[Note from Alan: I'm still here! I promise! I didn't leave the country! I haven't updated the blog for ages because I've been so busy with the walking tours and related work/emails. But please do keep checking back as soon there will be some very exciting changes happening here at the Buenos Aires Argentina Guide. To keep you going for now, here is a post that Kim wrote for me a while back about Rumi Nightclub...]

The trademark red lights of Rumi are anything but a sign to stop. And as long as you don’t, you’re in for a good night. Rumi boasts a welcoming and sizable venue for dancing, food, lounging and drinks, and even doubles as a restaurant in the earlier hours (at around 10pm or so).

Rumi is much more of a boliche (nightclub) than a bar or restaurant, but holds on to its desire to be all three just enough. Naturally, like any boliche/bar/restaurant in Buenos Aires, the hour in which you arrive will drastically determine the night you have in store. Because Rumi is the perfect halfway point between the larger clubs like Museum & the once famed Opera Bay, and the smaller boliches (where you find your self fighting for room at the: bar, dance floor, restrooms, entrance, etc…), it’s a great way to enjoy Argentine nightlife without having to embrace the extremes. The red lights of Rumi shine from the outside beckoning patrons to enter…

Rumi’s Wednesday Night Dinner Special

If you’ve arrived early then you’ve already avoided the fuss of waiting in line and probably sauntered your way right on in. At around 10:30pm the club serves dinner. Rumi is known for its Wednesday night, when for 30 pesos (women) or 40 pesos (men) you can choose between a choices of entrée, drink and dessert. The menu offers rotating options, but when we visited it was steak and pasta, both of which are delicious, and your choice of beers, wine or coffee. Afterwards, choosing which ice cream dessert most suits your fancy won’t be an easy feat!

The Early Bird Catches the Booth in Buenos Aires

The restaurant set up is calming and still, and you’ll most likely be set up with a table on the dance floor. Keep in mind you’ll hardly notice that the exact spot you’re eating at will soon transform into a sea of dancers. However, asking politely, calling ahead, or knowing the owner might get you a booth seat located away from the dance floor. This eating scenario is more reminiscent of higher end restaurants and is also a great place to be seated if you plan on staying for the music and dancing.

The booths turn into a wonderful hiatus from the energy of the dance floor and are a perfect place to rest your feet and rejuvenate your spirits. There are seemingly endless benefits to arriving early, and here are just a few: you can see who’s arriving, who’s looking good and if it’s worth hanging around for.

So, You Think You Can Dance?

If you and your amigos have made other plans and have already enjoyed dinner, a siesta and perhaps a drink or two at another bar, then you’re here to dance. Arriving around 2:30am, you’re amongst the fashionable Argentines who are here for fun and to bust some moves. At this point the tables have been cleared, the music is pumping and everyone around you is here for the same reason. All those early birds who aren’t in it for the long haul, have flown the coop.

Rumi has a lovely outside terrace where people enjoy the fresh air and the occasional cigarette. If you want in, you’ll have to wait AND pay your dues. The covers very from weeknight to weekend, coming in a tad steeper on the nights truly dedicated for the night owls. 30 pesos should be plenty and it will be worth it. Passing under the red letters of Rumi, yet more red summons you toward the dance floor.

One of Rumi’s greatest perks is the bar and dance floor set up. The bar runs the length of the dance floor so there are no corner bars you need to fight and huddle your way into. The DJ booth is opposite the entrance where the man in charge of the decks quickly changes up synthesized pop hits to pumping techno as he feels out the vibe of the crowd. Those relaxing, watching or simply enjoying from afar seem to melt away, making the dance floor the center of a attention. And why shouldn’t it be? The surging crowd is filled with energy and the club stays this way until the sun comes up, and your priorities switch from boogie to bed.

A Word About Nightclub Ambiance

As mentioned, the layout of Rumi does a lot for the club. The bathrooms are upstairs and separate from the club and the hallway leading to the dance floor creates a sort of ‘calm before the storm’. Here you can find couples snuggling and making out in sphere shaped chairs, between bouts of dancing.

Rumi isn’t unaware of its red-light stereotype and hired entertainment is much more “red-light district” than the rest of the club. A feature dancer or two may be propped up for all to see and combing the crowd are other colorful entertainers. It adds a great mix of flavor to the club in the later hours and the crowd digs the extras like glow sticks and candy handed out by the hot-bodied dancers or men in drag. Yet another visual to keep your interest peaked is the footage of live concerts and music videos projected on the screens above the dance floor. You’re sure to draw inspiration from somewhere and I’m sure you’ll enjoy what Rumi is throwing down on the dance floor.

