New Years Eve, Buenos Aires

Today we had the pleasure of meeting our friends Will and Claudia Pizzolato for lunch at Siga La Vaca, or “follow the cow,” an all-you-can-eat steak house. We spent the next 4 or 5 hours eating steak, drinking wine and enjoying good conversation. Will left with us on October 1st from our house in San Jose, California, but turned back the same day at Big Sur. We’ve been riding south ever since—3 months to be exact. I marvel at how on a trip like this 3 months can seem so long, so much can be experienced and learned. Contrasting that with 3 months at home in a routine and it is hard to believe it’s the same life.

After lunch we said goodbye to our friends and headed back to the hotel to get ready for our nights festivities. Amie has been really excited about the dinner and tango show we booked online for new years eve. I was looking forward to it as well. We were warned that after 10pm taxis quit working to be home with there families (strange to think a big city like BA would not offer public trans after 10pm on new years eve!?) so we had our hotel call “Michelangelo Tango” to find out for us if we could arrange transportation back afterwards. They could. Great. However the price for the show tonight was not the $100 that we expected, was advertised on line, and we reserved for, it was now $220 per person. !?!??! How could this be? We had a reservation? The website says $100. Sorry, its $220, take it or leave it. For me $100 a head was a splurge. $220 each is insanity. Amie was disappointed but in complete agreement. We looked at each other for the next few moments wondering if either had a plan B.

A word on Argentina and holidays. From what we have seen, they are very different. At home, everything is closed, sure, but not like here. EVERYTHING is closed here. The street midday here looks like Sunday night at 4am at home. Take NYE for example. We expected a wild street scene, something akin to Time Square in New York, but what we got was a deserted city like you’d seen in a zombie movie (before all the zombies attack). We were even more amazed to learn that everything would open up, restaurants, bars, cafes etc, at 2am. ??? So what does that leave us?

We got online to let our fingers do the walking. Turns out some fancy restaurants are open serving fixed price menus, but they are usually astronomical. We put on our best duds and went out in the quiet streets in search of somewhere to celebrate. Luckily, one of the restaurants we ate at earlier in the week near our hotel was open and was filling up. Everyone was dressed in their best, well most. There was a lot of prom-type dresses, and guys in all white. Amie looked great, but I didn’t think they’d let me in with flip-flops and jeans. They didn’t mind, but the price tag was $100/each dinner and show. I cringed, basically because we had the best steak this place serves a few days ago and it cost us $6, but oh well, its new years eve.

Once we were seated we noticed rather phallic balloons everywhere and wondered what type of show we were in for. It turned out to be a fun night. The food was good, the wine was all you can drink, and our fellow revelers were having a great time. We kept wondering when the show would start, but there never was one… unless you count the MC who was rocking the mic with some classics like Gloria, Super Freak, and others. At midnight Amie and raised our glasses, reviewed the highlights and our accomplishments, and toasted the end of a great year.

All you can eat meat

Enjoying lunch with friends the Pizzolatos

Puerto Madero

We clean up nice

What exactly is the "show"?

Amie at about 10:30pm

All you can drink = crazy party

Happy New Year!!