Buenos Aires 2023
In September 2023, I simply couldn’t escape the online content featuring cute Swifties, having the time of their lives, at the Eras Tour. While I loved that for them, I was annoyed and angry that two emo tweens at Taylor’s Vegas show tainted my once-in-a-lifetime experience. Moreover, I was regretful that I let those punks cloud my Eras Tour memories with negativity and scary screams. That’s when I, kind of jokingly, searched Taylor’s future tour dates, and found that she was playing in Buenos Aires on a date that would work perfectly at the end of my sabbatical.
Something came over me in that moment, and with sweaty fingertips and no forethought whatsoever, I booked two floor tickets for her Thursday, November 9th show at River Plate Stadium. I was nervous and didn’t know who would be joining me on this adventure, but I felt that this was bigger than just a spontaneous trip to Argentina. To me, it was a life lesson and promise to myself to be present and positive in all situations, regardless of whether they are "once-in-a-lifetime” or not. Thank god I got to relive this one again, and this time with a more positive approach, but that may not always be the case.
Anyway, my friend Kate was wild enough to join me on this trek to Buenos Aires, and below are a few of our memories together before seeing Taylor.
We flew on Kate’s Delta’s pass, so we had access to Delta’s bougie airport lounges during our 5-hour layover at JFK.
On our first afternoon in Palermo, we stumbled upon this cute restaurant, REBELIÓN, and enjoyed a delicious, nutritious meal in the sun.
The following, magical views are from our Airbnb’s rooftop. Kate found this Airbnb for us, thank god, because I initially had chosen some not-so-cute place in a not-so-cute neighborhood.
We had a handful of delicious, basically-treats, coffees.
Argentina is known for its wine, so we stopped at this well-decorated wine shop where Kate picked up a bottle to try.
When researching this trip, I learned that the Recoleta Cemetery is a must-see destination to visit when in Buenos Aires. We explored the grounds and peeked into the windows of mausoleums while sweating our faces off. Walking through the quiet rows of the mausoleums is a beautiful, solemn experience.
This is a view of the Recoleta Cemetery from the mall across the street.
The majority of our meals enjoyed and shared in Buenos Aires were colorful, nutritious, and so delicious! ☺️
Another obligatory activity Kate and I planned for was a tango show. We attended a late-night show at Michelangelo Legend in the San Telmo neighborhood.
The dancing was impressive, of course, but I was also enamored with all the sparkly dresses the women were wearing.
One day, we walked to a rose garden, and on the morning of our Eras show, Kate and I made a few friendship bracelets on our Airbnb’s rooftop.
The Palermo neighborhood is known for its painted murals and artsy vibes.
One night, we ate dinner at La Cabrera with a friend of mine, Devon, and her mom, Deah. Devon and I separately booked these sporadic trips to Argentina to see Taylor without having known we both had the same, wild plan. Anne, our mutual friend who introduced us, was the one who told me Devon and Deah would be in Buenos Aires at the same time as Kate and me. I mean … what are the odds?!
The day we left, Taylor was scheduled to play another show but ended up postponing it because of an extreme storm that hit the city. Watching the monsoon from our Airbnb, I felt so bad for the Swifties scheduled to go to that day’s show. I was nervous that our flight home would be postponed, as well, but thankfully, it wasn’t.
The flights to and from Buenos Aires were long and exhausting, and I found time for aisle stretches and bathroom selfies. 😄
