A Little Place Called...Budweiser

At this very moment we are 5,598 miles from Chicago. Yet part of me feels like I never left. I came to South America to learn a new language and see a new thing or two. The new language is coming along nicely. Classes are good, and the instructor is wonderful. Seeing new things, however, has been a little harder than expected, at least here in Buenos Aires. Within walking distance from our apartment, probably within walking distance of all 13 million Porteños (remember a person from Buenos Aires), is a McDonalds or a McCafe (a chain of coffee shops owned by McDonalds). Right outside my apartment window is a giant Motorola Razor ad that says, in English mind you, "not a bitch, just the jeans."


It might be a jeans ad combined with a Motorola ad. But still, try to explain that one. Two blocks from us is a well-known place in Buenos Aires called Plaza Serrano, where a bunch of bars and restaurants surround the plaza. One of the most popular bars has a 20 foot-long, red neon sign on the facade that reads "Budweiser."


I don't know the name of the bar so I just call it "The Budweiser Bar" because of the sign and because everyone drinks forties of Budweiser. Fords almost hit me in the streets. Converse shoes are everywhere. The only product I see more of is pictures of Tiger Woods's face. Everyone smokes Marlboros. This is not to say that there aren't Argentine products here, or Chinese, or French products, because there are. But most of those are recognizable too. The point being, it's getting a little harder to have different experiences, even this far from home.

There are positives and negatives to being able to get a Coca-Cola every half a block. For example, you can get a Coke every half block. But really, the more common experiences people share could mean less to disagree over, which hopefully will then mean less to fight about. But yet, it's a little disappointing or even a little sad that the day may be approaching where the only differences Porteños and Chicagoans, people who live five and a half thousand miles apart, have to talk about is the fact that they call it "Coca Light" and we call it "Diet Coke."

Ya pues.

Okay, okay, okay. We've been receiving a little "feedback," and it seems like people think we don't update enough, or something. A lot of the diminished frequency has to do with the fact that we're not on the move every other day like we were before, and so often we just take long walks, or go to museums, or Brian goes to Spanish class and I walk or read in the park or find a new neighborhood that we haven't seen. We've also forgotten the camera (or neglected to charge it) several times, and it's just not as fun without pictures. But still, we promise to be better!

We have gone to several not-to-be-missed sites, but have also saved a lot for when our visitors come. We took a short little stroll through La Boca, just a Sunday evening preview; we'll be back for more time soon.

Me, strolling.

We went to the MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano Buenos Aires). It's a great museum. I don't have pictures, sorry. I do have pictures of our street though:

Nuestro departamento.

Oh, and a while ago we went to the a very, very cool underground tango club. It has the highest ceilings ever, crazy stuff on the walls, and an entrance that looks like nothing! It's so cool that our pictures are all dark and mysterious and full of candlelight and red wine!

I'd tell you where this is, but then I'd have to kill you.

We also (okay we've done a lot) took a little trip to Tigre this weekend, which everyone and their madre said was "liiiiiiindo" and shouldn't be missed. And it was, indeed, muy lindo! It's only 50 minutes on the train to get there, and it's a popular weekend destination for portenos (people from Buenos Aires) and foreigners alike. The whole town is centered around the river and has lovely architecture, walkways, and a huge market called the Mercado de Frutos. It was lovely to walk around, and it was actually really nice to be among a bunch of "tourists" that were majority Argentine instead of gringo. I also met with a rowing coach and looked into rowing on the river there out of their fancy-schmancy rowing club that functions like a country club (how fun would that be?), but alas, it looks like it's not going to be possible. Que lastima. But here is a picture of a boat in Tigre that is not powered by rowing:

For like a minute we talked about how the opposite bank
might be Uruguay, but then we decided it totally wasn't.

In other news, the national elections were yesterday. We saw very little evidence of the actual voting (where are the polling places anyway? And since voting is mandatory, wouldn't we see more?) except for the fact that Brian couldn't order a beer before 9pm. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (aka, "The Hillary of the South"), the current president's wife, won by like a million percentage points. No surprise there. It looks like people really want stability nowadays, also not such a surprise.

This week we're off to Santiago, Chile, my home for five months five years ago (holy crap)! Can't wait to see it...