Location, Location, Location…

Rumi is located on the Costanera of Buenos Aires, but not near Puerto Madero. Instead, look north. It’s much closer to Belgrano and the cab rides are cheap from other eating and nightlife areas such as Recoleta, Palermo or Las Canitas. Mention the club name to a cabbie or scribble down: Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 6442 y La Pampa and you’ll be there in no time.

Dancing Tango in the Confiteria Ideal, Buenos Aires [Photo credit: Gerrysan]

Note from Alan – We are lucky enough to welcome a seasoned Buenos Aires tango and milonga expert to the Buenos Aires Argentina Guide, in the form of Cherie Magnus, from the Tango Cherie blog (see the end of this post for more info on Cherie). Her first offering is an excellent guide to the types of tango salon in Buenos Aires, for those interested in the real world of social tango dancing in the city. So, over to you Cherie…

If you want to dance tango in Buenos Aires, where do you go?

Actually it depends on many things: your age, what style you dance, what day or night of the week you want to go out, if you go with or without a partner, and so on…

Dancing social tango in Buenos Aires has nothing to do with the Tango Show Dancing on the streets of San Telmo, La Boca, calle Florida, or Recoleta, or the many Tango Cena-Shows with an orchestra, stage dancers and dinner. The first thing to know about tango is that what you’ll see in those places is a different dance – Tango for Export. And that is another post entirely!

Experience Authentic Social Tango in Buenos Aires

If you want to experience authentic social tango, you really need to know the best places for you to go to watch and dance. You could pick up one of the many free tango publications from shoe salons and hotels which list all of the milongas (places to dance social tango), but unless you have lots of time and money to explore each one, you can’t tell which is right for you. And that’s why Ruben & Cherie (as well as other bilingual local dancers) provide a service to help tango tourists get the most out of their visits to Buenos Aires. They know where you can have the most fun and how to break the codigos, and will even take you there themselves.

If you are interested in their tango services, you can contact Ruben & Cherie using the following details:

• Email: BsAsMilonga@aol.com
• Telephone: 4932-5027 (from within Buenos Aires)
• Blog: Tango Cherie

Click here to view the embedded video.

Types of Tango Salon in Buenos Aires

First, a tip: when checking where to go to mingle with the locals in Buenos Aires on the dance floor, remember that dances in the same salon vary greatly depending on the organizer, day of the week, time of day etc. In other words, every milonga at Region Leonesa or Canning will not be the same.

The following is a general break-down of the different types of places to dance tango in Buenos Aires, with some examples of each…

Salon de Baile

A formal atmosphere especially for dancing, with predominantly elegant attire, tables with tablecloths, uniformed waiters, tango codes are strictly respected, professional DJs play tango, vals and milonga music of the 1930’s-50’s, often with tandas of Latin and Jazz music. The public here is older (50-80) with an intermediate to high level of dancing in the close-embrace milonguero style. Women and men sit on opposite sides of the salon and use the cabaceo. The afternoon milongas tend to be more formal and traditional than the late night dances.

Examples in Buenos Aires: El Arranque, Gricel, Salon Canning, Viejo Correo, Los Consegrados, Maipu 444, Lo de Celia, El Beso, Chique.

Confiteria bailable

This old-fashioned type of salon has many of the same characteristics of the Salons de Baile, but also has a restaurant. The public is more varied, with lots of groups. The only example today is the Confiteria Ideal, which is famous for its long life and its architecture. Nowadays only a few Salons de Baile have restaurants, such as Nino Bien and El Beso, but they are milongas first, and only very few of the clients order food from the kitchen.

Club de Barrio

The dance floors are cement basketball courts or the club restaurant. Meals are usually available. Predominantly attended by the neighborhood families and older married couples; the music includes tango, jazz and tropical.

Examples in Buenos Aires: Sin Rumbo, Los Bohemios, Sunderland, Club Chicago.

Baile Joven

Informal atmosphere, young public (18-30), variety of casual dress, often with live music and dance exhibitions. More relaxed standards, a more diverse level of dancing, and more salon-style than close embrace. You will hear the music of Piazzolla, some rock ‘n’ roll, as well as salsa and cumbia.

Examples in Buenos Aires: La Estrella, La Viruta, Parakultural.

Aire Libre

Outdoor milongas that attract a wide variety of dancers.

Examples in Buenos Aires: La Glorieta and Plaza Dorrego (year round) and La Calesita (in summer).

An Aire Libre milonga in Plaza Dorrego, San Telmo [Photo credit: nyluke]

Practicas

Informal, bare-bones ambiance, no professional DJ.

Examples in Buenos Aires: Cochabamba 444, El Motivo, Tangocool, Soho Tango.

