliament and the Cathedral of Buenos Aires. All of them a must see when you travel to Buenos Aires.

The Presidential Palace or Casa Rosada, was built under President Julio Argentino Roca in 1882. The Casa Rosada has been the center of presidential activity ever since.   With the pink side facing the Plaza de Mayo, and the beige sides calling less attention from surrounding streets, it is Buenos Aires’ version of The White House.

The house is full of impressive national treasures include the bust room full of marble impressions of past presidents.  Tour the house and don’t miss the Escalera de Italia (Staircase of Italy), fashioned from thick beige marble in true Italian style.  Look up to see the Capilla de Christo Rey, a life-size version of Christ on the cross, as you make your way through the house.   Also inside is the Museo de la Casa Rosada, which displays many presidential artifacts.

On the outside, the centered high balcony became famous for presidential public addresses.  Some of the most notable orations came from the Peron’s, who claimed to speak from a lower, left-hand (facing the building from the Plaza de Mayo) balcony in lieu of the stately centered, high perch in order to be closer to the people.  To film the Evita movie’s most famous scene, Alan Parker made a personal request for the use of the famous balcony from which Evita addressed the huge crowds who rallied to cheer her outside Government House in Plaza de Mayo, but the request remained unanswered by Argentinian president Menem for many weeks. Parker and the producers hoped to film Madonna singing “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” on the real Casa Rosada balcony, but they were of course also prepared to rebuilt the balcony in a film studio.

Madonna provided the biggest help in obtaining the “real” balcony. She asked many time to people close to the president to be invited along with Alan Parker by President Menem, to discuss and explain the intentions of the film.

Buenos Aires - Manzana de las Luces

Parker recalls: “Everyone told us no. I’d begged everybody. We had the American ambassador helping us and, also, the British ambassador. But we got turned down time and again. Then, one night, Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce and I got invited to meet President Carlos Saul Menem. It was surreal. He served us pizza that he insisted was the best in the whole world. Then Madonna suddenly said, “Can we cut to the chase here? Are we going to get to film on your balcony or not?” The president said, “Yes.” We were so stunned we didn’t finish our pizza.

However you experience Argentina, it’s nearly impossible to get a complete picture without heading to the Casa Rosada for at least a brief afternoon in Argentina’s past.

Manzana de las Luces

You will marvel at the 17th century architecture of the Manzana de las Lucas and the mysterious underground tunnels that worked as secret passages. This is a sightseeing tour not too many tourists find out about when they travel to Buenos Aires. Speculation regarding the original use of these tunnels still remains! Its interesting history began in 1675 with the construction of the Church of San Ignacio and the Colegio de la Compañía by the Jesuit monks. Meant to be a centre for higher learning, and headquarters for Jesuit land holdings, the first medical school was also set up here.

BUENOS AIRES… There’s something about this place …

Maybe it’s the tango.

Those of you who have witnessed the real thing know tango–when done right–is not a dance for sissies. It is aggressive, moody, seductive, sometimes beautiful and maybe a little dangerous.

Like Buenos Aires.

So . . . is it a cliche to compare Buenos Aires to the tango? Maybe, but it was either that or “Evita.”

Which brings us to the subject of steak houses–but first, the obligatory Travel story transition paragraphs:

Cool place to visit, Buenos Aires. There’s history here, pretty architecture, grace, grit and a certain big-city buzz that demands you pay attention, lest you miss something you probably won’t see anywhere else–for instance, street-corner tango dancers.

Plus, right now, for Americans (and especially for euro-spending Europeans) it’s relatively cheap, and that, happily, brings us back to the subject of cooked Argentinian hoofed beasts.

Rumor has it that sushi is the rage in Buenos Aires, and, indeed, there are bright new sushi palaces among the parrillas (local jargon for steak joints). That may be wonderful news to los portenos (local jargon for Buenos Airesians), but that’s not why we came here.

Why we came here was, to give just one example, a sweet little storefront called 1880 Parrilla Restaurante, in one of the less interesting sections of the very interesting San Telmo neighborhood.

With the place almost empty around 9:30 p.m. on a Thursday night, I was seated at a nice table and greeted by a waiter whose English was even worse than my Spanish, which is tres malo.

