Dia Uno - Hablo espanol

I arrive in Buenos Aires. Grace and Melissa are detained in NYC and Yenith is on a different flight, so I’m on my own for the day.

My cab driver from the airport wants to chat... in Spanish. He asks many questions, some of which I am able to comprehend and respond to. I manage to tell him: I’m from the US; I flew out of NY; my name is Ann; I’m staying in Buenos Aires for a week; my hotel name and address; it's OK if he pays for the tolls and I reimburse him at the end of the ride. He asks me if I'm married, and when I tell him I'm not married, he asks me why. Due to my limited Spanish vocabulary, I'm only able to tell him that it’s because I like to party, which frankly is not that far off the mark. My spouting of Espanol continues as I check into my hotel, buy a pair of sandals, and order lunch.

I only started looking at hotels 48 hours before I flew to Buenos Aires, so there was limited availability. The hotel I ultimately chose got mixed reviews online, but what can you do at the 11th hour during high season? When I check-in, they upgrade me to a suite. Sweet.

Happy Hanukkah from Buenos Aires!

I meet Yenith for dinner at an upscale seafood restaurant in Puerto Madero, a dockside/seaport area that reminds me of London’s Canary Wharf. The restaurants seem to line a canal-like waterway vs. the ocean, and you can see corporate office buildings across the water. The meal is embarrassingly inexpensive: appetizer, entree, dessert and a bottle of wine is less than $60 for both of us. We're a little jet-lagged, so it's not a crazy night.

Christmas decorations on Calle Florida.


The cranes around Puerto Madero are lit at night, almost like art/sculptures.