United operates more nonstop flights from the New York area to Central and South America than any other U.S. carrier, and it’s adding another city to its roster—Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Starting October 28, New Yorkers and Porteños can take advantage of nonstop service on United’s Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, including Polaris business class with reclining flat-beds. Amenities include cooling gel pillows, mid-flight drinks, and flavorful dining, including entrée options for vegetarians, fresh fruit, cheese samples, and an ice cream sundae cart. Flights will depart daily from Newark airport at 9:50pm and arrive at 10:50am the following day.
It’s a great excuse to check out what’s new in B.A. (answer: a lot). The thriving creative scene was recently recognized by the Art Basel Cities program, which has named Buenos Aires its first partner city. To get your culture fix, begin with a visit to the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires (MALBA) for its new exhibition on photographer Diane Arbus and permanent collection including works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
MALBA.
Credit: Flickr/b1bmo
Continue on to independent galleries like Del Infinito, a Recoleta outpost showcasing Argentina’s finest avant-garde artists, and Galerìa Ruth Benzacar, launched in the 1960s to help disseminate the work of local talents. It hosts talks and readings by Argentina’s leading contemporary artists.
Drinks and food are an art form all their own in Buenos Aires, famous for its café culture, wines, and, of course, steak. Swing by one of the city’s newest cafés like LAB Tostadores or Café Registrado to sample specialty coffee by Argentina’s top roasters. If you prefer your cup with a side of nostalgia, opt for a seat at a historic bar notable, a café deemed significant to the cultural heritage of Buenos Aires. For cortados, try Café Rivas in San Telmo, and to dunk fried churros stuffed with dulce de leche in steamy hot chocolate, visit downtown icon La Giralda Cafetería.
You may need that caffeine jolt to make it through dinner, which rarely begins in B.A. before 10:30pm. That said, show up about two hours earlier at Proper Restaurant in the Palermo neighborhood if you want a chance at getting a table at the city’s hottest open-concept restaurant. Housed in a former mechanic shop, Proper’s team of hipster chefs stoke a wood-fired oven to serve Argentines small plates like boquerones drenched in olive oil, roasted leeks with fried goat cheese, and grilled lamb topped with smoked eggplant and tahini.
After dinner, head underground to visit one of the city’s flourishing speakeasies. At Florería Atlántico in Recoleta, enter the street-level flower shop before passing through the rear door that reveals a hidden cocktail bar. Launched by Tato Giovannoni, one of the city’s leading bartenders, the cocktail menu is inspired by the Spanish, French, and Italian immigrants who flocked to Argentina in the late 1800s. It’s an atmospheric place to toast your adventures over a petal-topped libation.
