Fashionable Cocktails

People still keep it together even if it’s 6:00am in Buenos Aires. I’m trained for the 2:00am last call, which definitely meant that I had to step it up to keep my eyes open and my high-heel endurance at the locals’ level. The boliche (club) life is definitely worth taking part in, but for me, it’s a challenge even with out drinking. Tip of the hat to you stylish portenos y portenas. Rush hour subway trains are filled with suits with brief cases and the late night fashionable herd heading towards breakfast and bed.

 

Fondue x 2

There is a place called the Old Hobbit in Villa Gesell, Argentina that is directly out of Lord of the Rings. Not even slightly hinting at the influence, but directly out of the book. The waiters are dressed as hobbits, and there is an old grandma hobbit that greets you at the door…rudely. The specialty on the menu is fondue everything. All the fondue specialties named after a character from the books. Even our dessert was fondue; fruits and cookies dipped in melted chocolate. Rather than ordering more fruit and cookies to finish off the chocolate fondue we grabbed our coffee spoons and finished it off and resulted in sugar highs. Think of the combination in our bellies: pork and fruit swimming in melted cheese and chocolate. This is a once in a decade type of experience for me, that is combining the two. Separately, I’ll conquer them any day. Two pots of melted substances downed, and two ladies with chocolate stained blouses led to an immediate turn in when we returned to the beach house. It was worth the bloating the following day. Well worth it.

 

Tattoos, cake & furniture forts

white tank: Seneca Rising   mint top: under.ligne DOO.RI   pants: American Apparel

What happened? Tattooed English metal band Bring Me the Horizon. Happens to be my little brother’s favorite band, which is beautiful music to my parents’ ears. If I wasn’t lucky enough already being friends with a strong, beautiful lady, Christina, who I met while living in Buenos Aires, she just happens to be friends with this band’s manager. It never occurred to me that this band was such a big deal to my little brother while I was touring with The Riverboat Gamblers from Austin, TX during the summer of 2010 on the same tour as Bring Me the Horizon. The thought of bringing my little brother to one of their shows on the summer tour never occurred to me. Probably because showering was always first on my mind. When my friend mentioned that they would be touring South America and making a stop in Buenos Aires, I recognized that this was a big second chance to do something special for my little brother. It was too short notice to fly him from Texas to Buenos Aires, Argentina, so going to the show and meeting the guys for a t-shirt signing would be a sufficient Christmas present for my little man. I unexpectedly got a lot more than a t-shirt with signatures. The band and crew were incredibly sweet and generous. They also have tons of loving fans that made it almost impossible to get into the shuttle that took us from the venue to the hotel room. Security had to hold them back from attacking the boys who all were in need of a shower. At the hotel were more fans, who either had been waiting there for hours or teleported from the venue and arrived before we did. From the hotel we were transported down to Puerto Madero where we would shock the patrons of a very shiny, elegant steak house. Tattoos, black denim, English accents, and long hair. Some of the reasons why I think we were sat in the room at the back of the restaurant with a view of the river and condo high rises. Or perhaps instead of trying to hide us they were trying to give our big group some privacy. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter after we devoured Argentine beef, seafood, pasta, and the buffet of desserts. Carrying bottles of wine out of the nice establishment we made it back into our shuttle, where more fans were waiting, and headed back to the hotel. We stayed up until dawn. So did the fans down on the street chanting up to the balcony that we occupied for cigarette smoking. Literally, the fans were there to farewell the band the next day on their way to the airport. The booze took over some of the guys, and then I realized what boys would do if they had sleepovers. They would build forts out of mattresses and furniture, and seek to destroy. I enjoyed every bit of it, except getting caught in the fort ( I’m claustrophobic). The next day was quite the adjustment to make. After showering, napping, and eating I looked at the photos of the night. I think my camera was a bit more drunk than I was. I’m blaming the blurry element on my camera, not me. Reminiscing of the night that I had, I realized that my Christmas present to my little brother isn’t that great. To me it says,”Hey little brother, I got to hang out at dinner and party with your rock star heroes in Buenos Aires, Argentina after being backstage at their show, but I got you this shirt that they all signed. Oh yeah, and this VIP backstage access laminate that you could have used if you were there, but I actually did get to use.” Perhaps I should also throw in a video game. What I’m really going to throw in is a future date that I’ll take him backstage to one of their shows in the U.S.. Then he won’t hate me, but love me forever.

Call me Pegasus

Winged sandals: Vivienne Westwood

Discovered these thanks to one of my most fashionable friends, Macarena. A beautiful doll who walks the streets of Buenos Aires. They’re also offered in various other colors and patterns. If only the wings would actually work and get me to and from places making it unnecessary to take cabs and subways. I would by them in each color offered.

Dark sweet day

Spending the weekend in Villa Gesell could have been better if we stayed more than four days. Now I get to day dream of those misty afternoons spent on the beach drowning in my swoop scarf and melancholic car rides to the neighboring villages hidden inside enchanting forests. The neighboring village, Carilo, is the closest thing to living in a fairy tale apart from living in Austria. The forest is magical, and there is a shopping center right in the center of it all. Every time I turned a corner, there was a garden patch with gnome statues right in the center. Don’t go if you fear gnomes, but do go if you love chocolate. A dose of getting lost in the forest and meditating on the beach is just what I needed. It’s become my happy place that I go to when in the middle of one of my many ballet classes and my leg is usually suspended above my head and I think to myself, “What about this painful position am I really enjoying?” Then when my leg is relieved from fighting gravity, I wonder, “What is it about standing on my toes in torturing pointe shoes that brings me satisfaction?” The answers are not easy for most to understand, and I recommend not researching if you want to keep pristine feet in your life.

 

 

Lost in the hood

Layered tanks: Seneca Rising

Jacket: Urban Outfitters

Wool hood w/sleeves: Contrarian NY

Swoop scarf: American Apparel

Jeans: Cheap Monday

Shoes: Toms

Long weekend trip to Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires, Argentina.  As much as I associate beaches with sunny skies and sun block, I didn’t have either on this trip and was still pleased. The forest was filled with eucalyptus trees, vines, and alligator textured red trees. Drinking maté on the sand was peaceful. Of course there are more pictures, but a nap is calling to me right about now. Vacations are nicely exhausting.

Kilos of leather

Graffiti: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Argentinean leather treasures: Ecel Shop

It’s true that Argentinean leather is silky smooth and too good to pass up on when visiting Argentina. If you want the leather goods, but the plane ticket is getting in the way don’t hesitate to order from Ecel’s online shop. Their philosophy is sweet and simple, and is ideal for the traveler (leather passport covers), and perfect for anyone who loves to complement their days with soft leather (even in the shade watermelon). I’m eyeing the canvas/leather bag pack. Just waiting for them to launch their store front in two weeks to make my commitment official!

Piso Veinte

What better way to spend a Sunday evening than with friends eating platters of cheese, and devouring bowls of pasta accompanied with delicious bottles of Argentine malbec. The view from my friend’s apartment was more than aesthetic. It was a reminder as to where I live, or shall I say, in what I live in. This massive city dense with activity and structures swallows up what your eyes can encompass. Looking into the city from up above made a calm sensation take over the anxiety produced by the traffic and the noise down below. How lucky we are to get to see the chaos mapped out in a grid of golden lines and shadowed walls. Buenos Aires is massive, but wonderful. So was dessert on the balcony, and our conversation filled with planning dates, and the plane ticket purchases in our futures to meet up at all the music and film festivals this coming new year. But first, October is a beautiful month to fill up.