Week 2: The Party Scene

Well, the party scene is operating a a CRAZY level. Two weeks and my brittle Californian lungs have had enough! By body is not as young as I feel, which is unfortunate, really. What follows are two examples of the party scene here, which also summarize it very aptly, for me at least.

1) My third or fourth day here I was heading out with some folks from the Hostel Carlos Gardel in San Telmo. It was already 11 and was getting pretty ancy to get the night started. The people I was going out with told me it was far too early and remained on the couch watching a movie. We agreed to meet up at La Puerta Roja a few blocks away on Chucabambo (a hostel resident worked there and gave us free drink tickets...we had to go!!).

So I headed out alone, hoping to stop in at various bars while always making my way to Chucabambo. Well, by now it must've been all of 23:15hs (I'm learning their ways-- bear with me). My first stop was El Balcon, which is a bar I'd visited on my first night: second floor of an old colonial building overlooking Plaza Dorrego, high ceilings with brightly-colored walls. I didn't even have to climb the steep and narrow stairs to know there was nothing there for me. The upper doors were locked and only one bartender had arrived.

I returned to the hostel, laid on the couch another couple of hours and headed out at about 02.00. We were still early but there was enough of a crowd to make it fun. The place peaked about 04.00 and closed near 06.00. The entire bar (seemingly) migrated around the corner to another bar where the fun continued. I barely made it to 06.00 before nearly falling asleep.

2) My roommate Heiko invited me to see a DJ who's playing at Creamfields Buenos Aires in a few weeks. We went to Levitar which is a pretty cool electronic boliche (club). We arrived at about 02.00 and it was still a bit early since the DJ didn't go on until about 03.00 or 04.00. By the time the DJ came on the place was packed. This was now a Friday morning mind you and surely most of these people had to work or go to class in a few hours.

Levitar finally threw us out at about 08.00 and some promoter offered to take us to an After, an after-party club a few blocks away. We got there and by now it was about 09.00. All of the people at Levitar who were wearing sunglasses--and who I thought were douches-- were now looking pretty effin brilliant in my eyes. The Sun was way bright and here we were standing in a long line at 09.00 on a Friday while people walked and drove to work. I felt like a bad person...and I still feel bad when I see people heading to work as I'm going home. A very crappy POS feeling.

This place was called Hummer (a massive blank-white facade with only the word Hummer written in pink neon) and it seemed to be going off. At 09.00. It turned out our promoter couldn't get us in after all but it's all for the better: I was dead tired and didn't have my shades.

So, now some drinking tips for this city:

1) Don't drink too much!
 Despite drinking for hours and hours people here are very good at pacing themselves.

2) Pour foamy beer!
It's just what you do. It results in a flatter beer and changes the taste of it. For crappier beers this is actually a welcomed change.

3) Vodka+Redbull is a Vodka+Speed
They call it what it is here!

4) Fernet+Coke, the national drink.
Imagine something like Jaeger and Coke: gross, right? Yes!!! I hated it the first time, and was told I'd hate it my second time. And my third time. But by my fourth time, I'd like it. [Edit: it took five drinks for me, which others had said was the magic number. I am now in the Fernet y Cola club.]

5) You can't just weiner-in-the-butt a stranger
I saw a foreigner get slapped for doing this. Funny as hell!!! But, yeah, don't do it.

6) Smoking not allowed...
...is what the signs say. The law seems to only require establishments put up that sign but by three everyone is smoking inside. Your clothes will smell in the morning and you'll hate it.

7) Take your sunglasses out with you!
You'll be home after the Sun comes out...

8) "I'm from California"
They don't hate Americans...but they don't love us either! I get a pass because I'm "Latin" (I've been told more than once). But everyone loves California... I've been sung California Dreamin' twice!!

9) If you're a man, be prepared to use the ladies room
The men's room is used primarily for certain activities after a certain late hour...activities that keep you up, let's say. Expect it.

10) Handy beer terminology:
Shopp: pint
Porron: 12oz bottle
Litro: literbeer