4 comments about Long After Midnight at the Niño Bien: A Yanquis Missteps in Argentina.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's much better better written than "Kiss and Tango" (Winter was a journalist for Reuters,) the other tango memoir that I've read which I also enjoyed. He spends lots of time drinking with old milongueros at the milongas, discussing with them his struggle to get the hang of tango, and at the same time records how the Argentine economy went down in flames while he was there (2000 to 2004.) I found it very affecting, and did not want it to end. Peter Silverman



2. As a Latina who was married to an Argentinean for many years and spent some time in Argentina in both the capital, Buenos Aires, and city of Mendoza in the wine country, I looked forward to reading this book. On the plus side, some of it is wryly humorous, and the author's chronicle of the history of the tango in Argentina is somewhat interesting. The author also captures some of the flavor of Argentina and gives a very decent account of its unstable political history.
   
   Some of the characters described in the book, old tango instructors with whom the author hung out during his stay in Argentina, are colorful, and the author gives the reader a taste of the passion that the tango arouses and of its place in the culture of Argentina. I also felt that these very same characters that the author professed were his friends were probably secretly laughing at the author, a lumbering Texan who wanted to learn about the tango, and would say just about anything to him just for effect, whether or not it was true.
   
   Moreover, some of the author's conclusions are those that only a Yanqui would devise, as I did not feel that they derived from a real understanding of Argentina or its people, given his limited scope of reference. Also, a few of the translations in the book were off the mark, which I found to be annoying. I also found the quality of the writing to be rather pedestrian, overall. Still, there is a modicum of enjoyment to be gotten from this book by those interested in other cultures or in the tango.



3. This book makes Argentina come alive with real people and lively dialogue. I've read a lot about Argentina's social, political and economic crises, but the country never really came together for me until I read this book. Argentina, like the tango, is a sad thought you can dance to. Of course, it's a foreigner's perspective, but a fresh one from a young man who jumped into the whirl of Argentine life without preconceptions and writes about it with a refreshing honesty and lack of pretense.



4. LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT AT THE NINO BIEN: A YANQUI'S MISSTEPS IN ARGENTINA tells of an American who decides on a whim to move to Argentina and learn to tango - his quest to shine in the tango hall with a group of elderly men who move like Enrique Iglesias and his quest to understand the tango leads to a deeper cultural appreciation of Argentina as a whole: an appreciation which comes to life in a book highly recommended for a range of collections: those surveying international dance in general, tango in particular, or Latin American or Argentinean culture as a whole.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about Food And Drink in Argentina: A Guide for Tourists And Residents.

1. Many people see France, Italy and Asia as culinary meccas of the world. But there is a wonderful cuisine waiting to be discovered. The food of Argentina!
   
   As a food writer, I see a multitude of cookbooks and guides to cuisines all the time. But one of the areas that is lacking, is Argentina. With an Argentine mother, and having had the wonderful opportunity to have lived in Argentina, I can declare that this book is excellent and an invaluable resource of food and drink in Argentina.
   
   Not only does this guide explain food terms and etiquette, but also which restaurants are good (even for special diets) as well as information on Argentina's wines.
   
   There are some fantastic photos included too!
   
   What I found to be wonderful were the recipes included for traditional Argentina fare, as well as guides to meat cuts and labeling in Argentina, the United States, England as well as France!
   
   If you are going to eat in Argentina, you will need this book.



2. Expertly researched and co-authored by Dereck Foster & Richard Tripp, Food And Drink In Argentina: A Guide For Tourists And Residents is an informed and informative introduction and "user friendly" reference for dining-out while traveling or working in the beautiful South American nation of Argentina. Included is an A to Z translation for beverage and food terms, advice on where to eat and what to drink, information on exploring the great wine country in Argentina, tips on shopping for food, advice for special diets and those traveling with children, and a wealth of regional recipes and culinary dishes. A "slips easily into your pocket or purse" guidebook, Food And Drink In Argentina is to be given high praise and a very strongly recommended for planning an Argentina itinerary.