Eventually, I ordered the chorizo, a fat red juicy sausage the size of a small kosher salami that had been grilled (at a parilla like most everything but the beer) over hot coals. That set me back about 80 cents.

As I attacked it, the couple at the next table were thoroughly enjoying something hideous, so I called the waiter over and, at my request, was brought a half-order of what they were having: chinchulin de cordero, or grilled lamb’s small intestine. About $1.65.

By this time–well past 10 p.m.–the place was packed with well-dressed patrons along with a few wearing soccer shirts.

Then came the bife de chorizo, a stunningly tender boneless chunk of beef comparable to a thick New York strip. About $5. Plus a plate of hot, crisp french fries. About $1.35.

All accompanied by the mandatory chimichurri, a garlicky red dipping sauce. Free. And a large bottle of Quilmes beer. $2.

The beer was just OK. Everything else, even the innards, was absolutely delicious.

Now if you haven’t been keeping score: This steak dinner, among the best I’ve ever enjoyed anywhere in the world (including Chicago and Brooklyn) and graciously served by a waiter who couldn’t have been nicer despite my linguistic stupidity, set the Tribune back about . . . $11.

But enough about great meat, especially the beef, and how cheap it is in Buenos Aires and how I could have eaten it for lunch and dinner every day despite my family history, doctor’s advice and soaring bad cholesterol.

There is something about this city, a vitality strongly flavored by anger and angst and, in talking to folks, an indefinable but palpable sense of yearning. Buenos Aires is many things, but for sure it is never, ever dull.

Calle Florida is a pedestrians-only commercial street in the heart of town. It eventually links Plaza de Mayo–site of the presidential palace (the Casa Rosada) and Madonna’s best “Evita” moment (“Don’t Cry for Me . . . ” sung from a casa balcony)–with Plaza San Martin, a lovely green space with very old trees and a statue of (yes) Jose de San Martin, liberator of Argentina.

Between the plazas are shops, restaurants, a variety of vendors, at least one tango-show theater, the immense Galerias Pacifico shopping mall, newsstands and singer-musicians of all ilks, including, one day, a little kid wearing a Michael Jordan shirt playing the bandoneon, a sort of Argentine concertina.

On another day, on a portable dance floor to music from a boom box, a couple in full tango array tangoed for pesos before an appreciative, generous crowd that wasn’t all tourists.

In fact, in Buenos Aires you never know where you might run into street-tangoists, but there is one certainty: You will.

Likely places, though, are the more touristy streets of La Boca, the former slum (and in places, the continuing slum) credited for popularizing the dance; Calle Florida; Plaza Dorrego, a worthwhile tourist destination (shops, vendors, outdoor snacks) in the San Telmo neighborhood; any one of the 42,671 nightclubs and saloons featuring tango shows, many also in San Telmo; and in places like the upstairs dance hall at Confiteria Ideal.

If you come to Buenos Aires, do not miss Confiteria Ideal. Downstairs during the day, it’s a renowned place for coffee, tea and pastries, or a light meal. But on selected nights–ask around or peek in for a schedule–the upstairs ballroom is home to a milonga, an occasion for ordinary people to dance the national dance.

I got there on my night just after midnight (cover: $5), found a seat at one of the tables surrounding the spacious dance floor and ordered a big beer (about $2.65). The place was darkish and uncrowded; the music was recorded and scratchy, like an old 78; the dancers, for the most part, matched the music.

But at 1 a.m., with the place filling up with people of many ages, an orchestra took over: two violins, a standup bass, a piano and two bandoneons. And when those bandoneons, in unison, ripped off their first guhrrruuuunt, you knew those weren’t mere concertinas and this wasn’t mere tango.

This was tango.

This, truly, was Buenos Aires . . .

The capital has taken its hits over the last century or so. Most recent was a major peso crisis a couple of years ago whose initial pain has eased but lingers in the form of $5 strip steaks.

Before that, there were juntas and dictators and sad little wars and border skirmishes. Its political upheavals aren’t just the stuff of Andrew Lloyd Webber but of Shakespeare, had he barded long enough. Even in the current relative calm, politics here are a never-ending drama. If the nearly forgotten Isabel Peron (Juan’s post-Evita wife and briefly, and disastrously, his successor as president) isn’t awakened from exile in Spain to testify on something–as she was just weeks ago–it’s refreshed every Thursday afternoon by the marching Madres de Plaza de Mayo, mothers and sisters of victims “disappeared” by the military junta that ruled Argentina into the 1980s.