Rodents Of Unusual Size

One of the sights here, that is not so far from us, is the city's botanical garden. It's a lovely big place full of interesting plants, beautiful sculptures, exhibitions, and cats. Yes, real cats, the alive kind. For some reason they live here (and also in the Recoleta cemetery, but that's another story) in abundance and seem to be quite well fed. We went there recently and had a lot of fun watching them wander around, completely unfazed by the presence of so many people.

But that's not the strange part. Just across the street from the garden is the zoo, which we decided to visit just the other day. We were excited to be getting out and seeing one of the "sights" that was so nearby, it was a beautiful day, and zoos are fun. We wandered, pointed, you know, met some friends.


I have to say, however, when my friend Susie later commented that foreign zoos can be kind of weird, I think she was right. Sometimes you can put your finger on why, and sometimes it's just a feeling, but this zoo was no exception. Don't get me wrong, it was a lovely place, laid out park-style a la Lincoln Park Zoo, with old buildings and lots of foliage and ponds. We had a great time wandering and learned a lot of animal names in Spanish. It was just...a little bit different from the kind of zoos we're used to. First of all, they sell food for the animals there, so unless it's a tiger or a hippo, you're allowed to feed all of them these little pellets. So we watched as countless (and sometimes enormous) animals came right up to the outstretched hands of three-year-olds and nibbled away. The whole food system is great in that, you know, baboons stick their hands out and catch the pellets, and you get to see some really crazy animals at extremely close range:


But something about it is also totally weird, no? Like there's very little emphasis on watching animals in their natural behavior, because they're all prancing about tripping over each other like "mmmmmpelletpelletpelletyumyumyumgimmepellet..." Also, the cages and pens and everything seemed a tad bit cramped in most cases, no where for the animals to hide. Again, fun for us as viewers, but maybe a little sad? I, of course, know nothing at all about zoology, so it's important to realize that I'm just going with my gut here.

But you know what I know is REALLY freaking weird? The fact that they let a WHOLE BUNCH of animals roam free in the zoo, and I'm not just talking about ducks and a couple of peacocks! We first realized this place was a little different when we saw these animals that looked like a cross between a deer and a rabbit (yes I know that makes no sense, but we still haven't figured out what they were) resting calmly on the lawns, enclosed in no way. And then, we met these guys:



And when I say "met," I mean I stood at a safe distance while Brian came close and then quickly backed away, while watching an old lady pet it. Ew. (That's my freaked-out laughing in the background, fyi.) If you don't know, these things are called nutria, and they're basically huge swimming rats whose hind feet are webbed. Awwww! I just want to cuddle it!

I like my goat buddies better.

A Street Performance in San Telmo

So far we've spent most of our time in Palermo and Palermo Viejo. Although they're wonderful neighborhoods, we've spent most of our time lately setting up our lives for the time we'll stay. We've had to find an apartment, grocery store, and a coffee shop, all laborious tasks that really take it out of you. We got the internet working (all Margaret, she's the only who can talk to our service provider's costumer service in Spanish), found a gym, and set up Spanish lessons (all me, I'm the only one who can't speak Spanish). So, handling business has been our lives for the last week or so in the city people call the Paris of South America. Now all I am really looking to do is walk around, eat, go out and drink Quilmes (the national beer) and coffee.

Soon enough, I'm sure.

Today, however, we got out of Palermo. We ventured to San Telmo, a neighborhood just south of La Casa Rosada (a pink version of our White House) and Plaza De Mayo. On our walk, we encountered these two gentlemen:



It's a little embarrassing that a little wooden man can dance better than I can.

The street performances ranged from tango shows to accordion players. But this puppeteer was probably one of the best I've ever seen. The only street performer I can think of that's better is the monkey on 3rd street in Santa Monica that grabs money out of the spectators' hand and pockets it, but that's a different story.

Good Airs...

Okay, we're back. In South America, that is! We arrived in Buenos Aires on Tuesday morning, and have been hard at "work" finding a place to live. It wasn't really all that difficult though, we found a great place within two days in Palermo Viejo, just a couple blocks from it's central square, Plaza Serrano:


The apartment was exactly what we were looking for: cheap, furnished, well-located, no commissions or hidden charges, and some huge, striped pillows:

Seems like we were pretty successful. Besides that, we've been exploring a bit, despite the rain, figured out the subway and bus (sort of), and of course, we've eaten quite well. We'll report more soon!