Gay Milongas

Informal, relaxed atmosphere, anybody can dance with anybody, alternative music along with the classics.

Examples in Buenos Aires: La Marshall, TangoQueer.

Coming soon from Cherie – reviews of different tango milongas around Buenos Aires…

About Cherie Magnus

Cherie Magnus is a published travel writer and dance critic from Los Angeles, and an expat tango dancer and teacher in Buenos Aires since 2003. She and her Argentine partner Ruben Aybar also do bilingual Tango Tours. Last year they were finalists in the Campeonato Metropolitano de Tango de Buenos Aires. She’s working on a memoir, The Church of Tango, and one of her pieces is included in a soon-to-be-published anthology on San Miguel de Allende. You can read more on her blog, TangoCherie.

Buenos Aires Creativity Lab

Maya from the Sexy Spanish Club in Buenos Aires, who I have yet to meet, though her husband Tom (whose company makes a pretty cool type of clasp-less Magnetic Bracelet) is a new friend of mine, alerted me to a free ‘creativity lab’ she is putting on in conjunction with creativity coach Malaya Llewellyn.

According to Maya’s last blog post, this free meeting will be…

“the first of many free gatherings to share lively conversation about creativity and connection! Whether you’re playing with paint, flour, film, cloth, words, programs, or products, you’re invited to join expats and Argentines alike to explore ideas and get inspired”.

Sounds interesting, and even if you are a bit of a cynic (like I am on occasion), I am sure it will be a great place to meet bloggers such as Maya, expats and locals here in Buenos Aires, all while trying out a new experience. Here’s the meeting details for those interested:

Lab – Playing In Flow
An evening of lighthearted collaboration with Malaya Llewellyn
7:30 pm, Tuesday, April 24th In Palermo on Beruti, near the Botanical Garden
[For details, email mvq@inteleto.com or call 4831-1664]

Not your kind of thing? Then maybe try this for size…

Free beer in Buenos Aires?

Mr Yanqui Mike, a 100% certified Buenos Aires blogging celebrity, is celebrating a year of blogging, and what’s more, a whopping great 10,000 visits during that time.

Being a gentleman and a scholar, Mike has promised readers an ice cold beer if they drop by Big Mamma’s Bar (Juramento 2156) in Belgrano this Saturday, April 21st, 5pm – 7pm, to celebrate his blogging milestone.

Love him or loathe him, there is free beer on offer, and you can’t argue with an offer like that

For exact details including a map link, and a chance to RSVP is you so wish, check out his latest blog post.

And in case you needed any further encouragement to attend either of these free meetings in Buenos Aires – there is also the chance that you will run into yours truly at one or both of them. Or did I mean discouragement? I always get those two words mixed up…

A dear hello to all Buenos Aires blog readers. You are my friends, bless your little cotton socks. But recently I have not been writing you very much, and for this I beg your forgiveness… please give me one more chance! I’ve been a bit snowed under in work and life for a while, but I’m hoping things will change soon, and then normal service will be resumed. Only better. And with added vitamins and minerals. Promise.
But for now, I’m afraid you’re going to have to make do with this weeks’ compact, efficient Buenos Aires blog roundup: express edition:

Buenos Aires Blog Posts of the Week

• Argentina’s travel blog is doing my job for me with a couple of excellent reviews of tourist attractions in Buenos Aires: Cafe Tortoni, the cafe in a city of cafes, and also of the Barrio Chino area of Belgrano
• Karine posted up some pictures and info on Galerias Pacifico, the lovely old shopping mall on Florida street in the Microcentro
• After a successful pilot event, Diva says she will be organizing a full-scale international bloggers meeting in Buenos Aires in a few months time. Thanks for the invite Diva!
• Ken had some time off his spanish lessons and took the opportunity to visit Buenos Aires Zoo in Palermo
• Goodairs notes the opening of yet another restaurant de puertas cerradas in Buenos Aires. Soon, you will be able to knock on any door in the city and have a decent chance of finding a restaurant behind it. However, if you knock on mine, you’ll have to make do with fideos con salsa filete

Short and sweet this week. I just have so little time right now that I think I might have to stop writing now, even if it is in the middle of

Well, amazingly, I made it to ten weeks of this Buenos Aires blog roundup. Quite an achievement for me, because each one involves a hell of a lot of reading, selecting, writing and linking each week. But I enjoy doing it, and it keeps me up to date with a lot of what is going on in Buenos Aires, plus I get to read so many interesting opinions about the city, and often see some absolutely stunning photos of BA.

