A Look, Taste, + Feel of Buenos Aires, Argentina

a fountain in a Palermo park

Buenos Aires, with her gigantic open green spaces and beautiful architecture, reminds one more of a European capital than any South American city; most of which are best viewed by the blind.

The Palermo area contains vast, well kept parks featuring small lakes, towering sculptures, rose gardens, huge old trees, and as much space as you dream of for outdoor dance classes, rollerblading, running, and cycling alike.
The nearby Japanese gardens, zoo, and casino are additions denizens of Baires consider themselves fortunate to have. (well, perhaps not the casino)
I pedal a bicycle past the parks and embassies down Avenida del Libertador, a street as wide as most oceans but taking longer to cross.

the beautiful parks of Palermo

obelisk, Buenos Aires (BA)

I stop and gaze obligatorily at the Obelisk, an Argentinian national monument, whose phallic shape was once covered by a giant pink condom to commemorate World AIDS day in 2005.

the National Theater- architecture reminds me of the Swedish Royal palace

Casa Rosado

The buildings in the city's center are quite pleasing to the eye, and smaller parks continue to populate the avenues as I veer off to search for Casa Rosado, the executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina.
Nearby, tourists crowd around to watch the changing of the guard, and veterans stage a small rally so that their contributions (and minimal monthly benefits) are not forgotten.

changing of the guard

monuments + nice architecture of Buenos Aires

I ride through a green light, a car screeches it's brakes, skidding to a stop, nearly plowing into me, in an what was no doubt an effort to help the Portenyos (denizens of Baires) keep their long-held crown as the world's most asshole drivers. Rest assured they're in no danger of losing their grip on the title any time soon. 

Prices in Argentina, and specifically Buenos Aires, are far higher than the rest of South America. Aside of rent, the city is almost on par with Los Angeles. Most people here struggle to make ends meet, and with corrupt politicians on both sides of the aisle combined with high inflation, it's no wonder there is so much political unrest. No one, not even the wealthy, have any faith in the system. 

a gay restaurant in San Telmo . What gave it away Rich?

The one uniting factor is soccer, the nation's passion. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, "futbol" plays on TV. If not a game from Argentina, then Europe, or even Asia. Cafes and restaurants caught showing something else instantly lose their business licenses.

the streets of San Telmo

I stop by an expansive outdoor weekend market in San Telmo which covering several blocks, vendors and artisans hawking their wares hoping to attract, well, tourists like me. I become entranced with a sculpture of a tree branch, a hummingbird and butterfly adorning the wooden flowers. I purchase the exquisite piece for $100, without a word's negotiation.



The streets are alive, from outdoor asado (barbecue) restaurants which are of excellent value for the carnivores here, to outdoor dancing, both tango and rave.
No matter how dark or late it might seem, the truth is, it's still early. Argentinians normally start their weekends with a dinner at 10 or 11 PM and regularly stay out until dawn. They think I'm kidding when I tell them the last movies of the day start playing at 8 PM in Santa Barbara.
"Movies start at 1:30 AM here all the time," comes back the retort ... Good thing high quality coffee is sold on every corner.
So, yes, Buenos Aires is definitely worth the visit, with tons to see and do, streets alive with energy, and plenty of places to simply relax and watch the world go by. It's also far safer than most South American cities; provided you stay off the roads.

A taste of Argentine culture- the streets of Buenos Aires

Soccer- the Religion of Argentina; the Pope's Team- Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro

Argentina is a pretty permissive society. You can trade spouses, convert to a new religion, go Caitlin Jenner with your sexual orientation, even join ISIS and all of Buenos Aires will still welcome you into their homes with open arms. 

But dare betray your fellow fans by switching allegiances to another soccer team and you will be burned at the stake as a heretic. They take place in a central city plaza- five last year. 

Needless to say I was excited to take part in the passion of South America (I brought a book of matches) and with an invite from my friend Bebeto, I'm quickly being whisked towards the stadium of Club Atletico San Lorenzo which is located in one of the worst slums of Baires, an area annexed by immigrants from South America's poorest countries (Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay.)

