When I first began my Latin American Adventure a year ago, Buenos Aires, Argentina was the first place that I wanted to go. I had heard that it was the Paris of South America, and being that I had spent some time in Europe this intrigued me. But due to Covid my visit to the country was put on hold. When I finally made my way to BA, I spent four weeks there, and although it took me a little bit of time to warm up to the city, I ended up having a great time. I met so many interesting people there, and it’s a city that goes all night every night, with tons of restaurants and bars. Here are the things that shaped my experience.

• Fun Activities
• Food
• Connecting with People

Fun Activities in Buenos Aires

Staying true to form, I leaned heavily on AirBnb Experiences to give me the space to try some new things and to meet people. Buenos Aires is known for a couple of things: tango, grilled meats (asado), its metropolitan vibe. And I used Airbnb to explore all of these things. 

Tango

One of the first experiences that I tried was called Tango and Cocktails, in which two professional Tango musicians, Kevin and his wife Maria, invite you to their apartment and give you a private concert, along with snacks and cocktails. Maria sings and plays the guitar, while Kevin does percussion and plays the harmonica. They were wonderful! And they really opened me up to different kinds of tango music. Not only did they play beautiful music, but we also chatted about the history of tango in the country.

Kevin has another experience, Tango on the Town, in which you get an hour long tango lesson and then he takes you to a milonga (a dancehall specifically for tango) to watch real dancers and possibly try out some of the moves you learned. I missed the lesson because of some rescheduling confusion and only made it to the milonga. Oddly enough though, I did get to dance because a guy there really wanted to dance with me and told me he’d teach me how despite me having zero knowledge. It was very fun! And Kevin was great because he let me take a private lesson with him at another date. I heard from some of the other participants in this experience that they didn’t get much out of Kevin’s lesson, but I definitely learned a lot in the 1:1.

Salsa

Argentina is not known for salsa dancing , but you can definitely find it if you seek it out. I continued my tradition of taking salsa classes/lessons when doing an extended stay so that I could be sure to dance a couple of times a week. I took intermediate classes at Buenos Aires Dance Club, which I highly recommend. The atmosphere there was super fun and welcoming, and just kind. I didn’t feel awkward diving into classes after not having danced for months.

Another interesting thing that I noticed while in BA, is that I met sooo many Venezuelans. Venezuelan immigration is big in many parts of Latin America, I was told, due to the issues the country is having. Many of the folks I met were Uber drivers, and they would always chat me up, and usually they would be listening to salsa music! So I got some recommendations on where to go dancing from the Venezuelan drivers I met. El Toque Cimarrón and Azucar are good places.

Sailing

Per usual, before I arrived in Buenos Aires I thought about what activity I could do that would push me out of my comfort zone. I settled on sailing. I booked an experience to have breakfast on a sailboat and sail Rio de la Plata, the body of water that forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. When I saw the boat, I was nervous. It seemed quite small. But Andres was great with instructions about the safe way to board and move around the boat. He served pastries and maté (a very popular drink in Latin America), and he let me steer and even park the boat when we returned. It was just a very chill, beautiful morning of conversation on the water – he practiced his English and I practiced my Spanish.

Agentine Asado

I mentioned that Argentina is known for its meats, especially beef. There are a ton of restaurants to choose from to try some prime cuts of meat. However, the experience of an asado is a different affair. Of course it’s centered on grilled meats, but it’s about friends and family coming together to share that experience, which can be hard to capture as a tourist. So I did a rooftop barbecue experience. There were about eight guests, people from all over: Canada, the U.S., Brazil, Argentina; and our host taught us about the Argentine parrilla (the grill) and served us wonderful, perfectly cooked, food and wine.

Closed Door Restaurant

Another food-centered activity that I tried was attending a closed door restaurant. These are social dining restaurants, generally operated out of someone’s home, and there are quite a few in BA. They give you the opportunity to try great food and to dine with strangers. I was excited about this because it was yet another way to push my comfort zone.  I tried Casa Saltshaker and thought some of the food was really tasty and the rest was just ok. Everyone who attended my dinner were American. So the company, although jovial, wasn’t like the uber-interesting and multilingual conversation that I had had at the rooftop asado.

