Locals hit the bottle in Argentina's capital
Buenos Aires. Two words that conjure up images of adoring tango dancers floating across the floor of an old-time music hall. Or perhaps Evita hanging out on a balcony. Maybe the perfect steak appears in your mind's eye. And, yes, this is Buenos Aires. The old Buenos Aires.
Digging a little deeper though and you'll find a new Buenos Aires, looking expectantly to the future, not wallowing in its painful past. It is positive, innovative and achingly hip.
Within the five years since a savings-eating financial disaster saw five presidents hold sway in two weeks, cutting-edge design hotels, fancy bars and fusion restaurants are proliferating in a way that often surprises a new visitor. Yet it still remains unerringly passionate, frantic and fun.
Eating
They say Buenos Aires is a place to live in, not just to visit. And for porteños, as Buenos Aires residents are called, this means eating, sitting in coffee shops, having a glass of wine, and eating some more.
The meat here is predictably exceptional and reasonably priced. For one of the best, munch your way through an entire cow at Las Lilas in the expensive Puerto Madero area. For pasta and veggie, follow Madonna to the creative and cheery Filo. But for the most original menu, inspired by anything from Mother Goose to, erm, cryogenically preserved people, try Casa SaltShaker in the home (yep, home) of US chef Dan Perlman.
Drinking
Do not pass go, head directly to Palermo, Buenos Aires' coolest neighbourhood. This leafy area is bursting with boutique shops, brasseries and cocktail bars. After exploring the weekend craft market in Plaza Cortazar (better known as Plaza Cerrano), sup down a Cuba Libre in the chilled Latino El Diamante terrace bar on Malabia 1688. Or knock on the door at Thames 878 and comfy sofas and strong cocktails will open up before you.
Downtown, the gorgeous and stately Milion is great for a glass of Malbec, while the (real) Irish Shamrock bar serves up good grub and beer. Beware: most places in this nocturnal city don't even get going until midnight,
Cultural highlights
Buenos Aires is a great city to walk around, if you can avoid dog walkers and leaking air-con systems. From Plaza de Mayo, you can see Evita's famous balcony on the Casa Rosada presidential palace.
House-sized tombs of the great, good and obscenely wealthy jostle for position in the Recoleta necropolis, one of the most bizarre Edgar Allan Poe-esque sights in the city.
On the art front, the well-regarded Museum of Latin American Art is well worth a snoop round as is the modern Recoleta Cultural Centre.
The colourful postcard-friendly shanty of La Boca is well worth a trip - but it's still a little edgy so don't stray off the main drag.
Traditional Buenos Aires
For tango's soul, the touristy but wonderful Café Tortoni can't be missed. It has shows every night. The faded grandeur of the atmospheric Confiteria Ideal is the best location to try the dance yourself.
The crumbling Paris-styled San Telmo district has adopted tango as its own, and the areas antiques shops and cafes remember Argentina's golden past more fondly than anywhere in the city. Go on Sunday for the market.
If it was knife-wielding, cow-killing gauchos which captured your imagination, the weekly Mataderos market is as near as you'll get without having a horse yourself.
Football
Argentines are a passionate lot, and as the world knows there is nothing that stirs them quite like football. Seeing a game in the country often tops those 'things to do before I croak it' lists, and quite rightly. You'll spend more time looking at the lairy fans than the game, but it is a thrilling experience. Boca Juniors and River Plate are the two biggest teams. But grab a local and go with them for safety; matches can still be dodgy for outsiders.
Quirky Buenos Aires
When the resurrection of Christ occurs every half hour, on the half hour, you know you are somewhere pretty special. But this is Tierra Santa, a religious theme park for devout Catholics and it blows right off the kitsch scale.
To experience a more amorous side of tacky, take a loved one to a telo: a themed sex hotel rented by the hour. Popular with horny teenagers and people having affairs, these red-lit hotels are actually great fun. In Jadines de Babilonia, for example, you can dress as an Egyptian king and queen.