3. This colorfully illustrated book provides mouthwatering details of Argentine cuisine, going well beyond the basics of beef, mate and Malbec.
   
   One of my favorite ways to immerse myself in another culture is to eat and drink as the locals do. It's easy with this comprehensive guide. Use its A-Z Guide to translate restaurant menus.
   
   The book is well organized, easy to navigate and conviently sized for travel; it fits into your purse or pocket.



4. I wasted my money and the space in my suitcase buying this book. It is more a spanish-english dictionary. The mayority of the book consists of a long list of spanish words with its meaning in english (ocassionally followed by a brief description and illustration).
   Not recommended if:
   1) you are spanish speaker
   2) you are looking for a dinning guide or something similar.
   
   You will do better by buying a local guide in Buenos Aires



5. Tipping, how to say medium rare in Spanish when ordering one of their famous filet mignons.......you get the picture.......Good start for your adventure.......

1 comments about Argentina - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!).

1. Great guide for getting a quick and comprehensive overview of Argentina. Although primarily focused on Buenos Aires, it gives the reader a fast grasp on what seem to be the essentials in many areas of life, both personal and business. Highly recommended!

4 comments about Insight Guide Argentina (Insight Guides Argentina).

1. Photographs (all in color) and narrative provide a wonderful introduction to Argentina and its history, but the book's actual value as a "travel companion" is limited. It sometimes reads like the script to a travelogue.."you drive along for xkm and see this town and this town..." It mentions a lot of locations but misses some (Santa Rosa, Neuquen). It would be helpful if the index had references to the map pages and if there were cross references if a place name might be questioned (for example, San Carlos de Bariloche on the map/Bariloche in the index). The travel tips at the back were focused on b.a. and (having just returned) somewhat misleading (the "what to wear" section and its fashion police comments--most places were really casual); the suggestion to take U.S. cash--found atms a better choice; book note that it is no longer "inexpensive" --we found nothing outrageously overpriced. As a pre-trip introduction, a good guide, but too limited in information and too heavy to carry on a trip. For the most complete information and your travel bible, choose instead the new 1998 Argentina handbook!



2. I have looked at all the other major books on argentina and out of all of them this is the one book that is complete, tells you what you need to know and moves on.
   Most other books are for collage-age youth who want to go and find a bar, cheap hotel and stay up really late. But this is a classy read with beautiful illustrations. This is also coming from someone who is moving to Argentina and knows his stuff so Choose this one and you will not be dissatisfied.



3. Very glad to see this book listed here and getting some good feedback from your readers. I just wanted to let you know that my name is NOT Hum Henndessy! (though I do quite like the sound of it and have been called worse things). I'm not expecting you to place these comments on your review page, but please change my name to: Huw Hennessy (project editor of Insight Guide Argentina).

   Thanks




4. Unreadable national and regional maps, rambling, garbled prose, pictures with vague or misleading captions, no city maps, and USELESS text are only a few of the reasons not to buy this book!
   
   Text: if they mention a museum is worth visiting, I want the address! Nope, details like that are not found in this book. Instead, you encounter endless run-on sentences with far too many adjectives.
   
   Maps: their choice of color and patterning makes it impossible to tell borders from roads, and highways from country tracks. USELESS.
   
   There are lots and lots of pretty pictures, but most of them have captions like "Autumn splendor" - WHERE? What are you showing me?
   
   The index: again, USELESS is the word that applies. The city I wanted to read about was listed as being mentioned on 3 pages - upon viewing those pages, I found there was nothing at all about the city on 2 of the 3 referenced pages.
   
   There is loads of rambling prose and literary and historical references in the book, but to use it to plan a trip would be impossible.
   
   Glad I borrowed this book from the library instead of wasting money on it. I'll continue to search for the right book to use to plan our trip.

1 comments about Insight FlexiMap Buenos Aires (Insight Flexi Map).

1. I bought this map for my first two week trip to Buenos Aires in 2006. Used it to walk around and BA is a great walking city. The map covers all the tourist areas of BA and I do not recall once something was wrong with the map. Included in the map is a diagram of the subway and on the map itself are the stops. Which I found helpful to find the closet subway stop to my destination. I can recommend this map for people who like to walk.
   