The City

There are a ton of museums, street markets, and green spaces to enjoy in the city. Of course you’ll want to check out popular places like the street market in San Telmo on Sundays, Casa Rosada (the president’s house), and the Museo de Bellas Artes. But I also highly recommend some not so popular sites: a tour of Palacio Barolo, which was constructed to model Dante’s Divine Comedy and El Zanjon de Granados in San Telmo, which is the oldest archaeological site in the city.

Opera is also a big thing here, and you can get tickets for cheap if you plan ahead (they sell out!). I attended a showing of Tosca, and El Teatro Colon was absolutely beautiful! Speaking of beauty, I would also highly recommend checking out some of the gardens in the Palermo neighborhood. The rose garden, the botanic garden, and the Japanese garden are all great.

Earlier, I alluded to Buenos Aires being a city that is open late. This is because Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) do not even start having dinner until around 8 or 9pm. In my real life, I’m an old lady that usually has dinner around 6:30. So this was quite a change for me! But I managed to adjust and get myself out there. One thing that I loved is that because things start late in the city there were always many people out. So it felt very safe to be out alone at night. I rented an AirBnB in the Palermo neighborhood, which is big with tourists and felt particularly safe to walk at night. It has a ton of restaurants, bars, and nightlife in the area. I even got the chance to check out some jazz in the neighborhood at Thelonius Jazz Club and Virasoro Bar.

Food & Drink in Buenos Aires

The food in Buenos Aires was good in general. But if you’re expecting a ton of “latin” food, think again. The country has heavy Italian influences due to heavy immigration, with 60-70% of the population having some Italian lineage. So besides meat and empanadas, pizza, pasta, and gelato are some of the popular foods here. The city is very metropolitan, so you can get a ton of other cuisines as well. Here are some of the highlights I tried.

Argentinean

• Chori: Choripan is a popular argentine food; a sausage sandwich usually with chimichurri. This place puts many different spins on a classic.
• El Hornero: This is a stand in San Telmo market. It’s always crazy busy. But I have to say I think the empañadas I tried here were the tastiest of the trip. They cook them in a real wood fire oven
• Guerrin Pizzeria: in BA, pizza is either Argentinean, which tends to have a thicker crust and lots of cheese. Or you’re getting pizza Napoletana (as from Naples, Italy). This place is an institution and very popular for Argentine pizza, and I thought it was pretty good. However, as a Chicagoan, I’m not easily impressed by pizza.
• La Mezzetta: This place is a pizza joint (no seats, just counters to stand at). It serves up famouns fugazetta, a super cheesy pizza with onions. Honestly, it reminded me of a first iteration of Chicago deep dish pizza. It was good! You can order by the slice here.

Italian & Pizza

• La Alacena: Italian food. I tried the roasted eggplant parmigiana, the garganelli pasta, and tiramisu. All very tasty.
• Siamo Nel Forno: Pizza Napoletana. The pizza was good, and visually inviting. However I thought a little salt to the crust would have pushed it over

Latin

• Empanadas Nenis: Venezuelan joint with a few tables outside only. I tried the chicharrón empanada and an arepa with chicken and avocado. Also, they had a guanabana drink! Delicious.

Less Casual

• La Carniceria: I tried this place on a food tour. But I’m told it’s very popular and hard to get into otherwise. Can you believe that I tried chitterlings here! (to all my black folks, it was not prepared like what you are thinking of at all!). I also tried beef tartare served in a scull, empañadas, and blood sausage.
• Ajo Negro: Seafood tapas. I tried the chipirones (squid) and a fish bao. Lively atmosphere. Attentive staff at the bar.
• La Pescaderia: a seafood place in Palermo. I had great empanadas, paella, and sangria there.
• Club M Omakase: This is a sushi place in Palermo. I tried the tasting menu and wasn’t impressed. Sushi in Argentina seems to lean heavily on salmon. Also, most sushi rolls in BA always had cream cheese, which I found unappealing.
• Gran Dabbang: Very creative restaurant that is a fusion of Indian/Asian flavors with Latin
• Mishiguene: Upscale Israeli food. Some dishes were very good (the chipirones), others were just ok.

