La Vida Nocturna

To paraphrase Barney Stinson, the nightlife in Buenos Aires is legen - wait for it - dary.

I haven't taken full advantage of everything I'm about to describe, but I wanted to share with you a little of what goes on after sundown here in a city that, cliche as I know it is, doesn't sleep.

It's worth mentioning at the start that the culture here is two things that it isn't in America.  First, everything happens a bit later in the day.  And second, nothing happens too quickly.  With that said, understanding what my typical workday looks like will shed some light on what the nightlife in this city looks like.

Every working day begins between 9 and 9:30 in the morning, mostly because the public transport in this city doesn't run like clockwork.  Lunch runs about 1 to 2 or 2:30 and a coffee break near 4 for about a half hour.  People start punching the clock around 6, but my team usually stays in the office until about 8 because of the volume of work being done.

Now that sounds like a long work day, but I find it to be quite pleasant.  Because, like I said, everything happens later here.  So, its Friday after work.  You're on your way home and have plans to meet friends for dinner, drinks and dancing.  What does the rest of your night look like?  Well Americans, I can guarantee you its not for the faint of heart.

I'm usually home around 8:30 and take a quick nap until 9:30 or so.  Put myself together and get plans set by about 10 and I'm out the door.  Dinner, and not just on weekends, starts at or a little before 11 and usually runs past midnight.  As someone used to eating no later than 8pm, you will be the only people in the restaurant if you show up before 9.  Thats just how it is here.  If its a weekday, then its home after dinner, maybe a drink along the way, but definitely in bed before 1:30am.  On a weekday.  With work in the morning.  Remember, I said not for the faint of heart.

So on a weekend, dinner will usually go until at least 12:30 because the pace of everything here is so leisurely.  But no matter, things are just winding up anyway.  Drinks at a bar after dinner and until at least 3am.  At this point, youth begins to help you tremendously.  Bars start to close around 4am, but many will go much later.  Its not uncommon to be bar hopping until 4, but like I said, being younger will definitely help you to stay awake longer.

Then there are the city's notorious boliches (bo-leech-ay).  If one thing makes the reputation of this city, they are it.  Think dance club, but that's sort of putting it mildly.  Everything you'd expect in the best dance clubs around the world, Pacha has a branch here, and the added bonus of going till sunrise.  You've had dinner and drinks, and maybe a few more drinks, and now its 4am.  The faint of heart head home, and everyone else heads to a boliche.  Many of these clubs dont even open their doors until 3am.  Most will stay open till sunrise.  And to serve the hard partying crowd fueled by alcohol, energy drinks and other less savory things, there are even after hours clubs.

While I have yet to experience them, there are clubs which open in the wee hours of the morning and keep the music banging until as late as noon the following day.  Most of these partyers bail out mid-morning and grab breakfast and a coffee and crawl into bed to sleep until mid afternoon.  And then it all starts over again on Saturday.  It's all truly impressive.  Go to bed before midnight, and you only see half of the city.  Best of luck!