Guest blog: Miguelon on street art and Buenos Aires

We had two Michaels on our tour to Buenos Aires in December 2019. Both use their full name, so we needed a way to tell them apart. We ended up with a Miguelito (little Michael) and a Miguelon (big Michael). Miguelon took to the streets with his camera, and here is guest blog.

Miguelon’s Buenos Aires

Our first day was a pleasant surprise, even after the seemingly endless flight. We were warmly greeted by our driver, Luis, who serenaded us during our ride with tango songs crooned in an astonishing voice. Everyone should experience the taxi tango!

Our new home was just across the street from a wonderful coffee roaster and brewery, akin to PDX.  My initial impression of our neighborhood, Palermo, was that it was a quaint, friendly, painted village.  I later realized that the architecture as well as the street art, are expressions of the Argentine soul, not held to our small corner of the city.

I realized that I had a ‘problem’ with Buenos Aires on our second day. I crossed the street in the morning for coffee, then stepped outside to take a photo. Another immediately caught my eye and my imagination, and then and again and again, after that. This went on for about three hours, before I decided that I should eat. By then, I was miles from home and each direction looked the same. The Argentine soul captured my eyes and attention so much so, that I was thoroughly disoriented.  (Thanks be to the techs, for GPS.)

I discovered a free-flowing expression of the heart and soul of the community and culture of Buenos Aires, entwined and painted everywhere. The passion of Argentina flows throughout the veins of the city and seems to find expression in every aspect of their lives. I believe that this is the same passion and need for expression, which gave birth to the music, the movement, the expression, and the beauty of Tango.

Thank you, Argentina; Let’s dance.

Guest blog: Tanya's take on Buenos Aires

So much more than tango…

The initial draw to Buenos Aires for me was of course…Argentine Tango.  Although we are "Tango-toddlers" as Elizabeth sometimes would say, my husband, Michael, and I thought the exposure to Tango where it all started would be an incredibly interesting experience.

Of the ten days in Buenos Aires, Michael and I were physically able to only attend 4 or 5 milongas (exhaustion from other activities overtook us)!  All the milongas were different and provided wonderful observations, experiences and introspection.  Not all were positive, but even then, they provided great learning moments for me.  These milongas were so much more than fancy moves and complex sequences. They gave me an opportunity to understand and appreciate the true meaning of what a great tango can possibly look/feel like.  Even the simplest of dancers were an awe to watch because of their connections to their partners and the music.  It's all about the connection!

However, Buenos Aires is so much more than just tango.  I found the people so incredibly genuine, helpful, nice, friendly and unpretentious.  Everywhere we went, be it the Padres Café, the ice cream shop, La Boca, San Telmo Street Fair, Recoleta cemetery, the milongas – everyone was ready and willing to help us even with our next-to-none Spanish skills!  (Google Translate was our close companion with a few memorable and comical moments.)  Michael and I spent many of our non-scheduled tours/dance time wandering Palermo and the Buenos Aires surrounding area enjoying the sights, sounds, and scenes.  As much as my senses could bear, I breathed in all that was Buenos Aires.

Elizabeth was so great providing much needed information, knowledge, guidance, friendship and support.  The group Elizabeth put together was incredibly laid-back, self-sufficient, and cohesive.  There was such a great balance between doing things with the group and doing things by ourselves.  We started the trip as 'acquaintances' with the people in the group, but we left as friends.  These friends added so much more to our entire experience in Buenos Aires.

Michael and I did so much in our ten days there, and yet we felt like there was still so much we didn't get to do.  We left vowing to ourselves that we WILL be back.  Next time we will arm ourselves with some passable Spanish to make our trip that much better! 

San Telmo street fair

Caminito in La Boca

Dancing at El Beso

Recoleta Cemetary

Milonga review: Nuevo Gricel and Peleando Variaciones competition (La Rioja 1180)

This was not a regular night at Gricel, so I am not sure how much Gricel has changed from before. In the past, I danced at Gricel several times each visit to Buenos Aires, but I never stay in that neighborhood and it’s not my favorite milonga. The lighting and the long, narrow room, can make cabeceo tricky. Also, people sit in long tables, so many couples sit together, or groups of friends. If you are a new dancer, it could be a light night of dancing.

