Sampling Buenos Aires

Oct 30-31, 2012: After my mini bus tour ended, I ate an indifferent lunch at a place close to Recoleta cemetery (I opted to eat indoors, and was then amused to discover that the choice saved me money), before taking a second look at the (now less crowded) cemetery, and checking out the baroque Jesuit church next door.

I spent the afternoon walking down Avenue Libertador, past a string of parks and heroic statues, to the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, housed in a 1918 mansion built for one Matias Errazuriz Ortuzar. The museum had a nice outdoor cafe, shaded by trees, and I allowed myself to be tempted by the creme brûlée I found on the dessert menu. I had to change tables when a man took the table downwind from mine and lit a large and malodorous cigar, although I’m happy to report that smoking indoors seems to have been outlawed in Argentina.

The mansion’s Great Hall was off-limits while the artifacts from an exhibition were carefully packed for transport, but it could be viewed from the gallery that surrounded it on three sides. I found the museum quite interesting, although I would not have cared to inhabit some of the rooms – one oppressively red, and one very dark. Full marks for the bathroom facilities, though. I finished the day by walking back to my hotel past the Parque Las Heras. One thing Buenos Aires has plenty of, at least in the better-off sections, is green space. Some of the trees are quite magnificent, with wide trunks and spreading branches. The grounds don’t always look well-cared for – but some of that may be due to the recent heavy rains. I later noticed a city employee cleaning mud off the pavements, although a broom might have been an ecologically sounder, and maybe even a more efficient, choice than a water hose.

My first night my hotel (the Duque) had sent to me to a “healthy” restaurant, the Quimbombo. I had ignored the several vegetarian options in favor of a pretty good prawn curry, and for my second night I went all the way carnivore, eating steak at Don Julio, also recommended by my hotel, and conveniently close. The service was good, and the steak cooked as I requested and very tender, but sadly lacking in flavor compared to the beef I had enjoyed in Uruguay. Later I would learn that instead of lomo (tenderloin), I should have ordered bife de chorizo, which I had thought had something to do with sausage.

I spent day three, Wednesday, walking north. First to the banks at the intersection of Scalabrini Ortiz and Santa Fe, as I had heard that cash was hard to come by in El Calafate and El Chalten, and then successively through the Botanic Gardens, the Zoo and the Japanese Garden, with a pause for lunch after the zoo. As usual, I enjoyed the Botanic Gardens, although I had to break out the insect repellent, and was surprised to find a reproduction of the statue of Romulus and Remus and the wolf, and the Japanese Gardens, although I found them too sprawling and undisciplined to be truly convincing. But the zoo should be avoided! Of course, urban zoos are always likely to be depressing, but this one was particularly bad, with the buildings in dire need of renovation, and the animals miserably housed. When I first walked in and saw the flamingoes I thought I might enjoy myself, but the flamingoes were too far away to see properly, and things went downhill from there.

Lunch was a considerable improvement on Tuesday, purely by chance. I walked less than a block off Ave. Libertador and found Bella Italia, where I ate an excellent risotto. I did have some difficulty leaving, partly due to a misunderstanding over paying the bill. I thought the waitress was asking if I wanted to charge the meal in American dollars or in pesos (the dreaded dynamic currency conversion scam) while she was actually trying to tell me that they only took American Express. Dinner was even better, being a mini-GTG arranged by avrooster, a long-time poster on the Fodor’s Argentina board. He and his charming wife took me, and tripadvisor posters the moreweirds, to La Bourgogne, arguably the best restaurant in town.

I especially appreciated that avrooster braved the crazy Buenos Aires rush hour traffic, which he usually avoids by living out in the country, to collect me from my Palermo hotel. (The hotel staff were great to me, but it was a bit much of them to refuse to let avrooster into the lobby! Most embarrassing.) Dinner at the best restaurant in town had not been in my plans, and I had packed for warmth (in Patagonia) rather than elegance. Still, I did manage black and a necklace.

The service was impeccable, and the food delicious, and besides the main course and desert included things like assorted amuses bouches, sherbet, and a flute of ice-cream with the crepes suzette. My only problem was the size of the table, which made general conversation difficult, at least for those not hearing as well as they used to. (Half of moreweird is slated for hearing aids, while I have a hearing test scheduled.)

I had looked up moreweird’s internet profile, and been impressed by their extensive international experience. I was also interested in their take on BsAs, as they are back for the fourth time, for three months. Joie de vivre, and extensive outdoor activities, seemed to be the answer. Alas, I was already finding the humidity oppressive.