“He was a witness, and they `disappeared’ him, ” said one woman, wearing the group’s characteristic headscarf, who lost a brother.

He was among 30,000 who vanished, she said.

“We never knew what happened with them. So for that, we are here every Thursday in this place.”

On this particular Thursday, the dozen or so madres shared the plaza with hundreds of demonstrators, some armed with batons and others armed with signs, all representing labor-related grievances as drummers drummed up emotions and a few kids kicked around a soccer ball.

“Thursday,” said an Irishman named Patrick who has married into the culture, “has become kind of an open field-day for protests.”

Other days, vendors in the square sell postcards and little Argentine flags to tourists, and corn to anyone who likes feeding pigeons. Bureaucrats enjoy peaceful lunches and quick siestas on the lawn. In short, on a Wednesday it’s like an altogether different plaza.

More things to see in B.A.:

Eva Peron is in Recoleta Cemetery, stored in the Duarte family tomb, which is relatively modest for a cemetery that’s nothing if not a study in post-mortal overstatement. Even with the waves of tour groups brought here, it’s possible to spend reflective moments with her, alone or alongside the cats (another Webber show!) that freeload among the memorials. How Evita got here, after her remains were swiped and shipped to Italy and on to Spain, is eloquently told in the small but fine Museo Evita, in the Palermo section near the zoo.

San Telmo is one of the city’s older neighborhoods and the object of ongoing, thoughtful renewal and gentrification. For visitors, it is a neighborhood of restaurants, galleries and flea markets, plus shops selling serious antiques. Seekers of genuine Peronist artifacts can find them here (“Is beautiful woman,” said a dealer named Cesar, unveiling a booklet from 1951. “The best.”), though much of it will be of Juan.

San Telmo, as mentioned earlier, is also site of many of the tango-show venues–which introduces this:

Not seeing a tango show in Buenos Aires is like going to St. Andrews and not seeing the golf course. Missed the one in San Telmo’s Bar Sur, recommended by friends ($25, $45 with food), but I’ve seen two. One was a relatively intimate but very fine show at El Viejo Almacen (about $80 with dinner, $55 without) in San Telmo, the other a full Vegas-glitz version at Esquina Carlos Gardel (similar prices, but also with pricier VIP seats) in the Abasto district.

More: The sanitized part of La Boca that’s a group-tour destination by day (mainly around Calle Caminito) draws sneers from some cynics, but it’s undeniably and literally colorful–brightly painted hovels, street art, street-tango–and I kind of liked it. By night, tourists are warned to beware, which (to the consternation of my wife) usually makes it irresistible–but I ran out of nights. Your call.

And speaking of danger, alluded to a couple of times and rumored to be rampant in Buenos Aires: It’s an illusion.

No doubt stuff happens, as in any major city–but in nearly a week of clattering over bright and less bright sidewalks and in crowded subways, typically lugging a visible $1,000 camera, I wasn’t hassled at all, nor did I hear of any problems from other visitors. History tells us that when rampant happens–and I’ve experienced that sensation a couple of times–everybody has a story.

The closest thing to a crime I experienced was being approached by an unattractive streetwalker.

Of course there was, just before my arrival, an item about a U.S. presidential daughter losing her purse under mysterious circumstances.

“First they said it was a store in San Telmo, an antique store,” said a hotel concierge who clearly thought the whole thing was hilarious. “Then they said it was a restaurant, but with all the security, that was impossible. Now, no one knows . . .”

There are other things to see, depending on your interests: a Calatrava-designed bridge in the re-purposed warehouse district at Puerto Madero; elite shops and galleries in the Recoleta neighborhood; a pretty good zoo (featuring regional critters along with the usual lions and giraffes) and botanical garden; sweet old Cafe Tortoni and other neat buildings along Avenida de Mayo . . .

And there are disappointments, greatest of which are the trash scavengers (sometimes whole families of them) that descend on the city after dark and pick through plastic bags of garbage for recyclables and edible scraps.

A mad existence.

But always, always in Buenos Aires . . . there is tango. Really.

In a city like no other.