My happy moment: when someone who looked vaguely familiar asked me to dance. We did one dance and he said, “Wow! You have onda!” and I told him I was sure we had danced before. He told me his name—Juan—and I suddenly knew: La Nacional in 2010, 2011, 2012! He was a perfume salesman, and he had a huge fan that he flirted and used to cabeceo. I told him about a discussion we had on the dance floor about how life is a road with huge boulders on it, and he said, “You remember that??” and we danced two more tandas. It was a joy to reconnect after all these years. The sad moment: he told me he is almost 80, and I hope he’s still there when I go back to dance again.

The night we attended, there was a live band, Romantica Milonguera, and a competition. Oliver Kolker organized the Peleando Variacion competition, which features very short choreographies for the last burst of music/energy at the end of a tango. You don’t dance the entire tango: just those few seconds of a dance. It’s like watching fireworks. There were two or three couples who were really connected, giving a great dance as well as the more typical gymnastic, high-speed (tango?) routine. In particular, there was a male-male couple who were really THERE. I tried to find names and who won on Oliver’s page, but it’s not there yet.

The band was great, but we left after the first set because it was VERY late, and we were all very tired. Check out their music on Spotify: it’s very dance-worthy!

Buenos Aires eats 8: Lobo Cafe (Honduras 4730)

This cafe was a standby last visit, as it was outside the hotel where I stayed. This time, I ate breakfast there the last day that Michael, Tanya and Jim were in town. It was very yummy, although a bit pricy for the amount of food. Also, I told them I was celiac (which is easier than trying to describe being gluten-sensitive) and they brought me my meal with bread balanced on top of the entire plate. Sigh.

We had breakfasts, orange juice and coffee. The entire bill for four was under $40.

Buenos Aires eats 7: La Continental (Av. de Mayo 1389)

This is another old haunt of mine, back when I stayed in Congreso and could eat gluten. This is NOT the place for a gluten-free individual to eat. I got glutened despite eating food without wheat and taking my enzymes. However, it’s cheap and if you are a gluten-eating human, you will love this place.

FAINA! This is my place for faina, the chickpea (garbanzo bean) flatbread that most traditional pizzerias serve here. I had faina and a huge salad and a glass of wine. My buddies shared a pizza, slices of faina, more slices of pizza, a few glasses of beer, and finished my salad. All that for under $30, so about $6/person!

I went here with my friends Kent, Sara and Peter after an evening at Los Consagrados. It has become a tradition to do this when I am in Buenos Aires, and it was great to stroll over from the milonga, about 1.5 km, and have a bite with friends.

La Continental is a chain now, so you don’t have to be in Congreso to eat there. It’s soooo much easier now that Google Maps works better in Buenos Aires :-)

Milonga review: El Obelisco (Entre Rios 1056)

Senor Kent on the dance floor!

I had never been to El Obelisco before, but it’s a favorite place to dance for some of my friends, so I tried it out. I really like it (I went three times in two weeks). I would recommend it to anyone who likes more traditional style milongas.

Try out the zamba class! I am a big fan of Argentine folk dancing, and I was happy to find a very good teacher, Juan Enriquez, running the class. It was fun to practice a dance I’ve been doing for twenty years. I got to dance with the teacher in the zamba set during the milonga, and it was my best tanda of the entire trip! I promised Peter Esser that I will teach a zamba class in Portland, so stay tuned!

El Obelisco is very friendly, relaxed and laid back. I was happy to see a lot of my friends from Los Consagrados, plus some folks I had never met before. One of my favorite new dancers was here. He is very shy, so I won’t name him, but the most musical, tuned-in-to-his-partner new favorite to add to my dance card—is here.

