This is part 2 of an interview with Judy of Judy and Jon Argentine Tango, American tango enthusiasts and teachers extraordinaire for About.com Argentina Travel.  Click here for part 1 of the interview.

Michael: Judy, beyond tango, what are some of your favorite things in Buenos Aires you want to share with our readers here at About.com Argentina Travel?

Judy: We love Las Violetas restaurant (corner of Rivadavia and Medrano in the Almagro neighborhood).


It’s a gorgeous restaurant with amazing stained glass ceilings and exceptional food plus a bakery with pastries and cakes ‘to die for’.

The Museo de los Titeres (Puppet Museum) in San Telmo (Piedras 905) has a puppet collection from all over the world including some from Mexico dating back to the Mexican Revolution. On Saturday nights they have adult puppet shows around 9 pm.

Museo de Arte HispanoAmericano Fernandez Blanco Museum (Suipacha 1422 in Retiro) boasts the largest Colonial Silver collection in Latin America. Every November 2 on Dia de Los Muertos people from the Mexican Consulate construct a huge display to commemorate the Day of the Dead. Last time we attended the entertainment held outside on museum grounds included Mariachis and Aztec Dancers.

Also every year in early to mid November the city of Buenos Aires declares La Noche de los Museos. Many museums (100 or more) open at 6 pm and remain open until 3 or 4 am with special exhibits and entertainment. You can print out a bus pass from the internet, plan out your route and travel all over the city free all night.

What is the difference when tangoing in Argentina, versus back in the United States?

Night and Day. Argentines take the tango seriously and look at it from a cultural perspective. To them it’s all about the music and the embrace. U.S. dancers tend to see it as something that can be changed or redefined. Furthermore it’s always danced in a close embrace in Argentina.

Tell me more about the trip you’re planning for July in Argentina?  What kinds of things are planned for it for those who come with you?

Our Che Buenos Aires Tango Tour is 8 days and 7 nights at a 4 star hotel. We call it the ‘insiders tour’. We have years of experience and take our participants to the best places to dance on any given night, make sure we have ringside seats for shows and to dance, introduce them to locals and friends, arrange professional dance partners (upon request) and, in short, they feel like they are part of the action rather than an outsider looking in.

It starts out with the dinner show at El Querandi followed up by going to a Milonga. On subsequent nights we attend different Milongas (most have a show during the evening). We plan for several exclusive tango classes just for our group with maestros whom we hold in high regard. We’ll have a special party at an art gallery in Palermo and we’ll guide a special ‘drive by’ tour of city hot spots. We plan the route so that participants get a terrific idea of all there is to see and do. We end the city tour at La Boca, the old Buenos Aires port where the immigrants landed and worked and where the tango was born. There are always surprises that may change the itinerary as Buenos Aires is a dynamic city and celebrations and parties at specific Milongas come up all the time

We shop for tango shoes and clothes – all essential for tangueros. We take the participants to ferias (outoor fairs dedicated to artisanal goods) and we visit many other attractions including Recoleta cemetery where Evita Peron is buried and many of the notable historic cafes that are our personal favorites.

If someone can’t go on your trip, is there another time or way you can help them with their trip to Argentina?

We can help with dinner show reservations and for a fee we’ll design a personalized itinerary.

What are your favorite tango spots outside of Buenos Aires.  Have you tangoed in other Argentine cities?

We have danced at many Milongas some are quite a distance outside of the city but never in other cities.

Other than tango, what is your favorite thing to do in Buenos Aires?  In other cities in Argentina?

Our favorite thing to do is visit cafes for a cafecito or a doble (always espresso here) and medialunas (literally, half-moons, flaky pastries that resemble croissants). We like to argue over which cafe has the best and when we’re not looking for medialunas we like to hunt down empanadas and argue about which are the best. Oh, and we love to shop especially for leather goods and tango shoes and men’s fedoras. The best hatmaker in Buenos Aires is Casa Maidana (Rivadavia and Riobamba)

Anything else to add?

I think we’ve said almost everything. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to ask.  Our website again is: www.tangowithjudy.com

This is the end of Part 2 of the interview with Judy of Judy and Jon.  Click here for Part 1.

We also have other great articles here on About.com Argentina Travel, like this on milongas, another on shopping for tango clothing.  Here are also other shopping ideas for Buenos Aires, and some hotel choices, to help you figure out where to stay.