The week after returning from Brazil was our best Argentina. Kids were feeling good about school. Michele and I were in our groove with a new routine including a terrific new Spanish teach (Mondays and Thursdays in Palermo) our tennis lesson (Wednesday) and, I’ll admit it, our weekly massage (Friday).

On Wednesday night, we walked the ~2.2 miles across Palermo to Uco where we enjoyed an excellent meal.  Walking across the city is our new favorite early evening activity as it gives us a chance to see the town and feel like we got some exercise before indulging.  Friday we went to see The Martian at the Recoleta Theater, which is our favorite moviehouse. Interestingly, the seating at the movies in BsAs is assigned like at a baseball game in the states.  The seats at this theater are really spacious and, oh, did I mention that they serve beer at the theater?  Afterwards we headed off to the super hip Floreria Atlantico.  I don’t want to name names, but certain people (Michele) were skeptical about my choice for dinner (at 10:00 pm), particularly because the restaurant was underneath a flowershop, but it turned out to be a great evening.

Saturday, began like any other weekend with a trip to the club for basketball and tennis for the kids and then KATY PERRY CONCERT. OMG!!! Jake and I weren’t brave enough, but Michele took the cab up to the Hippodrome and went with Kate. The concert was spectacular. Crowd was super into it and Katy put on a great show going through all her hits. She wore approximately 100 different outfits, including her trademark wigs, and her backup dancers were terrific.  Our Kate didn’t stop screaming once, only outdone by the gentlemen standing behind her and Michele.  A special evening.

Sunday Jake took center stage, playing in his first basketball tournament (el mundalito) at the Club de Amigos. Le Reyes de Basquet gave a spirited performance and it was amazing to me to see how far Jake has come. When we started at Club de Amgios I had to literally push him on to the court to get him to play and now he pesters me to be sure we arrive on time and, as soon as we arrive, he darts off to join his teammates. I couldn’t be happier.

Following Jake’s tournament, we headed to La Bombanera, the home of the Boca Jrs. futbol club. The spirit in the stadium was truly astounding. There are sections where they sing and wave flags during the entire game (not sitting for a second). The security was actually much better than I expected and we felt entirely safe once we arrived. There is, however, barbed wire atop the fence that separates the reserved seats from the “publico” section. Also, it is most dangerous outside the stadium so I recommend going with a tour company or someone who knows the area. It was amazing to watch Carlos Tevez play in person. He is truly at a different level than the other players and operates as a coach on the field, telling the others where to go. Boca won 1-0 on a goal by Tevez which he actually deflected off one of the defenders. It wasn’t a beautiful game, but it was a terrific experience.

After the big weekend, we didn’t even pause to catch a breath. Monday night I went out with my new friends from Dharmatec to see La Bobma Tiempo, an band composed of 25 or so different drummers, play their Monday night show at the Konex. The band was smoking good and the scene was spectacular. This band plays every Monday and it’s usually the best thing happening on a Monday night in BsAs and so there was a really fun crowd and vibes were really strong. Of course, we finished the evening with drinks and dinner at 11 pm.

Tuesday I returned to Floreria to have drinks with my good friend Sebastian Sanson Lopez. We had a great talk and, for the first time, he actually spoke with me in Spanish. Michele also went out Tuesday night with her friend Keri to 878, one of our favorite haunts. I’m really pleased that we both have developed some genuine friendships here in BsAs and I’m glad for people like Sebas who are willing to make room in their lives to befriend foreigners like us. After a brief night off for work on Wednesday, Thursday evening, Michele and I went to Crizia, one of our favorite spots in BsAs.  When we first came in, we said we’d like to sit at the bar and the hostess walked us past the best seats (at the lower bar in front of the kitchen) and seated us at the main bar.  As soon as Pedro, the barman, saw us, he immediately moved us to the best seats in the house, which he told us were reserved for his best customers.  Peak Argentina, indeed.