I got a late start this morning, thanks to my 2:11 A.M. wake up call, delivered by the egg-shaped alarm clock with no apparent off switch. After five minutes of beeping, I finally figured out that you have to hold two buttons down simultaneously for three seconds. Obviously.
So I headed out around noon. It was a cool (low 60′s), overcast day, but that was perfect for my purposes. My main sightseeing stop for the day was the Recoleta Cemetery, a large, walled-in cemetery featuring above ground mausoleums and beautiful, albeit slightly creepy, statues. This is Eva Perón’s final resting place, and many people visit the cemetery to take pictures with or put flowers on her tomb. From an artistic perspective, however, Evita’s tomb is far from the most interesting. The cemetery was almost completely empty when I was there (the joy of traveling in fall), and I was able to wander down the paths, examining all the choices in the architecture and embellishment. Many mausoleums have fallen out of repair; some have broken windows, making it possible for you to reach right in–not that a sane person would want to. Especially on a cloudy day, when there aren’t many people around, the cemetery would make a perfect setting for a horror film.
Or perhaps a love story? One of the weirdest parts of traveling by yourself, especially as a woman, is that people interact with you in ways that they never would if you were with a group of people. Case in point, there was a man (mid-thirties, attractive) standing outside the cemetery, collecting money for children’s AIDS hospitals. I gave him a few dollars, and he started talking to me about where I was from, who I was here with, how long I’d be staying, etc. After a couple minutes, I told him I was heading in, and he said, ”Wait, just give me a kiss.” Naively, I assumed he meant the traditional Argentine right kiss on the cheek that they give as both greeting and farewell. Instead, he attempted to full on make out with me. I jumped back, appalled, and said, “We’re outside a CEMETERY. And you’re collecting money for HOSPITALS!” I’m not sure he really understood my discomfort, but he let me escape.
At any rate, after a couple hours among the tombs, I was famished, so I went to Rodi Bar, a casual nearby restaurant. There weren’t any other tourists in there, which is always a good sign, but the food was only so-so. I took Fodor’s advice (shouldn’t I have known better after the taxi situation yesterday?) and ordered the breaded veal stuffed with ham and cheese. As with all Argentine restaurants, it was plentiful and inexpensive, but the ham and cheese inside were still cold, and there wasn’t enough veal to hold up to the breading. Coffee was a treat, though. Instead of a cafe con leche (similar to a latte), I ordered a cafe con crema, which had a dollop of thick, Devonshire-style cream. With a packet of sweetener, it was a doll cup sized piece of heaven.
Recoleta is the most famous shopping area in the city, so I took to the streets after lunch to wander around. Most of the stores were things you can find anywhere, though, and I detest traveling thousands of miles to look at the same Louis Vuitton purse I’ve seen in every major U.S. city. After an hour, I opted for a nap.
That night, I went to a tango show, de rigueur for any Buenos Aires visitor. I sprang for a more upscale option and booked a table at Rojo Tango, which is housed in the much lauded Faena Hotel & Universe. The hotel is a bit out of the way, but a private car to and from the show is included in the price. The room was intimate, with just about 20 tables, and the decor was opulent, with the same red and gold theme as in the lobby. An optional three-course dinner preceded the show, and though I’m generally wary of mass-produced cuisine, it seemed like the only reasonable way to eat dinner and make it to the show by 9:30. I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, however. I started with a fresh mozzarella, ham, and basil pinwheel with field greens, then had veal with potato gratin, and finished with a dessert trio that included passion fruit cheesecake, berry crumble, and a chocolate cake layered with dulce de leche.
And the show was as good as the food. There were eight dancers, two singers, and a full band, and the numbers ranged from the traditional to their interpretation of the El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge. (The female singer, incidentally, looked like a walking advertisement for the plastic surgery/tour packages I’d read about…but beyond that, she was very talented.) The total price, including gratuity was about $240, so very expensive, especially by Argentine standards, but I’ve paid that much for Broadway before, and this was something you can only see in Buenos Aires. I think it was worth it…probably wouldn’t do it again, but good for a first visit to BsAs.
Tags: Buenos Aires, Faena Hotel Universe, Recoleta Cemetery, Rodi Bar, Rojo Tango, tango
