Buenos Aires - Fun Stuff

		Out-Louvering the Louvre Andy Warhol immortalized the patron of the namesake Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Art Collection in one of his colorfully iconic silk-screen portraits, but don’t expect only pop art at Ms. Fortabat’s one-year-old Puerto Madero-based, fine arts museum. Housed in a tubular steel, glass, and concrete edifice fronting River de la Plata, the collection reflects every style, from Van Gogh to Gauguin — whose 1891 “Tahitian Women Near the Palms” was obtained by Fortabat from Sotheby’s in 1980 for the winning bid of $18 million. The same Argentine philanthropist was equally discerning about how her art is viewed, as evidenced by more than a dozen louvered panels mounted on the glass building’s exterior. This allows custom-controlled lighting in the interior to display each and every piece to its best advantage all day, every day. Thank you, Uruguayan-Argentine architect Rafael Vinoly. Olga Cossettini 141 +54 11 4310 6600 www.coleccionfortabat.org.ar

		Old and Dear The Tortoni is not only Argentina’s oldest confiteria (a combo café-bistro-ice creamery-bakery-beer hall), but this compact gathering place with its brass fixtures, beveled mirrors, and crystal chandeliers is also among BA’s most fascinating. Here, artistic adventures take place at the drop of a bolero, as evidenced by the treasured moment when renowned tango performer Carlos Gardel sang for legendary Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello. Since 1858, the Tortoni has hosted literati, politicians, and the workaday locals — as well as recent arrivals King Juan Carlos of Spain and screen star/tango dancer Robert Duvall — whose one common thread is that they spent hours drinking coffee discussing the day’s intellectual topics. For authentic eats, try salacious pastries like medialunas, and, to drink, Quilmes Imperial beer or Mendoza malbec wine. Less heady pursuits out back include dice, dominos, and billiards. Note: To experience this Buenes Aires mainstay at its most authentic, arrive by mid-morning, before the tourist invasion. Avenida de Mayo 825 +54 11 4342 4328 www.cafetortoni.com.ar

		All Tango-ed Up While most people head to historical San Telmo on Sundays for the weekly antique market, we go for the spontaneous tango shows. Some of BA’s best young dancers simply set up shop in Plaza Dorrego Square, turn on their boom boxes, then launch into a high-octane tango for an appreciative audience who presents them with loose change. It’s not difficult to locate the performers: Just look for the crowd. As an added bonus, the gratuity you give the dancers will be much cheaper than admission to the formal tango shows downtown. Hot tip: After the antique dealers shut down their stalls around 5 p.m., some tango dancers will give lessons. Also note: On weekends, San Telmo’s main cobble-stoned streets become pedestrian walkways, so just ask your cabbie to put you as close to the action as possible. San Telmo neighborhood, Plaza Dorrego

		Tango Tutoring Prior to exercising your bragging rights back home, get your tango history lesson, complete with native banquet at one of BA’s many Art Deco supper clubs. Our pick? El Querandi’s Nuestro Tango Show where, without uttering a word, dancers and musicians colorfully illustrate Carlos Gardel’s declaration of the national dance that started to evolve during the 1920s. Next, the provocative performers demonstrate Piazzolla’s 1950s modernist influence, and, finally, these talents spin and pose through today’s take, known as Tango Nuevo. Slick production numbers and an authentic Argentine meal will have you stamping your feet. Peru 302 +54 11 5199 1770 www.querandi.com.ar