Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber wrote the lyrics that Madonna made famous: "I want to be a part of B.A., Buenos Aires, Big Apple",
and there have been countless other poets and songwriters that have been inspired by the capital of Argentina over the decades. This glamorous city combines the best of a European capital with the vitality and raw energy of Latin America. Today's tourists arrive by the thousands to be a part of B.A. They come to dance the Tango, to visit Evita's tomb and to sink their teeth into the worlds best beef. Freddie first introduced me to "his city" in 2006, and we visited again in 2008. For 2010, we invited my brother and his family to be a part of our Christmas holidays here in the full-blown summer of the southern hemisphere. 
This fabulous vacation almost didn't happen. Freddie and I were stranded at London's Heathrow airport in the middle of the worst snow storm in forty years, while my brother was having problems of his own. His young son's passport had not arrived and it was just days before they were supposed to fly. Somehow or other, the gods came together on our behalf: the snow lifted, and Jett's passport arrived with just four hours to spare. We had lost four days of our vacation, but we were finally able to shed our parkas for shorts, and arrived in the ninety degree heat of Buenos Aires on Christmas Eve. Freddie's dad was there to meet us, and we made our way over to the old world glamour of the Recoletta District which would be our home for the next eight days. 
We rented a fabulous four bedroom penthouse apartment with far reaching views over the parks and the light brown waters of the Rio de la Plata beyond. Our fantastic accommodation was not nearly as extravagant as it sounds. This apartment, occupying an entire floor of an excellent portered building in the best neighborhood was only $300/night. The first of many of the delights of B.A. is that it is a great bargain. The exchange rate was four pesos to the dollar, and our British pounds were getting seven pesos, making everything seem very cheap. We spent the first day stocking up the apartment in anticipation of my family's arrival. At dusk we strolled over to the beautiful Iglesia de Nuestra Senora, a Spanish style church built in 1732 for the Christmas Eve services. And then afterwards, we settled onto the balcony of our apartment on the 11th floor, and opened the first of many bottles of Malbec. 
Argentina is a vast country, making up the lower half of the South American continent. It is over three thousand miles long (the distance between L.A. and New York) and has an incredible variety of landscapes. Bordering Brazil to the north are thousands of acres of lush rain forests, and the magnificent Iguaçu Falls. In the distant south are the glaciers of Patagonia. In between are the sparsely populated grasslands known as the Pampas where the legendary Gauchos roam. To the west are the fertile valleys where the Malbec grapes are grown, and the enormous Andes rising beyond. This huge country has only forty million people, and one third of those live in and around Buenos Aires. B.A. is strategically located where the Rio de la Plata empties into the Atlantic Ocean, making it one of the most important ports in South America. 
The Spanish were the first to settle in the area with "the fair winds" in 1536 and gave the city its name. The Portuguese and the English made unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the Spanish in the early years and in 1816 General Jose de San Martin declared independence for Argentina. (You will see statues of San Martin dotted throughout the city). By 1880 the strong - handed Argentine Republic had annihilated most of the indigenous people of the Pampas and great tracts of land were opened up to European investment. Prosperity brought floods of Spanish and Italian immigrants into Argentina and it is their descendents that make up the vast majority of the current population, and give B.A. its distinctly European flavor. After WWII, Argentina opened its gates to both fleeing Nazi's and Jews, and a prominent general called Juan Peron came to power. He married a poor girl from a rural family called Eva Duarte. Together, Juan and "Evita" Peron changed the course of politics and the high profile couple transformed the country. By 1950, Argentina was the second richest country in the world. 
After Peron's death in 1973 the country fell into the hands of a right wing authoritarian regime. Guerrilla forces of the military government started a reign of terror on the civilian population and began torturing and murdering anyone they felt was too liberal in their thinking. The economy went into freefall, and thousands of the brightest minds in the country "disappeared." Argentines are still coming to terms with "The Dirty War," despite returning to civilian rule in 1983. Over the next twenty years the economy had its ups and downs, but then in 2001 there was a run on the central bank. The government had no choice but to devalue the peso by a whopping sixty six per cent. (Imagine waking up tomorrow and finding that your dollar is now worth thirty three cents!). However since then, Argentina has rebounded with steady growth and political stability, and the devalued currency has sent agricultural exports soaring. Not to mention the flood of tourists that comes to get some serious bang for their buck. 