- – -

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE

A recent check found American, United and Continental Airlines offering one-stop, round-trip flights out of O’Hare to Buenos Aires for about $980 (subject to change). American’s stops were in Miami or Dallas, Continental’s in Houston, and United’s in Washington. Quickest combination we found was on American, through Miami: 11 hours 55 minutes.

GETTING AROUND

Buenos Aires, like most worthwhile cities, is best explored on foot–and with many key sites clustered within distinct neighborhoods (San Telmo, Retiro, La Boca, Recoleta, etc.), B.A. makes it easy. When the feet grow tired, taxis are plentiful and inexpensive; you’ll rarely pay more than $5 to get anywhere of tourist interest.

(Note: Hotel personnel advise visitors to stick to “radio taxis,” identifiable by their roof lights and door markings. Finding them wasn’t difficult.)

If the subway is going where you want to go, by all means use it. Fares are about a quarter, stations are well-lighted, and though trains vary–cars on the original line are clattering, semi-charming antiques–and all can be hot and crowded (no air conditioning in any of them), they’re a good way to get a sense of things from a local’s perspective.

Driving in the city, for non-locals, makes absolutely no sense at all.

STAYING THERE

There is a dizzying array of hotels in Buenos Aires. We checked into one and checked out a few more (and be sure to note the Note, below):

Two of the more intriguing are in the upscale Recoleta neighborhood, with neighbors like the local Armani, the local Ralph Lauren and the local Evita Peron (in a neighborhood crypt). The Alvear Palace, the venerable favorite of the venerably rich and famous, offers doubles starting at $665 (like all prices here, subject to change, and don’t forget that Note; www.alvearpalace.com); new last summer, the Park Hyatt just down the street manages to be both tasteful and astonishing (from $400; www.buenosaires.park.hyatt.com). Not far from these beauties is the more moderate and modest but still classy Park Chateau Kempinski (from $195;www.parkplazahotels.com).

Closer to the heart of the city, just off the Calle Florida pedestrian circus, was my choice, the Claridge Hotel (from $229; www.claridge.com.ar), a five-star with nicely appointed rooms and a terrific staff. Directly opposite Plaza San Martin’s greenery and statuary is the Plaza Hotel, now a Marriott, another oldie (like the Alvear, sort of) that shows its age elegantly (from $302, $321 with the park view; www.marriott.com). The decently located Sheraton Libertador looks exactly like a Sheraton; it’s OK if you’re cashing in Starwood points or just have a ship to catch (from $302;www.sheraton.com). A tad less convenient but still central is the massive Sheraton-Convention Center (slightly pricier, same Web site). Among other chains represented: InterContinental, Hilton, Melia and Holiday Inns.

Note: All the above prices are full “rack” (i.e., published) rates and, unless something special is going on, no one pays them. That’s common in most markets, but especially here, where competition is fierce right now and discounts are hefty: I paid $144 at the Claridge for that $229 room; the Sheratons had rooms at half that above-listed price, and even the Alvear slashes rates when demand softens. So shop around.

DINING THERE

The prime scene here is about meat, mostly beef, and the venues are parrillas, the open-coals institutions–big and small–that do it right.

Prices can be embarrassingly low.

We tried three that covered the gamut and all earned return visits if we could: Las Nazarenas (on Calle Reconquesta across from the larger Sheraton) is a bi-level monster that draws big crowds of tourists as well as locals with something to celebrate. Our bife de lomo (a 1.3-pound filet; about $14) was state of the art. The asada de tira (short ribs with plenty of meat) at a sidewalk table at little Los Gauchos on Calle Chile in San Telmo was heavenly and embarrassingly cheap: about $3, including a large plate of fries. Splitting the difference in price and square footage: Parrilla 1880 (Avenida Defensa, across from Parque Lezama at the edge of San Telmo).

For a change, Tancat, a spiffy Spanish tasca in the center (Calle Paraguay, near Calle Florida, Retiro), got it right with its seafood tapas. Throughout the city, the milanesa–meat or chicken, thin, floured and fried, and served simply with a squeeze of lemon or topped with other things–is a staple; mine ($4), at a simple diner called My House on Avenida Cordoba near Florida, was just fine. Los Chilenos, a pleasant, busy storefront on Calle Suipacha near Las Nazarenas, served up a congrio (conger eel) dinner in a garlic-olive oil sauce that was worthy of Chile itself.

