By this point I felt like I'd seen everything I needed to in BA. There were only two things on my list and since I had a private city tour scheduled, I knew it would be easy to get them knocked off. So after checking out of my lovely hotel near the Congresso, I moved across town to a new swankier pad where I would meet up with my Antarctica group and do all the things my travel agent had kindly scheduled, way back before I knew I'd be spending 4 days in Buenos Aires. The tour was good and helped fill in some blanks, but my guide was surprised at how much I'd done on my own. We actually skipped some of the redundancies and instead focused on what I wanted to see...which was La Boca, the colorful artist district near the port. This was touristy BA at its finest, with tango dancers and musicians playing amongst the trinket sellers and overpriced restaurants. It was a place I had to see, but couldn't bring myself to do it alone. Having a guide and a driver meant I could stay as long as I wanted and then leave immediately. Which meant it was perfect!
That night I did the other thing on my list, a tango show at the Escuina de Carlos Gardel....which was incredible and I do recommend it as all the performers were on point.
La Boca
The neighborhood is more touristy than the other places I had visited while in Buenos Aires, but I felt it was necessary to check it out. And sometimes, it's fun to wander through tchotchke shops and watch tango dancers and other street performers in an inauthentic "Argentinian" world.
After watching hours of Tango, I think it's time to find some lessons. Photos can't capture the beauty and sheer sexiness of the dance. If you find yourself in Buenos Aires, promise me you will see a show.