My students did not have a hard time dancing here, apart from adjusting to working their cabeceo :-) The distance between sides of the room made it easier to cabeceo than in the bigger venues like Los Consagrados.

Another plus: it’s less than two blocks from the subway, so it’s very easy and cheap to get there!

Buenos Aires shopping 2: All the shoes!

I personally spent very little time shopping for shoes this visit: I replaced my worn out pairs with exactly the same colors and styles. I would have bought more, but there weren’t any more in my model and my size! I have worn Neotango for over a decade, and I will keep wearing the same model that fits me well until they discontinue it!

Shoes for the ladies

That didn’t stop the other tour members, as they were on their first Buenos Aires shoe shopping extravaganza. We hit Comme Il Faut (Arenales 1239) and Neotango (Sarmiento 1938) on the same day. Tanya and Heidi teamed up and went to a bunch more shoes stores, so I will let them add in if they wish.

Good news: Neotango recently made it possible to order directly from their website to be shipped to the USA. Ariel, my favorite salesperson there, told me it currently costs about $50 to mail a pair up here; but that is still cheaper than a lot of shoes at festivals, if you know your size and model.

It’s hard to find the 2 x 4 Al Pie store: this is the totality of their outside signage!!

Shoes for the guys

Except for the shopping day, the only extra shoe shopping I did was to go with Santiago to get his first pair of tango shoes. Santiago bought his first pair of tango shoes, and the other guys bought new shoes at Neotango and at 2 x 4 Al Pie (Aráoz 1973). I took Santiago (ok, I dragged him to the store) on his own, and he fell in love with some pretty cool shoes!

I had not been to 2 x 4 before, and I liked their sales team: friendly, helpful, but not pushy. They determined his shoe size and what model he wanted, and they brought out ALL the pairs in his size so he could make a good decision.

Tucked into a residential street, 2 x 4 can be easy to miss. Check out the photo above so you know what you are looking for!

First shoes!

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

Stop 1: Comme Il Faut

Stop #2: Neotango!

Buenos Aires shopping 1: Laura Va Tango Clothing

The most beautiful clothing, the most beautiful person! You just want to buy all the clothes, and hug her!

Laura Va has her own boutique that you can visit by appointment. Tanya, Nilande, Heidi and I descended one morning for a few hours, and bought A LOT of clothing at extremely reasonable prices, especially for handmade clothes. Since I sew my own clothes, I recognize attention to detail. Laura’s clothing is well-designed and well-made. You will want to buy ALL the things!

Laura is truly one of the nicest people I have ever met. She was helpful, but not pushy, and she was patient with two hours of four crazy people running around, trying on clothing and asking her questions all at the same time!

If you want to shop her collection, just contact her via Facebook, or her at tangolaurava@gmail.com, and she will help you set up a good time. She is near Palermo and DNI.

I won’t put prices because with the current Argentine inflation, prices are changing quickly, but I thought her outfits were underpriced for their beauty and quality. Go forth and shop!

Still smiling after hours of trying on clothes!

I think Tanya won!

Milonga review: Los Consagrados (Humberto Primo 1462)

I have danced with the guys who go to Los Consagrados /Saturday evenings for up to 20 years (the venues have changed over the years), and I go there because I know so many of them. It’s not the highest level of dancing, and one of my teachers criticized it as conservative and boring, but I love it anyway.

Everyone in the tour group danced the night we went. For many, it was their first traditional milonga, where the men sit apart from the women. I think that makes it much easier to cabeceo, and I prefer it. Our couples chose to sit at couple tables, but they still managed to dance because my Argentine friends looked after them!

One of my favorite things about Los Consagrados is that I can dance a set of chacareras and paso doble (see below with my friend, Eugenio); a set of tropical (cumbias and merengues); rock ‘n roll (swing), as well as milonga, vals and tango. The little breaks make coming back to dance tango a real pleasure, hour after hour. I went both Saturdays that I was in Buenos Aires, as the Gran Milonga Nacional in the streets was postponed due to the threat of rain.

Dancing the chacarera set with Eugenio

Not very crowded, but still fun!

