My First Day in Buenos Aires

Getting through customs was easy and quick - getting my luggage was another matter.  It took nearly an hour for my suitcase to show up.  I had to put my luggage through x-ray but didn't have to take off my shoes or coat, and no one took my customs declaration.  By the time I headed out to the general airport area, I was tired and somewhat shaky from the lack of sleep (although I can usually sleep on planes, I was unable to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time on this flight).  I was grateful that my company had arranged for a car and driver for me, and even more grateful to see the large company logo on a sign with my name, held by Marcello.  He drove me into the city of Buenos Aires where the company had arranged for me to stay at the Plaza Hotel in the Centro district. 

On the ride in, we passed what can only be politely described as slums, or "the projects" as we would have called them in Chicago.  Tall apartment buildings, some with black burn marks around the windows, predominated.  Closer to the city, I noticed that the buildings became nicer, and most, even the slums, had balconies filled with plants, flowers and even small trees.

The Plaza was built in 1908 but refurbished American style when the Marriott chain bought it some years ago.  It's beautiful and luxurious.  I wandered around the room a bit, trying to decide if I was tired enough to sleep.  I wasn't, so I grabbed my purse and went out. 

There's a beautiful plaza across from the hotel - Plaza San Martin, the second most important plaza in the city.  However, I decided to find an ATM and get some pesos.  There was one right next to the hotel, and beyond that, a pedestrian street (Florida Street) with shopping and restaurants.  I walked a couple of blocks down, looking into stores and shopping centers.  There's a wide diversity of things to buy - leather goods, silver jewelry, cashmere sweaters, folk art. 

I stopped at a beautiful building labeled the Naval Center to take some pictures.  Not sure what it is now though.  I realized I was a bit hungry and stopped at a sandwich shop called Aroma, where I bought a carne asada roll up and a bottle of orange soda to take back to the room.  I also had a slight mishap, as the 100 peso note I was about to give to the cashier tore as I took it out of my wallet, and the cashier would not accept it.  Luckily I had more pesos, but I think I'm going to have to hit  bank on Monday to exchange the torn note. 

After going back to the hotel, eating my lunch and talking briefly to my partner, Casey, I thought I was going to crash from the lack of sleep.  Unfortunately, I only slept about an hour and a half but was still very tired.  I clicked on the TV and found many stations with English-language programs, amusingly subtitled in Spanish.  After finding the internet connection and sending a few emails, I read for awhile and decided what I wanted to do.  It was a rather grey day in Buenos Aires and it was getting dark early (it's winter here below the equator), so I decided to wait until tomorrow before I sightsee any more.  I thought about ordering room service but decided to at least clean up a bit and go down to one of the restaurants here at the hotel. 

I ended up at La Brasserie, decorated in a French style complete with pointillist murals on the walls.  Though I wasn't very hungry, I ordered the sirloin steak as I was anxious to try the beef Argentina is famous for.  I wasn't disappointed - I was served a steak about 8 inches long and 2 inches thick, coated in herbs and grilled to perfection.  I was disappointed that there weren't more people in the restaurant, but I was served an appetizer that I hadn't ordered (prosciutto with mozzarella and dried tomatoes marinated in red wine) and chocolates as dessert, though I hadn't ordered that either.  I also tried for the first time malbec wine - similar to cabernet but slightly sweeter and not quite as dry - absolutely delicious! 

Tomorrow I'm going to follow a walking tour outlined in my Buenos Aires guidebook and hope that it's a bit sunnier so I can take loads of pictures.