Additionally: Pizza is everywhere. There are German, French and lots of Italian restaurants (you hear ciao here more often than adios), even sushi places–and yes, you can find an empanada and a quarter-pounder with cheese.

INFORMATION

Call the Argentina Government Tourist Office in New York (there is no Chicago office) at 212-603-0443, or check its Web site: www.sectur.gov.ar. Or see the City of Buenos Aires Web site:www.bue.gov.ar.

Source: By Alan Solomon, Chicago Tribune staff reporter

La Boca and its colors

The conventional explanation for La Boca’s name is that the neighborhood sits at the mouth (“boca” in Spanish) of the Riachuelo.

A Painting by Antonio Berni

It is known throughout the sporting world as the home of Boca Juniors, one of world’s top football clubs. La Boca is a popular destination for tourists visiting Argentina, with its colourful houses and pedestrian street, the Caminito, where tango artists perform and tango-related memorabilia is sold. Other attractions include the La Ribera theatre, many tango clubs and Italian taverns, as well as La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors.

As one of Buenos Aires’s 48 barrios, La Boca is located in the city’s south-east near its old port. The barrio of Barracas is to the west; San Telmo and Puerto Madero are to the north.

La Boca is partly an artist colony, and mostly a working-class neighborhood. Benito Quinquela Martin was one of the most famous painters of Argentina that came out of La Boca. Antonio Berni, whose paitings can be admired at the Malba Museum in Buenos Aires, is another one of the world’s renowned painters of the time. We should also name, Raul Soldi and Eduardo Sivori.

Caminito: 
In 1959, Quinquela Martin and his artist friends created the street of Caminito, as a means of recreating the way old La Boca used to look – a reminder of where everyone had come from, not just in La Boca, but Buenos Aires, and Argentina, because this barrio and its port had been the gateway for many immigrants into this city and country (up until Puerto Madero and then Puerto Nuevo were built as replacements in the early 1900s), who then went on to make Buenos Aires and Argentina what they are today. This is the most famous street in La Boca and is the center of tourist activity in the area. The street is commonly shown on postcards for its multi-colored houses. Many artists also show off their work on the sides of the main street.

Colorful neighborhood of La Boca

La Boca Soccer Stadium: 
The Boca Juniors is one of the biggest soccer teams in Argentina and happens to be one of the clubs that the soccer great Diego Maradona played for. Their stadium, La Bombonera (or the chocolate box – a name due to its shape), is not so surprisingly located in the La Boca barrio. It is possible to get tickets to most games and be a part of a truly Argentine experience. A Soccer Tour is a recommended way to experience this Argentine phenomenon. 

Museo de Bellas Artes Quinquela Martin 
Once a residence and studio of the artist Quinquela Martin, this museums has a collection of early 20th century Argentine artists. The museum is also known as the Fine Arts Museum of La Boca. Artist and philanthropist Benito Quinquela Martín, one of La Boca’s most famous sons, donated this huge building to the state to create a cultural center in 1936. Don’t be surprised to have to jostle your way through kids filing into class: downstairs is an elementary school, something that the galleries’ bland institutional architecture doesn’t let you forget. Quinquela Martín set out to fill the second floor with Argentine art—on the condition that works were figurative and didn’t belong to any ‘ism.’ Badly lit rooms and lack of any visible organization make it hard to enjoy the minor paintings by Berni, Sívori, Soldi, and other local masters. The smaller third floor contains only Quinquela Martín’s own work, namely the vibrant port scenes that first put La Boca on the map. Outside is a huge sculpture terrace with great views of the river and old port buildings on one side; and the Boca

Benito Quinquela Martin - Painting of La Boca

Juniors stadium and low-rise downtown skyline on the other. Signs about the history of the museum are translated into English, but nothing else is.
Pedro de Mendoza 1835
Phone: 4301-1080

Tour La Boca on your first day in Buenos Aires with our unique and exclusive 7 days / 6 nights Buenos Aires Secrets Tour.

Museo de Bellas Artes- Buenos Aires

Friday

2 p.m.
1) UNDERGROUND CITY

For a fascinating peek into Buenos Aires’s history, start at El Zanjón de Granados(Defensa 755; 54-11-4361-3002), a 175-year-old mansion that leads to a series of underground tunnels that go back to the city’s early settlements. (The city was founded in 1536.) Now a museum, El Zanjón offers intriguing one-hour tours (20 pesos, or about $6.30 at 3.16 pesos to the dollar) through a cross section of the city’s archaeological layers.

