OFF THE BEATEN PISTA: Rosario Tango
Last weekend, the BF and I went to Rosario to visit a friend and his family. Of course, bringing the tango shoes along was a given, but where could we go?
Once we got there, our hotel (Hotel Riviera - a Solans Company hotel) gave us Rosario´s tango bible: Rosario de Tango. Honey, there´s tango here every night! This sleepy, almost vintage little town by the river has terrific architecture to gawk at AND a hoppin´ tango scene. Unfortunately, after spending a day cruising the river on a small boat and roasting in the sun, we were pretty beat, just dead tired, so we couldn´t bring ourselves to spend more than 2 hours there. Still, your benevolent Tango Goddess scoped it out to bring back just a taste for YOU!
The Club Sportivo America at Tucuman 2159 (0054-341-155982683), "La Milonga de Rosario," is a typical club del barrio, meaning, it´s sort of like a rec-room, basketball court, and all purpose party room rolled into one. The requisite bad lighting, corregated metal roof, mini stadium seating, metal fans, plastic tables and chairs, and basketball hoops were all there, but once the people arrived--some couples dressed for a night on the town--the place transformed itself to a veritable neighborhood milonga where everybody knows your name.
The dance level is, thankfully, much higher than the milonga in Ushuaia, but don´t come expecting orgasmic tandas to the best music mix. We spent from 10 to 11 p.m. dancing to B-side tracks in a room with only 8 people. Buenos Aires it ain´t. However, if you fear going into tango withdrawal while away from ol´ BA, check this place out. For the bargain basement entrance fee of 7 pesos, you can get yourself a little fix.
The ad in the guidebook says milonga starts at 10, but, hey, remember you´re in South America, not in Switzerland. The people start streaming in around 11:15, usually in groups. The dress code is anywhere from dressy to resort casual, but I didn´t see any jeans there, except for mine. It would be best to reserve a table, as this milonga gets very busy after 11:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
TANGO BLOG TAG
´K, so onetotango tagged me to list 7 random things about myself. What the heck, here I go! If you´ve been tagged at the end, write your stuff and then tag other people. You´re supposed to tag 7, but I only tagged 3 at the end of mine.
1. I make a mess in the kitchen every time I cook. This is why I don´t do it. Baking is cool, but I don´t consider that cooking. It´s too much fun.
2. I used to be a nude figure model in the D.C. area. Yes, I´ve flaunted my T&A all over the place and loved it. My favorite job EVER. AND I didn´t have to worry about what I was going to wear to work. AND I got paid for it. Ch-ching!
3. I don´t listen to tango music on my off days. Tango is not any of my playlists. If I didn´t dance to it, I probably wouldn´t ever listen to it.
4. I really love psychology, the theories and ideas. I like playing with them, breaking them down, destroying them, and creating something new. Totally out of the box when it comes to the subject...which generates a lot of strange looks.
5. I am addicted to thrift shopping. I am skilled at finding really cute stuff for myself that would look horrible on other people. Actually, an old college roommate said, "You know, you have the ugliest clothes, but they all look good on you." Um...thanks? I still going through Salvation Army withdrawal...sniff.
6. My bras cost more than most of my clothes. You know, a girl needs a decent bra that gives her a lift. That sh*t costs money, though.
7. Writing is very painful for me. I love it; I hate it. It´s like a bad relationship I can´t and don´t want to get out of. It hurts so good.
OK, I´m tagging the following bloggers:
tangoinhereyes
tinatangos
working artist
´K, so onetotango tagged me to list 7 random things about myself. What the heck, here I go! If you´ve been tagged at the end, write your stuff and then tag other people. You´re supposed to tag 7, but I only tagged 3 at the end of mine.
1. I make a mess in the kitchen every time I cook. This is why I don´t do it. Baking is cool, but I don´t consider that cooking. It´s too much fun.
2. I used to be a nude figure model in the D.C. area. Yes, I´ve flaunted my T&A all over the place and loved it. My favorite job EVER. AND I didn´t have to worry about what I was going to wear to work. AND I got paid for it. Ch-ching!
3. I don´t listen to tango music on my off days. Tango is not any of my playlists. If I didn´t dance to it, I probably wouldn´t ever listen to it.
4. I really love psychology, the theories and ideas. I like playing with them, breaking them down, destroying them, and creating something new. Totally out of the box when it comes to the subject...which generates a lot of strange looks.
5. I am addicted to thrift shopping. I am skilled at finding really cute stuff for myself that would look horrible on other people. Actually, an old college roommate said, "You know, you have the ugliest clothes, but they all look good on you." Um...thanks? I still going through Salvation Army withdrawal...sniff.
6. My bras cost more than most of my clothes. You know, a girl needs a decent bra that gives her a lift. That sh*t costs money, though.
7. Writing is very painful for me. I love it; I hate it. It´s like a bad relationship I can´t and don´t want to get out of. It hurts so good.
OK, I´m tagging the following bloggers:
tangoinhereyes
tinatangos
working artist
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
OFF THE BEATEN PISTA: Milonga at the Fin del Mundo
Happy 2008 to everyone from Ushuaia, Argentina, a small island at the southern tip of the continent and about 1000km from Antarctica. So, yes, while you guys in Buenos Aires are sweltering in the summer "horno" (oven), I´m sitting in front of the hotel computer in ski pants, undershirt, and cashmere sweater.
