Like a Tourist

Relaxing at Café Tortoni after hours of sightseeing on a perfect spring day.

My twin sister Jackie came to visit for five days, leaving her husband, three boys, and dog at home in Los Angeles. Husband was very accommodating in allowing me a lot of child-free time, so Jackie and I were able to do some of the touristy things that are not particularly fun/difficult to do with small children.

Highlights included (reads like a résumé with the action verbs, concise text, and bullet points, non?):

• eating fabulous meals of parrilla at Cabaña Las Lilas and La Dorita and ceviche at La Libélula

• drinking café con leche at the Argentina's oldest café (1858), Café Tortoni, at my Belgrano favorite Don Resto, and Buena Vida, my Palermo favorite

• indulging in a swanky high tea at the Alvear Palace Hotel

• dancing tango and "rock-n-roll" (jitterbug) at La Viruta milonga in the Armenian Cultural Center in Palermo Soho

• watching tango in San Telmo's Plaza Dorrego and a tango show at the historic El Viejo Almacén, which featured a six-piece band, eight dancers, an aging diva, and more on a tiny 10' x 20' stage

• shopping in trendy Palermo Soho and at the fabulous San Telmo antiques market

• absorbing culture at the Museo Nacional de Belles Artes, Museo Fortabat, MALBA, Jardín Japonés, and the Recoleta Cemetery

• picnicking with the kids amongst hundreds of barking dogs in Parque Las Heras

It was a quick visit, but Boy and Girl were thrilled to see their aunt, and they loved all the books and gifts that she brought for them. 

I was grateful that Jackie traveled so far for such a short trip, and I appreciated her eagerness to explore the city with me -- much of it on foot. She even left me her comfy pair of Cole Haan shoes since I cannot buy anything here to fit my size tens.

Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada

Recoleta Cemetery

Christopher Columbus monument in Parque Colon

San Telmo antiques market and street fair

Tea at the Alvear Palace Hotel

Tea at the Alvear Palace Hotel

El Viejo Almacén in San Telmo

Before the tango show at El Viejo Almacén

Cruella DeVille-type diva takes the stage at El Viejo Almacén