When my brother arrived on Christmas Day, each of his $100 bills bought him four hundred pesos so he was feeling rich and ready to party. We started our tour in the symbolic heart of the city: the Plaza de Mayo. This open - air square is a natural meeting place and is overlooked by the iconic Casa Rosada, the pink hued presidential palace. In previous visits the Casa Rosada has never been open to the public, but to our astonishment it was wide open on that day. My niece Kira posed on the balcony where Evita once stood addressing her adoring masses. From there we walked south into the soul of Buenos Aires - San Telmo. This is the oldest barrio in the city, and was the birthplace of the Tango. Colorful, crumbling buildings line the streets where open - air markets are always bustling. My brother fell in love with an original painting of a nude woman done by a local street artist. He gladly parted with four hundred pesos to bring her home, while Kira and Jett found numerous treasures and trinkets to add to the bags going back to L.A. We sat down for a beer in the Plaza Dorego, a lively square at the heart of San Telmo and were joined by our friends, the Kaldazars. This family were also escaping the English winter and exploring a shared passion for the Tango over the holidays. Later we unexpectedly ran into our friend Valerio from Italy! That is the next great thing about B.A.: interesting people from all over the world are here having a blast and sharing the moment. 
One evening we joined the Kaldazars for a dinner/tango show in an old theatre in the Palermo district. Six year old Jett had never seen anything like this before, and was positively exploding with excitement. I realized that the other patrons were taking as many photos of him as they were the dancers on the stage. Other evenings were spent barbecuing on the roof terrace, and going out for those famous steak dinners. My sister in law Laurie is a vegan, but even she loved the food in Buenos Aires. After Freddie spent several minutes explaining to the waiters what a vegan was (they had never heard of such a thing), she was treated to excellent pastas and the freshest locally grown veggies. One evening we walked down to the spanking Puerto Madero area, which is the newly developed port area of the city. The city's elite have moved into these impressive new buildings, and it is a barrio that the Portenos (as the locals are called) are very proud of. I thought the area felt a bit too much like San Diego, and I was eager to get back to the old and tarnished neighborhoods. But without a doubt, some of the best restaurants are to be found along the immaculately refurbished wharfs, and the elegant Puerto de la Mujer bridge is not to be missed. 
The barrio called the Recoleta shimmers with old style glamour and is one of the few areas with cool, grassy parks. It is where you will find the best in arts and culture, with the impressive Nacional de Bellas Artes museum at center stage. There are lovely open cafe's serving pastries drenched in dulce de leche, and grand apartment buildings surrounded by leafy garden squares. But the star attraction here is literally the dead center of town: the Cemetario de la Recoleta. This is a city in miniature. A labyrinth of cobblestone paths leads visitors past the gothic tombs of the cities famous and infamous. It is the final resting place of Evita herself, and we made the pilgrimage to her family tomb. It does not say "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" as Sir Andrew would have us believe. Her epitaph is actually "I Will Return, and I Will be Millions" but I guess that didn't sound as good set to music. 
The sprawling barrio of Palermo is a favorite of locals and tourists alike. It is where you will find the best variety of chic bars and bohemian hangouts. Our group, with the addition of Freddie's sister Greta, spent a few lovely, lazy evenings sipping cocktails and chilling out with the hip Portenos. Argentines are a good looking bunch, distinctly European with an easy going Latin attitude. They are also very well educated, they have a good sense of humour and they love a celebration. We spent New Years Eve on the balcony of our apartment with our collection of friends and family. We had brought in loads of fabulous food, and we had a bird’s eye view of the fireworks going off all over the city. Spirits were high as we welcomed in the New Year, and each of us confirmed our love for the city of Buenos Aires; like Evita, we all declared "I Will Return"