We decided to ring in the new year here because The Boyfriend just became a new "abuelo" (grandfather) to a bouncing Ushuaian baby boy. (No, no, don´t think of me as a grandma. TG is eternally youthful and glorious!) Since the BF is not the slobbering grandparent type, we were able get away and do some exploring, which included hitting the local milonga! For those of you on your way to or from an Antarctic cruise, this would be a fun way to take in some non-penguin oriented local scenery.
"Milonga del Fin del Mundo" may sound rather apocalyptic, but our visit turned out to be a pleasant surprise, a great way to beat the cold and break in my new dance shoes. We made a reservation for a table right on the waxed ceramic tile pista (killed my knees-you may be better off with dance sneakers) from which we were able to scope all the locals (and some foreigners) dance into the light-filled wee hours of the morning. The crowd is a mixed bag of usual white haired and suited up men, tourists, locals anywhere from their pre-teens through their 50s, most of whom fall in the average dancer category. This is not Buenos Aires, so you should probably expect some invitations "al lado" instead of from across the room. By all means, accept! The milonga takes place every Sunday night from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at the casual Nautico Restaurante (Maipu 1210, Tel: (54-2901)430415) that boasts a great view of the Fuegian (as in Tierra del Fuego) bay and the surrounding mountains.
We stayed at the Las Hayas Resort Hotel for a few days (Luis Martial 1650 Tel: (54-2901) 430710/8), a decent 3.5-4 star hotel at the foot of the mountains with a killer heated pool and fantastic views of the bay. Next to the Resort runs a yellow-marked hiking trail that you can follow all the way up the mountain until you reach the Cumbres del Marial, an adorable ski resort (aerosillas are across street from the hotel) that houses an equally adorable Casa de Te called "La Cabaña" (Luis F. Marial 3560, Tels: (54-2901)424779/434699/434752. Load up on coffee, tea, and baked sweets before your hike back down to Las Hayas or to the road leading to the center of town.
If you managed to work that all off on the 40 minute hike down, check out La Cantina Fuegina de Freddy on San Martin 326 (Tel: 421887) for a grilled merluza negra (LOCAL sea bass) that is as tender and fresh as the chubby thighs of a newborn baby (Sorry for the image! It was the first thing that came to mind!). Seriously dee-lish and worth the 60-some pesos for a slice of pescado heaven. The BF had a terrific king crab soup. The king crab, by the way, is worth ordering just to take a picture. It´s gigantoid!!
Well, folks, I wish all of you the best for 2008. Happy dancing. TG
Happy 2008 to everyone from Ushuaia, Argentina, a small island at the southern tip of the continent and about 1000km from Antarctica. So, yes, while you guys in Buenos Aires are sweltering in the summer "horno" (oven), I´m sitting in front of the hotel computer in ski pants, undershirt, and cashmere sweater.
We decided to ring in the new year here because The Boyfriend just became a new "abuelo" (grandfather) to a bouncing Ushuaian baby boy. (No, no, don´t think of me as a grandma. TG is eternally youthful and glorious!) Since the BF is not the slobbering grandparent type, we were able get away and do some exploring, which included hitting the local milonga! For those of you on your way to or from an Antarctic cruise, this would be a fun way to take in some non-penguin oriented local scenery.
"Milonga del Fin del Mundo" may sound rather apocalyptic, but our visit turned out to be a pleasant surprise, a great way to beat the cold and break in my new dance shoes. We made a reservation for a table right on the waxed ceramic tile pista (killed my knees-you may be better off with dance sneakers) from which we were able to scope all the locals (and some foreigners) dance into the light-filled wee hours of the morning. The crowd is a mixed bag of usual white haired and suited up men, tourists, locals anywhere from their pre-teens through their 50s, most of whom fall in the average dancer category. This is not Buenos Aires, so you should probably expect some invitations "al lado" instead of from across the room. By all means, accept! The milonga takes place every Sunday night from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at the casual Nautico Restaurante (Maipu 1210, Tel: (54-2901)430415) that boasts a great view of the Fuegian (as in Tierra del Fuego) bay and the surrounding mountains.
We stayed at the Las Hayas Resort Hotel for a few days (Luis Martial 1650 Tel: (54-2901) 430710/8), a decent 3.5-4 star hotel at the foot of the mountains with a killer heated pool and fantastic views of the bay. Next to the Resort runs a yellow-marked hiking trail that you can follow all the way up the mountain until you reach the Cumbres del Marial, an adorable ski resort (aerosillas are across street from the hotel) that houses an equally adorable Casa de Te called "La Cabaña" (Luis F. Marial 3560, Tels: (54-2901)424779/434699/434752. Load up on coffee, tea, and baked sweets before your hike back down to Las Hayas or to the road leading to the center of town.
If you managed to work that all off on the 40 minute hike down, check out La Cantina Fuegina de Freddy on San Martin 326 (Tel: 421887) for a grilled merluza negra (LOCAL sea bass) that is as tender and fresh as the chubby thighs of a newborn baby (Sorry for the image! It was the first thing that came to mind!). Seriously dee-lish and worth the 60-some pesos for a slice of pescado heaven. The BF had a terrific king crab soup. The king crab, by the way, is worth ordering just to take a picture. It´s gigantoid!!
Well, folks, I wish all of you the best for 2008. Happy dancing. TG
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