   One more thing, the map is laminated so I could write on it and draw dots on it as a reference point.
   
   Bill

1 comments about The Rough Guide to Argentina 3rd Edition.

1. Purchased this for my daughter, who was preparing for a semester abroad. It helped her get a good idea of what to expect in Argentina.

5 comments about Time Out Buenos Aires (Time Out Guides).

1. To start off, I have to say that I usually do not write any reviews for items purchased on Amazon, but for the Time Out Buenos Aires Guide I really have to make an exception.
   This Book is just fantastic. I moved to Buenos Aires for the summer and I had never been nor had any idea of what the city would be like. With this Guide book I have been to the most amazing and most interesting places. Putting the sightseeing apart this book is so up-to-date on the restaurant, bar and nightlife scene that I have never been out of place. I have met so many interesting people in only 2 weeks because of this book. It just makes a huge difference having an idea of where to go and what to do at any certain day. So if you are planning on going to Buenos Aires for whatever reason, do yourself and your experience a favor and buy this book.
   It's an overall well-rounded guide, that gives you Buenos Aires on paper.



2. After searching through many guidebooks, I settled for TimeOut, and let me tell you, I am glad that I did.
   
   This book gave me everything I needed to know about beautiful Buenos Aires. The places that my Argentine friend recommended to me were all listed in this book, so that shows you how good it is!
   
   Definitely must buy this before going to Buenos Aires, or Argentina itself. Great read, great pictures, great food in Argentina! :)



3. All the information you need to know.......where to go, what to see and how to do it.......The small, compact size made the guide easy to carry and go with at all times.



4. Despite what others said about this book containing lots of ads, it's compact (easy to carry along) and very useful. A good buy.



5. Good read - lots of useful suggestions. Very good on the barrios or neighborhoods.
   Somewhat out of date - e.g. the Sydney Opera House style nightclub referenced in the section on the docks has apparently been burned out for several years.

5 comments about In Patagonia (Penguin Classics).

1. This is a book on a potentially engaging topic that came to me with high critical recommendation, but frankly didn't deliver. Chatwin's narrative is sentimental and seems in many cases superficial. His observations of the Welsh sheep ranchers seemed focused on insignificant details to the point that one may wonder if Chatwin had ever been diagnosed with autism. I couldn't finish the book.



2. I had never heard of Bruce Chatwin before, but whilst shopping at a used book store, as I held IN PATAGONIA in my hand, my friend said: "Oh, Bruce Chatwin--he's a great writer."
   
   From the moment I picked this book up, I couldn't stop reading it. The short segments worked well for me, I liked the style. I learned so much about the country, its history, and all sorts of interesting characters. This book is a great read, and I went on to read his others.



3. We are preparing to visit South America, so this book is very apt. The author put together a new kind of travel story, weaving imagination with reality. It seems to us that a lot of South American native literature does the same thing. A fascinating insight into life in Patagonia, whether you read it as travel stories or fiction.



4. When I read that Bruce Chatwin had died at the age of 31, I personally grieved as if he had been someone I knew. It is rare to find a book of gentle surprises with wonderful sentences and description, a treat to read, a promise of things to come. But that was not to be. I mourned for what we all lost. There are other books by Chatwin but I like to wonder about all the things he would have written had he lived. Prior to his death he had been in China where he became ill with some tropical disease. He returned home to die, his book on China unwritten, perhaps unplanned. Here are a few of his books: The Songlines, On the Black Hill, The Viceroy of Ouidah. There are more.



5. Chatwin's story of his search to find the skin of a giant ground sloth and the people he meets along the way in Patagonia is a truly different type of travel literature. Rather than a simple travel diary, Chatwin introduces the reader to a number of the different personalities that inhabit this bleak, but beautiful landscape

5 comments about Frommer's Buenos Aires (Frommer's Complete).

1. was easy to understand and had an understanding of what to look for when I travel there in the future. good recommendations and will look for them when I am there. Thanks!



