There is nothing more exhilarating for a dancer than making a pilgrimage to Buenos Aires, the birth place of Tango. It’s a daunting trip with 8 hours plus flight time but worth every penny and every second in a cramped airline seat next to a woman with a baby..(I digress, that is another story for another day) not to mention the gauntlet from the jetway, through customs and through the sea of vendors and taxi drivers who are all clamoring for your attention.
Once you arrive in the city you begin to awaken to the enormity of the area and may begin to feel quite lost. First order of business is to scan the streets for the news vendors where you can purchase a tango magazine with a milonga schedule for the month. Oh, and a map of the city, so you can unfold an improbable amount of pages and spread it out on the king sized bed (it would hang over the edges of a queen bed) and search for the tiny print for your neighborhood. Then prepare to swoon with the reality that the city is actually about 100 times bigger than you had imagined.
And what will you do with all the free time?
Obviously you are here to:
Experience tango
Argentina is the place where tango originated, so you’ll definitely want to experience it for yourself. While you can catch impromptu tango acts while strolling the city, there are places you can go to guarantee a free show or lesson. You can check the schedule at Museo Casa Carlos Gardel, which regularly features free tango shows and lessons. Additionally, if you book a show at Complejo Tango, they offer a free tango lesson at 7:30 p.m. You can also head over to The Window of DGEArt, where free classes are being hosted on Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. through May 31, 2012. And on Sundays, many of the city’s cultural centers offer free tango shows.Open-air venues also usually offer the opportunity to experience free tango. On Sundays, the Feira de San Telmo and the Recoleta Fair have live tango performances in the streets. Furthermore, you can see it at the Calle Museo Caminito, an open-air arts museum in La Boca each day.One trick is instead of paying for a dinner and show with unlimited drinks, head over to a milonga, or a place where tango is danced. For example, the popular La Glorieta offers free entrance to their open-air milonga on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Even when milongas are not free, they are usually very inexpensive and you can see some of the city’s most talented dancers.
Source: 12 Free Things To Do In Buenos Aires, Argentina – Gadling
Be sure to visit the local market to stock up on ice, because you will need it to relieve your beloved feet after all the walking, touring and dancing :~)