On our way out to dinner after the milonga!

Heidi dancing with my friend Luis

Buenos Aires eats 6: El Español (Rincón 196)

Ah, Nostalgia! I have to say that El Espanol holds a sentimental spot in my heart—and my stomach.

I used to frequent El Espanol in my days as a poverty-stricken grad student, writing my thesis on tango. Twenty years on, it’s still the neighborhood family restaurant I remember, with BIG portions, LOW prices, and all around great service. If you are in Congreso (or nearby), GO THERE! If you are far away, GO THERE!

My second trip to El Espanol during this visit, I ordered an awesome flan mixto that was almost bigger than my head! If I had been thinking, I would have taken a picture, but I was too busy eating.

Update: Oh joy! Tanya took a picture of the flan!

Cultural moment: My friend Luis and I ordered a pitcher of house wine, a bucket of ice and seltzer water. The Americans were appalled to watch us doctor the wine, but after trying it, they jumped in and did like the Argentines :-)

Flan mixto as big as my head

Part of the grill at El Espanol, AFTER rush time

Buenos Aires eats 5: Sintaxis (Nicaragua 4849)

This restaurant is my home base in Palermo. I try to eat with my tour group as much as possible, but as a gluten-sensitive human, I end up getting “glutened” every two to three days. I then retreat to fully gluten-free places like Sintaxis to recuperate. I actually can’t remember how many times I ate here. I did not photograph my food at all which is a pity.

Last visit, in 2016, Sintaxis was more expensive than surrounding restaurant but with the current economic crisis, I found that prices had equalized for the most part. Palermo is expensive compared to Congreso or Almagro, but gluten-free was no longer much more expensive. All of my meals there were under $10/person, but I also did not eat big entrees there. The most expensive meal listed on the menu would have cost me about $15 for a full dinner.

This visit, I ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and had coffee breaks at Sintaxis. My companions were all gluten-tolerant, and still enjoyed the food. The main comment was that they would not have known the food was gluten-free if I had not told them. I got to indulge in empanadas, bread, toasted sandwiches, pastries, salads and desserts; as well as coffee and the ever-present mint lemonade.

Look for the blue building!

Valencia Batiuk and I have a coffee together at Sintaxis

Milonga review: El Beso in the afternoon (Riobamba 416)

My students went to El Beso several times for the afternoon milongas, and had a good time. The crowd is definitely smaller than three years ago: the economic downturn was most evident at milongas.

However, that meant that there was a friendly atmosphere, as everyone danced with everyone. I saw more people taking risks and asking new people to dance.

I found it interesting to see how cabeceo is disintegrating as a custom at tourist milongas. The locals understand that the foreigners don’t get the rules. One lady even asked my friend Nilande for permission to dance with her partner!

The impressive person of one afternoon: a lady done up in makeup, nice outfit and great attitude who danced and chatted and made my students feel at home. She had to be helped down the stairs (no elevator) because she was frail, but being over 80 was not going to stop her from coming dancing!

Buenos Aires eats 4: Big Food (Malabia 1893)

This restaurant was literally next door to my AirBnB, so we decided to try it. There were only two gluten-free dishes on the menu, and almost nothing vegan. However, the portions were good-sized and the mint lemonade was really, really good!

We sampled the burger and fries (with some strange jam-like sauce); the roquefort and ham salad; the grilled eggplant and tomato salad; the meatless/vegan burger; and the lemonade.

As the tour progressed, I talked to different people about the economy. Eating out in Palermo had been more expensive last tour, but the weakness of the peso has made it very affordable if you have dollars: I think I only had two meals over $8-15 the entire time.

(For those of you who pay attention, there is no Bs As eats 3 because I decided the restaurant was not good enough to bother!)

Ham and Roquefort salad

Vegan veggie burger and fries

Buenos Aires eats 2: Sarkis (Thames 1101)

You must eat here!!

I went to Sarkis for the first time with my friend Silvana, almost twenty years ago. Now there is a queue. We arrived just as they opened, and were fifteenth on the list! However, it was worth the wait.