A Wedding in Chicago, A Hiatus from South America

Brittnye (my sister) and Theo (my new brother-in-law) got married on Saturday. As expected, it was elegant, personal, and fun. Planned entirely by Brittnye, the wedding was distinctly her, screaming with graceful style. The globe lamps hanging from the trees and the tent's ceiling, the shuffling ipod, the flowers arranged by Margaret, the Charlie Trotter's Catering and the company made for a ridiculous party and memorable wedding. The friends, my family, and the Pereiras (whom it was a pleasure to meet), and everyone else made it a wonderful time.

Set in my Aunt Nancy's large and beautiful home and yard in Naperville, the ceremony took place under the pergola on the deck:

And the party took place just feet away. There were about 130 people who fit comfortably under a tent and then on to the dance floor. The whole thing went off flawlessly, thanks in large part to the extended families, who played such an important role.

Special mention needs to be given to the flowers, some of which you can see on the deck/alter, because Margaret arranged them all. Being a former employee of Cattails on Division, Margaret is pretty handy with a vase and a knife when it comes to dahlia, purple basil, milkweed, eucalyptus, and stock (pictured above). Some say she has a black belt in flowers.

The setting and weather made the wedding a pleasure of the senses. Everything looked, smelled, and tasted so good. Weddings, in my opinion, should not be done any other way.


Congratulations. You two are wonderful people, good friends, and now the best family.

Tune in again for La Llave Grande: Argentina Edition!

A Quito, a quitoquitoquito!

We planned a Quito stop near the end of our trip, so we had lots of opportunity to ask other travelers about it while we were in other places. Most of them gave a noncommittal ¨meh,¨ and acted as if there wasn´t much to like about it. But we disagree, Quito is great! We arrived in the city from the Black Sheep Inn last week and spent a few days in the city. It's beautiful, with buildings climbing up the mountainsides. There's a part called the Old Town, which is full of lovely plazas and well-preserved buildings. The New Town is a lot like other cities, especially Latin American ones, with lots of high rise buildings, crazy buses, big parks, and international restaurants. Here´s the Plaza Grande, the main plaza in the Old Town. Around it are the cathedral, the cultural center, the municipal building, and the president´s house:


We found a nice hostel (Casa Bambu) fairly easily. We've strolled a ton and seen a nice mix of cultural things. We saw an Andy Warhol exhibit in the Centro Cultural Metropolitano, and the amazing Museo Guayasamín, the former home of Ecuador´s most famous artist. Here´s one of his most famous paintings, called ¨Maternidad.¨

It seems Sr. Guayasamín also had a great eye for colonial art, so we were able to not only see his paintings, but get to know a lot from his collection of items from the Quito and Cuzco schools of art, which were basically religious art-producing workshops in the colonial period, done by (now anonymous) indigenous and mestizo artists and used to instruct Latin Americans about Catholicism. The Quito school is known for hyper-realistic statues, using incredibly detailed paint techniques to realistically imitate flesh tone and gory crucifixes, and the faces of statues have startlingly realistic expressions.

And, because any trip I take seems to inevitably become a culinary tour, we´ve eaten a ton. Quito has all kinds of cuisine, so we've had our share of Italian and Thai and stuff like that, as well as some fantastic Ecuadorian food. I am now in love with something called morocho, which is kind of like hot rice milk, you know the kind that´s sort of sweet? Except it´s made with corn. Sounds like a strange combo, but it´s soooo yum. Beyond that, we´ve had every possible kind of empanada and humita (sort of like a tamale but softer and cheese-filled) there is. And I cannot fail to mention our favorite restaurante Quiteña: Frutería Monserrate! It´s a restaurant housed in a huge tall building with skylights and many floors. You can get mainly Ecuadorian fare here (and it´s where morocho first entered my life), but it´s really known for it´s huge bowls of fruit with whipped cream and raspberry sauce. We´ve been there three times already!

We've also been able to witness Ecuadorian politics firsthand, as the election for a new assembly (the body that will re-write the constitution) just took place on Sunday. The campaigns were everywhere, and right when we got to Quito we were swept up in several different frenetic parades and rallies, an interesting way to depart from the tourist experience.

So, Quito´s been good to us. We were here for a few days, then left for Otavalo (see previous post), and came back again. Tomorrow we leave for home, hard to believe!