One Night in La Boca

One of the things that you are told upon entering Buenos Aires by the locals, which is reiterated in probably every guide book, is that you should not wander around in much of the city at night and, under no circumstance, should you walk around in the non-tourist areas of places like La Boca (a poor barrio which is famous for the Boca Juniors soccer team).

The tourist part of La Boca is, more or less, a three block stretch of trinket shops and houses which have been painted to re-create the feel of old La Boca. In the old days the Genovese immigrants used whatever leftover paint they had from painting their boats to paint their homes, giving the place an eclectic look.

From my perspective, La Boca was a little underwhelming (think of it as a place where the tourists get off the bus and are immediately attacked), though the PROA, a contemporary art foundation in a converted mansion in the area, is definitely worth a visit. As an aside, another thing La Boca is noted for is the police standing guard at the edge of the tourist area to discourage the curious from wandering off the beaten path. You can’t beat that kind of welcoming feel.

A classmate from my Spanish school had read about a restaurant in La Boca, El Obrero, and suggested we return for dinner that night after walking around during the day. We all agreed and at 9pm (dinner here is served late) I caught a taxi outside my apartment. That is when the fun began.

The trip began inauspiciously when my cabbie didn’t know either the restaurant or the streets it is on. I forgot my treasured Guia T (maybe the world’s greatest city transit map) so the cabbie had to call the dispatcher for directions.

As we entered La Boca the cabbie stopped and told me that the restaurant was midway down an unnamed street that was one way in the opposite direction. I was a little skeptical, but he said he was sure. I paid him and he left me with a final piece of advice to guard my wallet.

Upon leaving the cab I began walking and immediately discovered that I was in the wrong place. Great. There was a local pharmacy open (they needed to buzz me in) where I asked for directions. The man behind the counter had no idea where I was going, though one of the patrons claimed to know. She gave me the directions (two blocks straight, two blocks to the left and one block to the right) and off I went.

The streets did not exactly give one a feeling of confidence. There wasn’t much in the way of light and there were more than a few people loitering about. After wandering by a bus parking lot I told myself that if this woman sent me on a wild goose chase I was in serious trouble. All of a sudden I would be lost in La Boca with no map. The idea of being able to hail a cab was laughable (they know better). As it happened, the woman knew what she was talking about and I arrived safely, though with my heart beating a little faster than normal, at my destination.

The restaurant was great. There was an old man playing a guitar and walking around serenading the various tables and the restaurant treated us to a free round of Argentine port at the end of the night. There were a bunch of pictures of who I took to be famous Argentines on the walls. The only people I recognized were Tim Robbins, who was a foot taller than everyone else and looked goofy, and Susan Sarandon, who looked severe. I understand that Bono has eaten there, though I didn’t see his photo. They did not ask to take our photo. I assume it was an oversight.

For those that are interested, I had an excellent milanesa which was topped with tomato sauce, a pile of mozzarella and some thinly sliced ham. Yum.

So, I survived a rookie error and took home a couple of valuable lessons. One, no more going to La Boca at night. Two, if you do find yourself in such a situation, make the cabbie drop you off where you have visual confirmation of the place. Not my finest hour.