Buenos Aires is city of contrasts where…
...ten buses except the one for which you are waiting will pass you by
...iconic images of the Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, Ernesto Che Guevara grace the streets in bourgeoisie neighborhoods
...gazing upward in awe of the captivating architecture with extravagant ornamental moldings and massive intricate door frames, you might well step in a fresh pile of dog poop
...most Porteños will passionately and confidently tell you their opinion and then say “¿que sé yo?” (what do I know?)
...the response to “gracias” is “por favor”
...horse drawn carriages and BMWs share the roads with garbage pickers and their makeshift carts
...on the same block you will find people shamelessly chowing down giant steaks, drinking red wine on ice, and indulging on croissants filled with dulce de leche next to vegan Buddhist yoga centers
...instead of freshening up your grown-out highlights at the roots, you start at the ends and work your way half way up, leaving you a nice eight month grow-out look
...thank you to a Mate offering means no thanks
...women spend thousands of dollars on spa treatments, beauty products and botox but smoke like chimneys and spend hours in the sun tanning themselves
...in taxis, cafes, bars, and clubs, the techno craze and 80s classics revival drowns out talented Argentinian musicians like Mercedes Sosa, Fito Páez, Charly Garcia, Andrés Calamaro
...you will find on the the list of fashion do's: delicate strappy sandals with soles the size of semi truck tires; kitten patterned spandex pants; wearing silky skimpy lingerie and high-heeled sneakers to the gym or nightclub
...the famous words of Mafalda reflect the bizarre politics, "Y, claro, el drama de ser presidente es que si uno se pone a resolver los problemas de estado no le queda tiempo para gobernar” (“And, of course, the issue with being president is that if you try to resolve the problems with the state, there’s no time to govern”)
...and finally, Buenos Aires is a place where in the course of one day I find myself saying over and over: “I can’t wait to leave this forsaken place” and “Golly gee, this place is really growing on me, maybe I should stay.”