The food is amazing, and I only remembered to take pictures when I was full because it smelled so good I couldn’t wait. Sorry!

The prices are not low, but there is a TON of food. Order less than you think we will want, or you won’t be able to finish. With a vegetarian and a gluten-sensitive person, we checked out the menu and found good alternatives for all of us. Yummy tastes of homemade hummus, Persian chicken, almonds and rice (and the veggie version without), potato-based version of kibbe (described by the vegetarian as fancy mashed potatoes), a salad and excellent house wine made for a meal with enough leftovers for two for lunch the next day. AMAZING. Eat there.

Buenos Aires eats 1: Calden de Soho (Honduras 4701)

Calden de Soho is just too good to miss! This year, with the strong dollar, this restaurant was much more affordable than three years ago. Four of us for dinner, wine and dessert was under $70—and that’s including steak!

The first night I arrived, I chose the river trout and pan-fried veggies. They were yummy. My friend had a steak and grilled vegetables. The house wine is the best I’ve had anywhere in Buenos Aires. No room for dessert :-(

The second time, I made sure to have room for dessert. The four of us had salmon, steak, salad, noquis, wine, beer, and I think we tried all the desserts (tiramisu, queso y dulce, flan, fruit—it was all good!

The third time, I had already eaten dinner when tour group members invited me to join them. This was my second “flan mixto y una copa vino tinto” dinner. There is a reason I gained three pounds on the trip, despite bike tours, walking miles every day and dancing!

If it is not clear, you MUST go to this restaurant!

Steak, grilled veggies, trout and wine—fabulous!

Flan mixto: small but mighty!

Tiramisu

Bike and kayak tour to Tigre: a high point of my trip

When I saw this new tour from Biking Buenos Aires, I knew I wanted to book it. I LOVE Tigre, and I’ve been there a few times to visit friends of friends in the river delta. However, I had never been to San Isidro and had not kayaked for many, many years.

We woke to a gorgeous, sunny summer day. Olaf our guide got us on bikes, and we navigated out of the busy streets into the parks on the way to the station. The entire trip went at a slow pace, so this is a do-able trip for most people—maybe 30 km of biking, and the kayak part felt like a good workout, but wasn’t actually very far. Just right!

We had lunch at Recreo El Alcazar, which I also recommend. We had a big salad, cold beers, and a huge plate of meat with fries.

This was my most relaxed day while in Buenos Aires. I came back to the city with a sunburn, but feeling really great and ready to jump back into the tango whirl.

Tanya, Santiago, Miguelon, Elizabeth and Olaf, ready to roll!

Ready to go!

On the way back to Tigre

Catedral in San Isidro

Lunch!

Quinta las Ombues in San Isidro

Santiago gets the gourd!

The well in the courtyard at Quinta Los Ombues

Biking Buenos Aires: Heart of the City

The weather was perfect for the tour: sunny and not super hot. We took taxis to San Telmo, and had breakfast across the street from the bike place at Le Blé (Carlos Calvo 601).

Olaf and Ricardo were our tour guides. We learned how to prepare mate and ate alfajores; visited Caminito and the res of La Boca; ate homemade empanadas on the street; tooled through the nature reserve; passed through Puerto Madero, the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada, and then back to the bike place.

When I found out that Ricardo danced tango, I turned on Spotify right there in the Plaza de Mayo and auditioned him—good dancer! I don’t have any footage because I was dancing, but he moonlights as a tango tour guide for tourists

Empanadas made while you wait

Boca Jrs stadium

Stately old buildings around the Plaza de Mayo

Reminders of history

Caminito in La Boca!

The dream of football

The Casa Rosada

Biking Buenos Aires tour: Parks and Plazas

This year marks TWENTY years since I first went to Buenos Aires for tango. Back in my tango youth, I ignored anything that was not directly linked to dancing. Now, I make room for non-tango activities every visit.

