what's new, buenos aires?

I'm new, I want to say I'm just a little stuck on you--you'll be on me too.

How to describe Buenos Aires: sometimes it reminds me of Paris, sometimes it reminds me of Rome, sometimes Milan, and it is HOT and HUMID. The city is so beautiful, I forget sometimes that I'm still on the same continent. There are cafés galore, and there is a lot of outdoor dining, just as in many European cities.

We arrived at the hostel yesterday morning and crashed after the overnight flights, then after our naps we decided to explore the city. Our hostel is located on Avenida de Mayo, which is one of the major streets in downtown BA. On one end of the street is the Congressional Palace, and at the other end is the Casa Rosada (think Don't Cry for Me Argentina scene from Evita.) We explored both ends of the street, and then decided to take the bus to Recoleta, the ritzy area of the city where there are many museums and an arts and crafts market on the weekends. It was a little difficult finding the bus stop, and then we had to disembark the first bus because we didn't have change for the fare machine. Two bottles of water purchased later, and we had the correct change. We found the market, shopped a bit, and then headed back (walking) to the hostel. Later on, we went to dinner at a traditional Argentinian parillada (lots of grilled meat) and then attempted to go to a club. However, Argentinians are night owls, and even at 1 a.m. we were one of the first to arrive at the club. We stayed for maybe an hour, and then decided to retire for the night.

Today we headed to San Telmo, another area of the city famous for cafés and a huge Sunday antique market. We explored the market, tried on many pairs of vintage sunglasses, watched some Tango dancers perform in the street, and ate deliciously rich ice cream at Freddo. Tonight we went for dinner at a small cafeteria (more informal restaurant) and sat outside and drank cappuccinos at a café. Tomorrow we're off to shop, and I'm hoping to find a few pairs of shoes to take back as ¨souvenirs.¨