A smoky night in La Boca

Last night I decided to go to to a milonga at Teatro Verdi in La Boca. I’ve been curious about it ever since reading about it in Cherie’s blog, especially because it was built by Italian immigrants.

When the taxi arrived to pick me up, I noticed that there was a lot of fog in the air. Upon smelling the air and noticing that my eyes were irritated, I realized that it was smoke. All of Buenos Aires was covered in smoke it seemed. Apparently in the province they were burning fields or something, and the smoke traveled with the wind into the city… And it made for a really spooky night.

To get to the theatre we went through La Boca from a different angle than I’ve seen in the past when I’ve taken the colectivo. I was able to see its regular side streets with some older buildings - it actually looked quite charming through the smoke. There were a few people on the sidewalks who looked like they were going home to make dinner. Now that I could see its regular residential streets, I realized it’s just a barrio like anything else. It does not have a reputation for being incredibly safe and charming, but looking at it from this angle it looked quite simple and normal.

Once at the theatre, I took a good look around me on the sidewalk. I couldn’t believe I was in La Boca at night. “Cuidado,” a friend had told me earlier in a text message. I was careful and I had made sure the doors in the taxi were locked, though considering I’ve lived in Once, La Boca looked tame.

I entered the theatre and immediately saw my friends who had invited me. I took a moment to look at the balconies before sitting down to change my shoes, and I was sad that I didn’t bring my camera with me. They looked like pieces of easter candy. Sort of a mint green, with ornate gold-painted decoration. The venue was nice and large for a milonga and the energy was just right. We took up two tables, and I realized I was sitting with some of the milongueros I love to dance with so much. Score! I was kept busy on my feet, dancing, dancing, dancing.

Orquesta Fervor de Buenos Aires played, and the acoustics of the theatre made for a perfect show. I had seen them last week in Canning and while they were good, I didn’t catch their energy. This time around, they were superb. I really think it’s the venue. We had a little surprise later in the evening, Oscar Ferrari came out to sing. What a treat! A friend leaned over to me and said, “I love Buenos Aires because there is always something to do at night.” It’s true - and we were so lucky to hear this wonderful live music.

All in all, a beautiful night in a historic venue with good people. And I kind of liked La Boca.