Drink

As for drink, here are my bar highlights. At some point in your visit, you should try Cynar (an alcohol made from artichokes!), and Fernet and Coke, both drinks that are popular with the locals.

• Florería Atlantico: Speakeasy bar in a flower shop. Good cocktails and food. Very cool.
• Uptown: Speakeasy bar with a New York City subway theme.
• La Fuerza: Great meeting place for friends. They specialize in vermouth.
• 878 Bar
• Tres Monos

Connecting with People in Buenos Aires

One of my trip goals this time around was to make at least one local friend in Buenos Aires. I’m sad to say that I did not achieve this goal. I did attempt to make friends using Bumble BFF, and met up with someone from the app, but we did not click at all. However, I’m happy to say that although I didn’t befriend any Porteños, I did meet and share time/experiences with a good amount of people. 

One question that people who want to travel solo often ask is, is it awkward and lonely going out and dining/doing things alone. Of course it’s nice to share these experiences with friends/someone you know, but I have found that it’s very interesting to see who you will end up meeting and connecting with precisely because you are alone. 

Linking Through Activities

In Buenos Aires I formed a friendship with an Irishman that I met on a food tour. On the tour we chatted about a lot of things, including jazz, and so since we both would be in the city for a while we agreed to meet up at a jazz joint. Over the course of my stay in BA, we met up several times, exchanged information, compared notes, got to know each other and went and tried some very good restaurants! 

In my salsa classes, I met a handsome German with a Portuguese name who clearly had a passion for dancing. We chatted a lot, and grabbed pizza after class one evening.

Linking Through Random Encounters

On one random afternoon in San Telmo, I was seated at a table alone outdoors at a restaurant and because all of the other tables were full, a Brazilian woman asked if she and her two friends could sit at the table with me. I said of course! We ended up sharing choripan and beer, and having a great conversation (although only one of them spoke spanish, the other two could understand spanish so we managed).

On my last day in Buenos Aires, I went to a restaurant for lunch that I had tried unsuccessfully to dine at two times before. I was there for a long time, eating and reading a book. And as I was getting ready to leave, an American who had also just finished dining, stopped at my table and struck up a conversation. We ended up walking to a bookstore together, and would meet up later that night and go bar hopping around the city.

Connecting Over Food and Drink

On another occasion I went out to a very popular bar alone. It was full, standing room only, but after standing around a bit I lucked out and snagged a seat at the bar as someone was leaving. A Mexican guy sitting next to me ended up striking up a conversation and we sat at the bar and talked for hours, trying different cocktails and sharing appetizers.

One night I took myself to dinner at a small place that specializes in seafood dishes. When I was seated at the long counter, I noticed that a father and son (in his late twenties), Porteños, were seated next to me and were ordering some of the same dishes that I was ordering. We ended up striking up a conversation and the son gave me some recommendations of events in the city that I should check out.

I mention these encounters because connections like these, although brief and very random, were a big part of what made my trip special. Living in a major city like Chicago, and never having encounters like this, I wonder if it is because of the place. Or maybe it’s because when you’re alone and in explorer mode, you’re just more open to the world and thus these kinds of interactions. Whatever it is, I can say that Buenos Aires had the secret sauce for meeting cool people and making some great memories.

Fin

Leaving Buenos Aires, I didn’t feel like it necessarily had the best food, or the best clubs or music, or that it was the most beautiful city that I had ever visited. The city definitely had all of these things, and they were good, but I don’t think these will be the specific things that I carry with me and remember when I think about my time there. What I’ll carry with me will be the excitement at the opportunities; the chance to explore, learn and to connect with people in that setting. And I think that’s definitely an experience worth having. Please subscribe to my blog to get more travel adventures and stories of pushing the limits of your comfort zone.