The Parks and Plazas was a new bike tour for me and it took me to places in Buenos Aires I had never been: the green parts of Palermo and Recoleta.

The weather was perfect, and we had a great time with the New Zealanders who shared our tour. Raymond, our guide, was informative and witty, and got us through in good shape. We even all went out for a beer at the end of the day!

Representing Carleton!

Mmmmmate!

Evita’s family burial space

Herons in the trees at Lago de Regatas

Jardin de rosas—lots of rosas!

Campari at the end of a lovely day!

More rose garden beauty!

Falling in love with Buenos Aires

As Al told me when I met with him pre-tour to get a sense of what kind of experience he wanted from my tour: "I probably won't ever go there a second time, so I want to see some sights. I don't care if I dance a lot." Right from the start, part of his tour fell through when another member of the group decided not to go to Iguazu Falls, and that got cancelled. But Al persevered, and found plenty to do! Here you have his own words:

Notes from the tour

Buenos Aires. There was so much more to my visit than tango and milongas. I can start with saying I fell in love with Bs As. Don't ever think of it as a third world place. It's definitely different from here. Especially NOW with this freezing weather. The climate is subtropical and was just approaching summer south of the equator. I don't know about anyone else, but I didn't have any experience with mosquitos and I didn't use any repellants. And humidity wasn't a problem for me even in the Tigre delta. Or out in the pampas at the estancia. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm.

The Palermo barrio where we stayed was a great neighborhood, akin to the Pearl in Portland. I had most of my meals outdoors at sidewalk cafes and restaurants. The food was great and the portions were not skimpy. I had a difficult time finding a lite meal.

As for the milongas, I need to practice my cabeceo. It's nothing like in Portland where everybody is mixed together. Men on one side of the dance floor and women on the other side. Not being prepared, I didn't get to dance as much as I would have liked. And watching the Argentines tango was eye opening. It seemed as natural to them as breathing. Or walking down the street. And milongas seemed to be available everyday from afternoon to late night. I particularly enjoyed the outdoor milongas: la Glorieta in Belgrano, and La Milonga Gran Nacional in Avenida de Mayo.

Transportation was no problem. I even managed to learn how to get around on the subway (yes, they have a subway system) by myself. Cabs are plentiful and not hard at all to get. However, their sidewalks could use more maintenance. They are uneven and broken up in places. I walked a lot and there were street fairs all over the place, it seemed in every neighborhood, every few blocks.

The biggest drawback was the economy. I wasn't prepared for that. The inflation rate is 40% and some places wanted to be paid in US dollars and not Argentine pesos. However, I had no problems using my credit card or debit card for making withdrawals from ATMs once I figured it out. But once I got back to the US, I couldn't get my leftover pesos exchanged. They wouldn't take Argentine pesos because of the volatile exchange rate. So if you go, spend all of your pesos before you leave.

Prices there are reasonable. As I told everyone, should I ever hit the lotto or Publisher's Clearing House (LMAO), I would definitely have a winter home there. I don't imagine that would be a problem for rich people. I could go on and on, but I have things to do. So, hasta luego, todos.

Milonga reviews, Buenos Aires 2016

This is a collection of short reviews by the different members of the group. I did not attend all of the milongas with them, so I asked the dancers to send me short bits I could post as a collage of our experiences. All in all, we covered quite a bit of turf, especially among the afternoon milongas and practicas.

El Abrazo Tango Club

• Location: El Beso, Riobamba 416
• Fridays, 2:30-8 PM (lesson 1 PM)
• Entrada: 80 pesos
• FB page

This is a low-key venue with a nice intimate feel. The level of dancing is modest. I arrived early and was seated by the friendly hosts in an auspicious corner with good sight-lines. But really, the venue is so small, it would have been pretty easy to make eye contact from any table (at least with my glasses on). The mix seemed to be about 60% porteñosand 40% foreign tango tourists. This is a good place to get your feet wet, as it has a more casual feel than the bigger traditional milongas. (Stevyn)