So, onwards I go, with Buenos Aires blog roundup number 10…

Buenos Aires Blog Posts of the Week

• This week, my favorite posts are all about cool, hip things in Buenos Aires. And they don’t get much cooler than this: look at the new Adidas “I Love Buenos Aires” line – I really want the blue sneakers in the second picture! Thanks to Buenos Aires Spotting for noticing that, and for generally just being far to trendy for their own good…
• I am a big ‘indie’ music fan. Until this week, I thought there was no indie music in Buenos Aires… until Disco Shawn came to the rescue, and pointed out that a (possibly regular) indie night is starting this Friday at Club Niceto. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get to it, if any of my resident stalkers want to know where to find me this week
• Now, what could be cooler than some tips on how to pick up girls in Buenos Aires, I ask? Well, how about some crazy & funny tips from one of the girls herself? OK then, just don’t blame me or Diva when you get slapped five times in one night for trying her advice!

Things to See and Do in Buenos Aires

• Robert has some great photos of the life cycle of the Palo Borracho trees that you see so much of in Buenos Aires, which bloom a lovely pink, but also cause Robert a nasty allergy. Still, nice to see someone suffering in the name of good blogging!
• Ian Mount, on Gridskipper duty, notes that Buenos Aires’ supposed “Tango season” is almost upon us, starting with the annual Buenos Aires Tango festival from 28th February to 4th March, as is also noted on my own Buenos Aires events page
• Isabelle Lagarde has been busy Learning Spanish in Buenos Aires, and then spending her free time in buzzing, bohemian San Telmo on Sundays, then even finding time to write about it all. How does every else but me manage to be so productive? Hmph. Anyway, for more information along the San Telmo Sunday theme, you might want to check out my old post about Plaza Dorrego and the Feria de San Telmo
• My favorite pictures from Karine this week are of a plastic surgery clinic on top of a cafe in barrio Belgrano – hitting two of BA’s biggest vices in one fell swoop, some assorted pictures of the relaxing Palermo Parks, one of the cruise boats moored in Buenos Aires that have caused an invasion of 10,000 tourists into the city (just think of all those tango shows and steak dinners!) and a picture of a Persicco Ice Cream Parlor in Belgrano, which reminds me, I need to get back there to make a review soon, and of course to help feed my ice cream addiction further
• Ken takes a walk through the Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur, a haven of peace and wildlife just a few minutes from the smog and craziness of Buenos Aires City Center. Next time you go Ken, I definitely recommend trying a Choripan from one of the stalls down there on the Costanera, delicious…
• Ken has been very active this week it seems, because he also took a four hour bike trip tour up to the north of Buenos Aires to Tigre and San Isidro (note – he didn’t cycle all the way there and back, that would take a lot longer and be quite dangerous I would guess! Of course, they took a train…)

Buenos Aires Info, News & General Comments

• Not only did Dalila’s Trendy Palermo Viejo make it into Clarin recently along with the rest of us Buenos Aires bloggers, but she also got featured in the New York Times last week. Now that really is hitting the big time! Congrats Dalila…
• Tango Cherie has some good tips for ladies, and a link, about how to present yourself at a tango milonga in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires Restaurants, Food, Drink & Places to Stay

• El Desnivel is a great place for some traditional Buenos Aires steak or choripan (or indeed, assorted grilled animal organs) in San Telmo. Argentina’s Travel Blog has a nice review of it this week. However, in the area of hustling, bustling San Telmo parrillas, I still prefer Manolo. Has anyone checked out its new premises yet?
• Good news for us Brits! (even though it has nothing to do with us apart from its name…) Bar Britanico, that old San Telmo favorite, is back, as noted by Blog Pasa en Buenos Aires (Spanish) and Yanqui Mike. Fans of Che and The Motorcycle Diaries might be interested to know that the cafe scene at the start of the movie was shot in Bar Britanico.
• Matt Bites has a great review of Home, the boutique hotel in Palermo. It looks so great from his words and pictures that I wish I could afford to stay there to try it out. If the owners (fellow Brits, I believe) are reading… freebie night in exchange for a blog review, maybe?

Funny or Odd Things in Buenos Aires

• I always end up putting Diva in the ‘odd’ section just for the sake of it. I hope she doesn’t mind. Anyway, she needs, and deserves, a logo for her blog… hopefully some good design-minded soul out there will help her with this, on her way to achieving world domination before the year is out
• I think it’s extremely odd for people to come and live to a foreign country, like Argentina, and then moan about it all the time. I mean, what the hell are you doing here if you think everything is so bad? Go home! Fortunately, Miss Tango in Her Eyes seems to agree with my sentiment, with her post on how not to behave in a foreign country. Moaners, please take note…

Thanks again to all Buenos Aires bloggers for blogging, readers for reading, and bus drivers for getting me to and from work on time. Without you all, my world would be a sadder place… ’til next week, blog fans…