4 p.m. 
2) ICE CREAM AND ART

Explore present-day Buenos Aires in the cobblestoned district of San Telmo. While best known for its weekend antiques market, the neighborhood now has plenty of cool shops and restaurants. The ice cream parlor Nonna Bianca (Estados Unidos 407; 54-11-4362-0604) balances rustic Patagonian décor with adventurous flavors like kumquats in whiskey (small cone: 3 pesos). San Telmo is also home to a growing gallery scene including the swank Wussman Gallery (Venezuela 574; 54-11-4343-4707; www.wussmann.com) and Appetite (Chacabuco 551; 54-9-11-6112-9975; www.appetite.com.ar), which specializes in punk-rock-style art.

9:30 p.m. 
3) LITTLE ITALY, ARGENTINA

More than a third of Argentina’s population is of Italian descent, and Guido’s Bar (República de la India 2843; 54-11-4802-2391) fulfills all the Little Italy tropes, from “Volare” on the stereo to the New York City skyline on the ceiling. But the crowd is Argentine and the food is varied and tasty. There is no menu and after one question — “Red or white?” — the waiters bring a seemingly random assortment of plates, like a cold appetizer of spinach and red bell peppers in a paprika mayonnaise sauce, followed by Spanish tortillas, stuffed eggplants, penne in red sauce and pignoli nuts. How the waiter figures your bill (45 to 60 pesos a person) remains a mystery.

11:45 p.m. 
4) PLAY IT AGAIN, CARLOS

The spirit of Carlos Gardel, the godfather of Argentine tango, lives on in the Almagro neighborhood, where Bar 12 de Octubre (Bulnes 331; 54-11-4862-0415;www.barderoberto.com.ar) offers weekly music shows. Started in the mid-90s when the famed tangoist Roberto Medina stopped in to play a few songs, the shows run Tuesday to Friday nights between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. Arrive early to get a good spot, before the crowds of tattooed 20- and 30-somethings jam the tiny, grungy space.

Saturday

11 a.m. 
5) CAFE CULTURE

With its prime location and literary clientele that included Jorge Luis Borges, Café Tortoni(Avenida de Mayo 825; 54-11-4342-4328; www.cafetortoni.com.ar) is the most famous of the cafes from Buenos Aires’s belle époque. But more magnificent is Las Violetas (Avenida Rivadavia 3899; 54-11-4958-7387; www.lasvioletas.com), a 123-year-old French-style cafe. After closing briefly in the late 1990s, Las Violetas’s interior, including its gorgeous stained glass, has been restored. The white-jacketed waiters serve the classic breakfast of café con leche with three croissants (5.40 pesos), but the shocker of the menu is the María Cala tea service, an eye-popping pile of cakes, scones, finger sandwiches and pan dulce pastries (29 pesos for three people).

Cafe Tortoni - Buenos Aires

1 p.m. 
6) DON’T CRY FOR HER

To most visitors, the Recoleta Cemetery in the upscale Recoleta district (intersection of Junín and Guido) is known as the place where Eva Perón’s body is buried. But the graveyard is also the final home of several presidents, scientists and other influential Argentines. 

3 p.m. 
7) THE LAND OF POLO

To marvel at Argentina’s longtime obsession with horses, head to the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo (Avenida del Libertador 4101; 54-11-4778-2800;www.palermo.com.ar; entrance fee 5 pesos). Opened in 1876, the elegant racetrack has a French neo-Classical grandstand, the Confitería París restaurant and a basement casino. For up-close action, sit at the wooden tables that dot the flowery lawn. There are 10 race days a month.

7 p.m. 
DRINKING AND NOT DRIVING

Malba, short for Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, is considered to have one of the finest Latin American art collections in the world (Alcorta 3415; 54-11-4808-6500; www.malba.org.ar; entrance fee 12 pesos). In addition to a permanent collection that includes Frida Kahlo, Xul Solar, Diego Rivera and Guillermo Kuitca, the cavernous museum has also had traveling shows by Lichtenstein, Stella and Warhol. Afterward, head next door to the Museo Renault (Alcorta 3399; 54-11-4802-9626; www.mrenault.com.ar) for one of the city’s best martinis and one of the city’s weirder new trends: car-branded bars. Audi, Ferrari, Maserati and Mini Cooper have opened up their own boîtes nearby.