Milonga After Office

• Location: El Beso, Riobamba 416
• Mondays, 3-8 PM (lesson 1:30-3 PM)
• Entrada: 100 pesos for class and milonga (water 30 pesos)
• FB page

This was my favorite milonga overall. I went there twice. I liked the instruction at the lessons. The place was tourist friendly. The seating arrangements were made with the intention of getting people to dance. I danced with ladies from all over the globe: Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Brazil and of course, several porteñas. The teacher, who acted as hostess during the milonga, was active in getting people dancing. At one point she suggested that I dance with a porteña who was not getting asked. I did and it was a good dance. Hopefully, some of the other gents saw her dance and kept her busy the rest of the milonga. As I had to leave for the airport to go home, I don't know how that went for her. (Larry)

Milonga de los Consagrados

• Location: Centro Región Leonesa, Humberto Primo 1462
• Saturdays, 4:30-11:30 PM (lesson 3:30-4:30 PM)
• Entrada: 80 pesos for milonga
• FB page

This is my favorite milonga to attend in Buenos Aires because I have been going to this venue since 1999, and dancing with some of the same guys for that long, too! For me, it's more of a social event than other milongas because I know so many people. I had my best tanda here both this year and last year (with the same guy). Last year, I had a blockbuster 6 hours of dancing without stopping evening here; this year, because I was with a group, I left a lot earlier. I enjoy having folklore, tropical and swing sets during the evening, so this is a good venue for me. (Elizabeth)

The ceiling fans were quite loud. It was a problem for the lesson, making it hard to hear the instructor, but not for the milonga. The class was good and the teacher invited the students to sit at her table. She was even kind enough to dance a tanda with me at one point in the evening. At the end of the second song, she deemed me to be a milonguero! I got so flustered that I completely screwed up the third song. I found it relatively easy to get dances with cabeceo and had several very good partners during the milonga. It was good that I've learned to dance in small spaces. (Larry)

I was uncomfortable in this venue and did not dance much. The music was too loud for my sensitive hearing, and the "air conditioning" (fans) was uncomfortably strong. The lighting was initially so low that I could not make eye contact. It got better later, but by then I was out of energy. (Stevyn)

Nuevo Chique

• Location: San José 224, Casa Galicia
• Tuesdays and Thursday, lesson 2-4 PM, dancing 4-11 PM
• Entrada: 80 or 85 pesos (I have forgotten!)
• FB page

This was my first experience dancing in Argentina. I was a little disappointed in that many of the dancers were tourists. However, that led to connections that made dancing at other venues easier. The length of the hall was a little hard to work. I mostly danced with the ladies directly across from me that I could make eye contact with. It was hard to connect with the women in the back seating area unless I got up and was "passing through the area." It was a good get-your-feet-wet dance. (Stevyn)

I often suggest Nuevo Chique as a place to dance for new dancers or people new to Buenos Aires. The level is definitely not super-high, but that means that intermediate dancers will be able to get dances. Also, the average age for afternoon milongas is a bit higher, so it's a good venue for older dancers as well. I had wanted to dance with my husband, but we were not in each other's sight lines. I had worried that he would not get dances, but he danced a lot; so I didn't need to worry about it. (Elizabeth)

La Viruta

• Address: Armenia 1366
• Days: Larry went Thursday night, but dancing most nights
• Thursdays: 6:30-midnight classes, practica midnight- 4 am
• Cost: includes class and practica

The first place I went was a late night practica at La Viruta. It was a total bust. I couldn't get anyone to dance with me. I was quite concerned that this would be the norm in Argentina. Happy to say this was not the case. (Larry)

El bailongo de la Glorieta

• Location: Echeverría 1800, in the park at the bandstand
• Time: Class from 7-8:15, dancing 8-11:30 PM
• Days: Dancing happens here a lot, but we went on a Wednesday
• Cost: seemed to be by donation

I had not been to La Glorieta since 1999. It is mostly the same, but I enjoyed the warm summer weather, as I used to go in the winter, all bundled up! They put everyone's belongings in the center of the floor and danced around them; a good way to avoid theft! (Elizabeth)

