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How does a group of students from the USA properly celebrate the 4th of July in Buenos Aires? They go to a "country" bar and listen to the Argentine band "The South" play well known country and bluegrass songs, of course! I'm not sure Garth Brooks would have recognized his own work, but the Argentines at the bar (decked out in tight jeans, boots, huge belt buckles, and cowboy hats) sure knew the words.
Talk about a surreal evening.....as the night wore on (and the night doesn't even begin til midnight here), the bar got crazier and crazier. After a while, the mainly middle aged (with one group of very young, alternative looking 20 somethings...I guess US cowboy in BA is similar to punk in the US....strange) crowd was one their feet in the tiny bar, line dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs. Dressed to go out, we looked a bit out of place, but everyone was friendly and seemed to enjoy having us around to celebrate with them. I can honestly say that I've never experienced anything quite like that before.
To top everything off, half way through the night the British boy in our group announced out that we really owed him a thanks for the night. We were confused until he pointed out that without his country, there would be no need to celebrate our independence. Ha....I think I sometimes forget that there was another side to the Revolutionary War. I've never seen Independence Day from a British perspective before....
We spent Saturday and Sunday exploring museums and markets around the city. We walked around the market near the cemetary in Recoleta and visted the Museo de Bellas Artes Nacional on Saturday, and visted the zoo, Japanese Garden, and San Telmo on Sunday. It was a lot of walking, but also a great chance to see more of the city. The area we walked through to get to the zoo is very upscale, and all of the embassies are located there. Talk about huge fences...no one is getting into those things unless they are invited!
As a random side note, here are some things I've discovered about driving in BA (mainly from riding in taxis):
The lines on the road are nothing more than a general hint at of the direction one should go. Driving on them is just as acceptable as driving between them, and if four drivers can fit abreast on a three lane street, all the better for them. (cars are small here - think Geo Metro - so that is possible)
Stopping at red lights is optional as long as you honk before entering the intersection.
It is perfectly alright to drive 120 km an hour down a street in the middle of the city at night.
Swerving back and forth around cars to get through a light as it is beginning to turn green is encouraged. Drivers here are probably very good at racing video games. Any taxi driver could do stunts for the average US movie involving car chases.
Pedestrians never have the right-of-way. Never. You will be run down if you are walking where a car wants to be, whether or not the light says you have the right to walk.
With all of this in mind, I've also noticed that none of the cars have dents in them. Since the city isn't rich, I take this to mean that very few accidents occur. I guess BA is a city full of the best/worst drivers I've ever seen. I've never felt in danger when riding in a taxi, though, so that's saying something....
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Grams Siegert
non-member comment
Argentina
We stayed at the Claridge Hotel in February of 2001. Every 15 minutes a meal could be delivered to your suite with a 20% tip included, so there was no waiting around for the tip. Good service. We ate breakfast in our room, but other meals at other places. I wonder if you will get this. Love, Grams