10 p.m. 
9) MEAT, MEAT AND MORE MEAT

In the shopping-friendly district of Palermo Soho, La Cabrera (Cabrera 5099; 54-11-4831-7002) is a French bistro that takes Argentina’s amazing steaks in a new direction. The chef, Gastón Rivera, serves classic beef cuts like juicy ojo de bife (30.50 pesos), but serves it alongside an impressive array of untraditional side dishes including mashed pumpkin with raisins, beet purée and baked pearl onions in red wine. Arrive early to take advantage of the free champagne at the sidewalk waiting area, while you listen to tango-themed electronica music and watch the beautiful crowd of jet-setting locals and trendy visitors.

12 a.m. 
10) HASTA LA MAÑANA

If you’re looking to dance, head to the consistently trendy Niceto Club (Niceto Vega 5510; 54-11-4779-9396; www.nicetoclub.com), a multistory venue on an industrial strip lined with auto repair shops. Local bands like Los Alamos and the French Kid Loco play before midnight; afterward, D.J.’s play psychedelic trance and dance music. The crowd peaks around 3 a.m. If you prefer places that get going before 1 a.m., head to Mundo Bizarro(Serrano 1222; 54-11-4773-1967; www.mundobizarrobar.com), a night-life mainstay decorated with 50s pinup posters and a stripper pole. For other hot clubs, check out WhatsUpBuenosAires.com (bilingual) and BuenosAliens.com (Spanish).

Sunday

10 a.m 
11) ROSES AND ROSAS

For a break from the careering colectivo buses and bumblebee-colored cabs, go to Parque Tres de Febrero (also known as the Bosques de Palermo) on the city’s northern edge. The 965-acre park fills on weekends with runners, cyclists, sun worshipers and the odd club kid unwilling to let Saturday end. Stroll past the placid lake, the whiffle ball-shaped planetarium and the Rosedal garden, which has about 12,000 roses. Those club kids are heading to Arkos (Avenida Casares and Avenida Sarmiento; 54-11-4804-2512;www.clubarkos.com.ar) an after-hours party inside the park that starts Sundays at 7 a.m.
1 p.m. 
12) LUNCH + DINNER = BRUNCH

Sunday brunch at Olsen (Gorriti 5870; 54-11-4776-7677; prix fix, with champagne, 27 to 39 pesos) has become a mainstay of expatriates, filmmakers and wealthy Argentines by offering two Buenos Aires rarities: brunch and ethnic food. The décor is pure Scandinavia, with curvy plywood furniture and 60 types of vodkas. Dishes include herring and smoked salmon with Argentine bondiola (pork tenderloin). Call ahead to get an outdoor table on the heated deck, or on the couches around the fireplace (avoid the frenetic tables near the kitchen). In a concession to Argentines’ overheated night life, brunch goes on until 8 p.m.

The Basics

Many major American and Latin American airlines fly to Ezeiza International Airport near Buenos Aires from Kennedy Airport in New York. A recent Web search showed round-trip fares starting at around $900. The 20-mile taxi ride to the city’s center runs about 60 pesos.

The Art Hotel (Azcuenaga 1268; 54-11-4821-4744; www.arthotel.com.ar), opened in 2004, was among the city’s first boutique hotels. The 36 rooms are housed above an art gallery in exclusive Recoleta. Room rates, quoted in United States dollars, start at $65.

The Scandinavian-style Home Hotel (Honduras 5860; 54-11-4778-1008;www.homebuenosaires.com) has become a de rigueur stop for the Wallpaper* magazine set and the place where the rock groups U2 and Franz Ferdinand held concert after-parties. On summer Fridays, Tom Rixton, a co-owner and English record producer, spins what he calls “stupid party music for girls to dance to.” The 18 rooms start at $115.

Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt Buenos Aires (Avenida Alvear 1661; 54-11-5171-1234;www.buenosaires.park.hyatt.com), opened in July 2006, has 164 rooms split between the renovated 1934 Duhau family mansion and a recent wing. Rooms start at around $370.

Source: New York Times