Argentina BLOG

Gay wedding trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina

August 24, 2010 – 5:16 pm
Q&A: In Buenos Aires: Gay-Friendly Spots … Q. My boyfriend and I plan to take a two-week wedding trip to Argentina around Thanksgiving. We’d like to spend part of the time in Buenos Aires, with a side trip or two. And we’d enjoy some time at a nice beach. Any recommendations for some gay-friendly destinations? Zach Patton, Washington A. Buenos Aires is a sprawling city with 48 barrios, so you’ll want to concentrate on a handful of neighborhoods. It’s best to get around on foot, or by metro (www.subte.com.ar) or taxi. According to Frommer’s (the online content partner of the Times’s Travel section), Buenos Aires has become “a major Latin American gay-tourism mecca.” You can find listings of gay and gay-friendly venues at G-Maps (gmaps360.com) and at the Buenos Aires Gay Travel Guide (thegayguide.com.ar). Consider staying at the Axel Hotel (axelhotels.com), which welcomes a gay clientele in the bohemian neighborhood of San Telmo. This is ...

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Underground dining in Buenos Aires

August 23, 2010 – 4:02 pm
I am about to make a dinner reservation, except that I don’t know where I’ll be eating. I’ve been told that once I book a table the location will be revealed. What is certain: I will be eating at one of the “puertas cerradas,’’ or closed-door restaurants, that are the rage here. These quirky, underground “anti-restaurants’’ are where many chefs serve their best dishes. “The closed-door restaurant concept, essentially an unofficial restaurant in a chef’s home, has existed for centuries in Buenos Aires,’’ says Paul Irvine of Dehouche, a travel agency based in South America that offers unique, tailor-made vacations. “But in recent years the scene has really taken off, perhaps due to the hard economic times, as well as the creative freedom a young chef cooking from his home can enjoy.’’ One enticement to these excursions is that clandestine feeling you get not knowing the location or even when they’re serving. ...

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Looking Forward to the 2010 Rosario, Argentina Hockey World Cup

August 22, 2010 – 7:40 pm
The 2010 World Cup will be the 12th instalment of the tournament. Originally awarded to the city of Buenos Aires the venue was switched to Rosario when the chosen club in the capital city refused to host due to financial restrictions. Where: a new 12,000 seater stadium has been built. When: Aug 29 - Sept 11 Twelve nations (Australia, Argentina, England, China, Holland, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa, Korea, Spain, Japan, India) are drawn in two Pools (A and B) and play each side in their group once before the classification matches take place. Holland are the current holders and a win in Argentina will mark their seventh triumph in the tournament since its inaugural yesr in 1974. England finished seventh in 2006 but having recently won bronze at the Champions Trophy have a realistic chance of another medal play-off this summer. Pool A: Holland, Germany, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, India Pool B: Argentina, China, Spain, England, ...

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Playing Soccer in Buenos Aires

August 19, 2010 – 2:52 pm
My son Nicholas and I arrived in Buenos Aires on a cold and rainy Saturday morning during the week of the World Cup Finals. We originally planned the trip with the hopes that Argentina would be in the semifinals and go on to win in the final. Everywhere we stopped people were talking soccer and lamenting the team’s elimination in the quarterfinals. The loss badly crushed the hopes of a nation looking to win another World Cup title. Our two-week trip was planned with the idea to spend time visiting with family, friends (from my playing days) and talking soccer in a country that is soccer-crazy all the time, not just during the world’s biggest soccer tournament. The next day we met for lunch with my long-time friend and former teammate, Angel Felix, who is now the Assistant Coach at Club River Plate (one of the most popular and well-known teams in ...

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Japanese couple wins Tango World Championship

August 17, 2010 – 2:22 pm
You can take tango out of Buenos Aires, but it seems you can't take Buenos Aires out of tango. That, at least, is the thinking of the reigning champions of Mundial de Tango, the world tournament of this passionate-yet-precise dance which is underway for the next two weeks in the Argentine capital. That's why Kyoko and Hiroshi Yamao, the title-holders and the planet's top tango duo since 2009, at times consider swapping their native Tokyo for Buenos Aires, the city most associated with this Spanish-derived melding of hips and chests to fast footwork that has become their obsession. "This is our fifth time in the Mundial de Tango and we think sometimes about coming to live in Buenos Aires," Hiroshi Yamao, 39, told AFP at the official launch of this year's competition on the weekend. He and Kyoko, 35, owe their marriage to tango. "We love so much the communication and seduction this dance has. ...

