Buenos Aires is as hot as a dance hall at midnight.
Every top flight art museum has a backstreet painted with flamboyant street art, and every group of cocktail-sippings has a cluster of old-timers gathered around a radio.
Argentina's capital has become one of the most talked-about travel destinations on the planet due to its reputation for food, fun and dancers. Buenos Aires is fun. The city's milongas are the best place to experience the energy and lust for life. Fine food, fine wine, and fine arts can be found in the city.
Immerse yourself in the best experiences the world has to offer with our email newsletter delivered weekly into your inbox.The city has a lot to see and do, and it's free, so you can spend more money on steak dinners. Don't forget to check out the top Buenos Argentina experiences.
The Cementerio de la Recoleta is a necropolis ornate enough to rival Pre Lachaise in Paris. There is a maze of narrow passageways lined with crumbling marble statuary and ornate mausoleums in a variety of styles.
You can find cherubs in stone relief, stained-glass windows and marble angels in the alleys.
ft bol is a way of life in Argentina. The nation's favorite pastime causes near-religious passion in porteos, as it clears the city streets and sends spectators into fits of ecstasy and anguish as they huddle around TV screens or brave the exploding stadium crowds.
One of the world's top spectator sports experiences is seeing a game at La Bombonera, which is home to Club Atlético Boca Juniors.
It's best to use a travel agent when you can't get tickets.
The barrio of San Telmo is bohemian. The district's 19th-century heyday is reflected in the architecture of the neighborhood. These cobblestone streets were visited by the Spanish aristocracy in horse-drawn carriages.
Poor immigrants in San Telmo turned the old mansions into conventillos. The merging of musical traditions in the neighborhood's plazas and patio contributed to the development of tango music. Antique dealers, tango clubs and restaurants draw tourists and locals to the barrio.
Nothing captures the spirit of Buenos Aires like the tango, and no visit to the city is complete without a chance to try it out for yourself.
The most authentic tango can be experienced at a milonga or tango club. There are three top spots to tango in Palermo, Belgrano andAlmagro.
If you want to join in the action, tango nights are held most nights of the week at dozens of venues across the city, and dance classes are often held before milongas.
The proof is in the tasting of Argentine wines. The nation's most famous vino is malbec, a dark, robust, plum-flavored wine that has stamped the region of Mendoza on every oenologist's map, but the bodegas of Argentina are well stocked with other local varietals that are well worth the trip.
Aldo's Vinoteca is a restaurant and wine store with 600 bottles of Argentine wine.
There are many puertas cerradas that serve fine wines with their meals.
It's true, believe the hype. Argentine beef is some of the best in the world, and you can eat it at hundreds of parrillas, where a meal begins with a sip of wine and ends with a full stomach.
There's a steak for every pocket at pharillas, from neighborhood joints to upscale restaurants. There are even restaurants that are closed.
Palermo is a meat-lover's paradise, with regulars rating the quality of the meat at Don Julio and La Cabrera.
From the city's leafy northern suburbs to the abandoned warehouses of its southernmost border, there is a huge canvas for talented street artists. Argentina's own graffiti superstars are collaborating with urban artists from all over the world.
There is a huge concentration of murals in some parts of the city. You can see around La Boca, Palermo, Colegiales and San Telmo. The next masterpiece might be created.
Buenos Aires has a lively cafe culture with a definite Parisian flavor.
There are two places that have a loyal following among porteos that serve cortado with a dash of milk.
There is a nature reserve in the shadows of Puerto Madero's shiny skyscrapers. Hundreds of birds, butterflies, turtles and iguanas can be found at the Reserva Ecolgica Costanera sur.
It's hard to believe you're just a short walk from the city center if you take a walk or cycle along the paths that lead up to the Ro de la Plata.
Antique teapots, Mapuche-inspired silver jewelry, and handmade leather boots are just some of the items that are available at the outdoor markets in Buenos Argentina.
There are lots of pumpkins and silver at the Feria Plaza Belgrano and Feria Artesanal Plaza Francia on Sundays. Feria de San Telmo and Mercado de San Telmo have things to offer.
Some of the most dramatic events in Argentina's modern history have taken place on the stage at Plaza de Mayo. Eva Pern shouted from the balcony of the CasaRosada in 1945, military bombings in 1955, and police killings of protesters during the 2001 economic crisis.
There are demonstrations and rallies in the square most days of the week. The cause of the people "disappeared" by Argentina's former military regime is the focus of the Las Madres de Plaza de mayo.
When you first see the Fundacin Proa, you will take a second look. The ice-white gallery is a stark contrast to the colorful street of La Boca. The most distinguished art space in the city, not only for its clout in the international art scene but also for its unlikely location in a recycled building on La Boca's riverbank, is a highlight.
If you don't have enough time to go to a country estancia, don't cry into your cerveza. The peas are local music clubs where regional musicians perform traditional songs while the crowd eats country-style cuisine.
A community jam session starts after the set as harmonicas and charangos are passed around.
After a few days, you might want to look for somewhere clean and green. It's easy to fix. A picnic lunch of half a dozen empanadas and a bottle of Malbec is all that is needed to retire to one of the city's lovely parks.
Palermo's Parque 3 de Febrero is a great place to see rose gardens, water features and people watching.
It's fun to drink above the street level in Buenos Argentina. The modern age has pushed the city skyward, and rooftop bars crown the loftiest hotel towers and office skyscrapers.
The Sky Bar above Hotel Pulitzer is one of the best places to get a cocktail with a view.
The article was first published in May.
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