2. I never like dining suggestions in Frommer Travel Guides. The very best are expected, quality food at high prices. But their best values are usually not the best values in that respective city/country. What I did like from this book was the side trips, which I highly recommend. Particularly nice was my buquebus trip to Colonia, Uruguary. I went in the winter and it was very scenic and a nice contrast to Recoleta, the neighborhood where I ended up renting an apartment in Buenos Aires.



3. Blah. How in the world did this get 4.5 stars? Not well laid out which make it dense and difficult difficult to read. You can get better and of course fresher information searching the NYT. And no introduction of practical stuff - one of the only entries on crime is where one of the Bush twins had her pocketbook lifted. I lament the end of the great Access guides.



4. 
   The trouble with travel books like Frommer's is that they don't tell the negative side as thoroughly as they do the positive. That's why I like Rick Steves' European guidebooks. He is opinionated and quick to tell both sides of the story.
   This Frommer's book on Buenos Aires was useful on our trip last week but did not discuss how massive and basically filthy and jammed with traffic the city is. The sidewalks were littered with broken pavement, garbage and dog droppings, even in the best of neighborhoods.
   In one section, Frommer's relates a day trip via ferry to nearby Uruguay; it made it sound as if one were visiting the Magic Kingdom. In truth, it was just a few streets and shops; certainly not worth the trouble.
   There was no warning about counterfeit Argentine currency. Apparently color laser printers are pretty common down there because there are plenty of homemade 20, 50 and 100 peso bills that look perfect to the untrained eye. A warning would have helped here.



5. I really felt like the book helped give me a great glimpse into the culture of the city and its nearby areas. The information on the nearby sidetrips to San Antonio De Areco is also excellent. I stayed at a horse ranch based on a recommendation in the book, and it was a phenomenal travel experience.
   
   James

5 comments about Lonely Planet Argentina.

1. So we're in BA last week with this guide, and we're trying to go to some of the restaurants this book recommends. But the book is so OUT OF DATE that the restaurants have CLOSED DOWN. I don't know how this book is for the less traveled parts of Argentina, but for Buenos Aires, it is USELESS.



2. If you are a student, make less than $25K a year, and enjoy staying in rudown versions of Motel 6, then this book might be for you.
   
   First, Argentina is no longer the bargain the authors claim it is. Outside of BA, you can get a decent meal on the cheap, but other than that, expect to pay $90 and up for a decent hotel. Many of the references in the book come from online entries and clearly have not been checked for quality, cleanliness, etc.
   
   Second, per the review(s) below, many of the recommended restaurants have closed - in BA, you are better off going to Puerto Madero and picking a reataurant at random - they are all good.
   
   Third, keep in mind that AR got hammered by the peso devaluation and many cities are still recovering. Cordoba and others can be less than an idyllic vacation spot.
   
   Conclusion - if you are seeking a quality vacation, you are better off using a good travel agancy. You get what you pay for in AR, notwithstanding the claims of the authors.



3. Excellent guide for someone taking a trip to Argentina. It was supplemented with Time Out Patagonia. Precise in the level of information provided. It was used extensively during the 8 thousand mile trip by car.



4. This is probably the best travel guide out there for Argentina. However, I wish it had more information for Uruguay and more details about other areas besides Buenos Aires. I also recommend Time out Buenos Aires to help keep up with the new restuarants.



5. Lonely Planet misses the mark so badly on Argentina that there is no way anyone should give it a good review. The section on Buenos Aires is absolutely terrible. The free literature that our hotel left in our room was far superior to Lonely Planet's research. As a whole this guide book is geared towards homeless people that are for some reason traveling around South America. So many of the hotels that the book describes as "clean" are absolute dumps. If you do not book one of the "high-end" suggestions in Buenos Aires, I guarantee that you will not be staying in a nice hotel. Restaraunt and sight-seeing recommendations barely scratch the surface of what there is to eat and see in Argentina. In total, it appears that no work or thought was put into creating this guide book. Definitely not worth the money.