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48 Hours trip to Buenos Aires

August 16, 2010 – 6:22 pm
Friday, 8pm Check into Hotel Chile (Avenida de Mayo 1297, www.hotelchile.minihostels.com, from £29 for a double room). Built in 1905, it's one of the best examples of art nouveau in Buenos Aires and right in the heart of town. 10am Start the day with coffee and medialunas (sweet croissants) at Piazza Cafe (Saenz Pena y Avenida de Mayo). 11:30am Take a taxi over to El Caminito and marvel at the colourful neighbourhood of La Boca. 5pm Head to Avenida Santa Fe for some retail therapy. Pass the grand Teatro Colon (Libertad, 0054 011 4384 6905, www.teatrocolo.org.ar) and check out the Avenida 9 de Julio, which, with 12 lanes, is the world's widest avenue. 8:30pm Dine at La Americana (Avenida Callao, 0054 011 4371 0202) and taste the Italian heritage of Buenos Aires in this bustling pizza restaurant. Sunday, 11am Take a walk down to Puerto Madero and revel in the breathtaking quiet of ...

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Buenos Aires and other Latin American destinations

August 13, 2010 – 2:55 pm
Latin America is geographically so close and yet culturally so far away. To help inspire travelers to explore the many countries and climates of the region, Cheapflights.com, the online leader in finding and publishing travel deals, has compiled a list of Top 10 Latin America Destinations. Cheapflights.com also offers How to Save on your Trip to Latin America, the latest in a series of guides to cheaper and better travel, containing practical tips on cost cutting for trips to Latin America. “As our meteorological flip side, Latin America stands as the quintessential escape from whatever season you’re enduring in North America. A far-reaching region, it offers vast extremes in both cultural and geographical experiences,” says Andrea Mooney, site editor for Cheapflights.com. “It’s versatile by nature, and offers everything from scorching beaches to skiing altitudes and from culinary delicacies to the ultimate change of pace.” Below are some of the Latin America destinations ...

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Tastes of Argentina arrives in London, UK

August 13, 2010 – 10:47 am
Decanter's Argentinian food, wine and culture festival, Tastes of Argentina, is back by popular demand. Following the success of the inaugural event in 2009, 40 top producers will return to London's Vinopolis on 11 September with over 150 top wines. Decanter has also teamed up with Argentinian restaurant chain Gaucho to host steak and Malbec masterclasses throughout the day, whilst two special Malbec masterclasses will be given by Peter McCombie MW. With live tango dancing and Malbec ice cream, event organisers are promising guests the chance to sample Argentinian culture without spending 16 hours on a plane. Tickets are available on the Tastes of Argentina website and by contacting the Decanter Ticket Office on 020 3148 4513 or tickets@decanter.com. The best of Argentina under one roof - Discover 40 star producers - More than 150 wines to taste - FREE Steak and Malbec masterclass, courtesy of top Argentinian restaurant, Gaucho* - Buy top-selling light bites from Gaucho - Live tango ...

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Time travel from Buenos Aires to the year 2210

August 12, 2010 – 10:37 am
The Buenos Aires city government launched a project on the occasion of the bicentennial of the May Revolution to create a “time capsule” with messages for the people living in 2210 that aims to be the first collective, open and public archive in Argentina. The project will gather statements for posterity from residents and celebrities of the Argentine capital in formats that include text, audio, image, video and multimedia archives, to be filed in data centers of the Argentine unit of Spain’s Telefonica. The project was launched as part of the festivities celebrating the bicentennial of the revolution that in May 1810 sparked the process that would culminate with the declaration of independence in 1816. “Citizens will be able to take part in this project either by uploading information or by participating in an interactive interview on Web site www.capsula2210.com, an online receptacle that will serve future generations as a registry of today’s ...

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If you are a Tango Dancer… Buenos Aires is your City

August 11, 2010 – 2:26 pm
Expat Cherie Magnus explains the journey that led her to become a tango dancer and teacher in Argentina. It’s difficult to think of two careers more opposed than librarianship and tango dancing. One conjures up images of horn-rimmed spectacles and musty books; the other, of energy and exoticism. American expat Cherie Magnus, 67, has enjoyed both careers - though the story of how she shed her librarian’s stamp to become a dancer in Buenos Aires is sadder than one might initially expect. “I became a widow in the late 1990s,” says Cherie, “and soon after developed breast cancer, possibly related to stress. Though I recovered, after the second bout of cancer I was unable to return to my demanding job in the library, and I didn’t have enough money to retire in California, where I’m originally from. So I started to look at living somewhere else." After a brief spell in Mexico, Cherie ...