"Villa"- Argentinian word for "slum," near San Lorenzo stadium. Newer cars are of fans 

Their illegally built shanty towns are unlikely to be featured in the next issue of Architectural Digest. On game day, the presence of law enforcement is required to safely park and navigate the neighborhood. The area referred to as "1-11-14," on the opposite side of the stadium, police deem too dangerous to enter themselves.

We walk to the nearby athletic fields for the pre-game asado- Argentinian barbecue, similar to American tailgating. Everyone here has known each other for years, often decades, lifelong fans. Of course they're lifelong fans, there really isn't another viable option; you think I was kidding about what they do to traitors?
How much pride do soccer fans take in their allegiances? Bebeto's father has paid a $200 yearly fee for his youngest son's membership card since birth, and the boy at age 3 is still not old enough to safely attend games.
Wait? It's just a sporting event. What's the risk in bringing a toddler? hahahahahaha ... Let me fill you in.

• Opposing teams have been pepper sprayed from the stands. 
• There used to be a designated section of the stadium for rival fans, but they often found ways to "bleed" into the home team crowd, resulting in huge brawls which filled the local hospitals. Today opposing fans have been Banned from attending each other's games nationwide ... It was ultimately cheaper to give up those ticket sales. 
• Avalanches- literally fans celebrating a goal by doing a sort of vertical "wave" falling onto people in the row in front of them, a game of vertically plunging human dominos has created a morbid tradition- when the home team scores, its fans die. 
• There is a real home-field advantage as referees who make a call the fanatics find disagreeable are sometimes killed. They'll think twice before awarding a penalty kick to the visitors. (True Fact: Soccer refs in South America are ineligible to purchase life insurance policies.)

So you'll forgive Bebeto's father for merely bringing the likeness of his son via his membership card photo to the game.

you can watch an avalanche (seconds 7-16 only)

But back to the asado; multiple chorizo (sausage) sandwiches are fired from a canon into my open hand. Mountains of meat here, nearly impossible to be a vegetarian in Argentina. The fans are friendly and welcoming, which be might partly due to the the free flowing Fernette (alcohol) and Coca-Cola mixed-drink, arriving via shared, giant plastic cups.
One of the drunken leaders (in both senses) winks at me, pours a generous amount of extra Fernette into the make-shift glass, stirring its contents with his what could politely be described as a "grimy"finger, then hands me the cup ... I bring it to my lips, pretending to take a sip not only in an effort to maintain rapport, but also to avoid catching typhoid.
Every few minutes the fans break out into impromptu, minute long cheers for their beloved team, a team they will support until they die.

the pre-game asado- FC San Lorenzo

San Lorenzo stadium

Eventually game time arrives, and people pour into the stadium under police super-vision. There are different sections, the youth section, where the fans jump up and down, vociferously cheering the entire game. Once you save enough money you can upgrade your tickets to our section where you must merely stand until the final whistle blows.
Our opponents are the Hurricanes, a team which was recently upgraded from the inferior "B" division, to Argentina's premier league. During warm-ups good natured and supportive fans of FC San Lorenzo remind the opposition of their humble beginnings, derisively chanting "Vos sos de la B! Vos sos de la B! Vos sos de la B!" (you are from the B!)

watch/ listen to fans taunting the visiting team- "Vos sos de la B!"

San Lorenzo stadium

Of course, what's the point in going to a sporting event without betting on it? Being the genius I am, a foolproof plan is at hand. You see, FC San Lorenzo is The Pope's team, having grown up in the area he's a lifelong fan; the head of Catholic Church is not exempt from the fate of a heretic.
My thinking- how is it possible to lose when God is on your side? As a man of action, I immediately bet the budget allotted for my trip.
All I can say is, I doubled my money to $200! Not that I should have won, frankly the "B" team outplayed San Lorenzo, but their shots barely missed their mark and twice caromed off the posts (God's work,) and San Lorenzo capitalized on one its few opportunities, and on this rare occurrence in an otherwise boring sport, the entire stadium erupted in a CraZy celebration. 

watch the fans' passion for the game, plus game highlights

And what a great time was had experiencing what I consider a cultural event singular to this area of the world. Say what you want about South America, with it's corrupt politicians, high inflation, uncertainty, and spouses with often wandering eyes, I will tell you true and monogamous love exists here; and its between fans and their soccer team.
Go San Lorenzo! Fan for life!

Bebeto, Martina, me- great time