This is a beautiful outdoor venue. It is like the one in the Peninsula Park Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, but much larger. The sound was good, the floor was good and the dancers were willing to dance. I had probably the best dance of the trip with a lovely dancer from Buenos Aires. She tried to say I had a good ear for the music, but she couldn't think of the word in English (haha). (Larry)

La Marshall

• Location: Riobamba 416 (El Beso)
• Fridays, class 10:30, dancing 11:30
• Cost: 90 or 100 pesos (can't remember!)
• FB page

This is a wonderful late night venue, mostly queer, with a surprisingly good mix of both gay men and lesbian women, but obviously welcoming to all comers.  The level of dance was high and a bit intimidating, but I really enjoyed myself and look forward to going again. (Jessica)

I went to the lesson with Jessica, and stayed for the milonga. There were only five women, and I danced with all but one of them. Last year, there was a lot of dancing between the men and the women, but not this year. Because no one is entirely sure who is dancing with whom, cabeceo is really difficult at this venue (Are you leading? Following? Both? confusing). The lesson was good: there were total beginners up to advanced dancers, and Augusto managed to provide a two-level lesson, with additional things to try for those of us who were advanced; I know as a teacher how challenging that is, so good work! (Elizabeth)

Muñecas Bravas (Laboratorio femenino de tango)

• Address: Tucumán 3428 (La Maleva)
• Mondays, 5-8 PM
• FB page

This is a very special fun event and hands down my favorite. It is a very small afternoon venue, 10-15 women, with a focus on exchanging lead and follow. It was very friendly, with shared mate during brief rests in between lots of dancing and a ton of fun. (Jessica)

Canal Rojo Tango (Salon Canning)

• Address: Av Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz 1331
• Wednesdays, 4 PM - 1 am
• Entrada: I forget :-) I think it was 80 pesos

I went to Salon Canning twice. The second time I went to Canal Rojo with my wife and I was able to get dances after she left to go to the opera. (Larry)

I went to Canal Rojo after a few friends reminded me that they had not seen me at Canning yet this year. Although we left early to go to another venue, it was fun to go and dance for a few hours. The level is definitely lower than it used to be, but I think it's because the guys I know are aging and have less mobility than before. One guy I had met at Los Consagrados this year, came and grabbed me for a few tandas of really nice music and those were my best dances of the afternoon. The woman sitting next to me wanted to talk about the political situation in Argentina to the extent that I finally left, because I couldn't cabeceo and hold a conversation at that speed and complexity in Spanish, at the same time. (Elizabeth)

La Gran Milonga Nacional

• Location: on Avenida de Mayo, between Avenida 9 de Julio and the Casa Rosada
• Cost: free!
• Three stages of live music, tango performances, etc.

We went over later in the evening. The venues were far enough apart to keep the sound separate. The dance floor space was very limited, but I did get a dance with Elizabeth on the asphalt. There is video so it did happen. LOL. I really enjoyed some of the orchestras, but it was the kind of place that you probably had to bring your own partner if you wanted to dance. (Larry)

I went over to the festival earlier in the evening with my husband. We listened at the various stages, and danced in the street together. I returned later in the evening with some of the other dancers and did some more dancing. Unlike other years, I didn't go up on the stage to dance; because the other women didn't want to dance, I couldn't dance with all the guys at once ;-) (Elizabeth)

Parakultural (Salon Canning)

• Location: Av Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz 1331.
• Tuesdays, 7-9 & 9-11 PM, classes; dancing 11 PM - 4 AM.

I went by myself and I couldn't get a dance, but the class was good. (Larry)

I went to a very cliquey milonga yesterday at Salon Canning. It was still fun. The women and the dresses were gorgeous, the skill level was very high. I took the class prior for intermediate and advanced dancers and it was tough but fun! I only danced with [the friend of a friend who took me there]. I certainly tried to cabeceo others, but guys were avoiding prolonged eye contact with me. I still enjoyed the people watching. (Felicita)