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Is Buenos Aires
Gay Friendly? If you have in mind that Latin
culture is full of macho prejudice and that being gay
is frowned upon, well Buenos Aires has turned to be
the gay Capital of the continent. Although you will
not find a gay crowd organized around a certain neighbourhood
(with all its gay propaganda and bars and discos) being
gay in Buenos Aires is no longer a shock. It is actually
fashionable. Since Buenos Aires became independent from
the central government, it has its own constitution
and became the first city in Latin America to embrace
civil unions between same-sex couples. If you come with
your boyfriend do not hesitate to go around holding
hands in the center of the city. But if this is a gift
trip just for you or with friends, be ready to be cruised
on the streets. Porteños (this is how the locals
proudly call themselves) look, cruise and they might
even ask you out right there and then.
The mixing between immigrants with the locals and the
best meat in the world, turned out to be an explosive
combination. Men and women walk on the streets proud
of their bodies and they are simply beautiful. Buenos
Aires will always have something to offer to satisfy
the most demanding needs.
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Gay nightlife in Buenos Aires!!!
Gay nightlife in Buenos Aires is not organized around
a certain street or neighbourhood in particular. But
there are some areas where there are more likely to
be gay spots: Centro, Recoleta and Palermo for instance.
So let´s take a sneak peek at some of the main
discos and pubs in the city.
A good place to start is Santa Fe Avenue. This avenue
is one of the most glamorous. Between Pueyrredón
Ave. and Callao Ave it becomes a real gay catwalk at
night. Locals walk around to get discount tickets for
the pubs and discos listed below. Some discos, like
Amerika, offer a transfer service from Pueyrredón
and Santa Fe to the disco. Alongside this street you
can also find El Olmo and Babieca. These two cafés
are icons in Buenos Aires gay history as they are the
oldest gay venues in the area. Before Contramano or
Bunker opened, gay crowds used to meet there, and some
still do.
Discos & Pubs
• 1- Alsina
(www.palaciobuenosaires.com)
At Balcarce 869 in the historic San Telmo neighborhood,
Pride cafe is one of the few gay-friendly places open
both during the day and night during the week. This
is the perfect spot to take a break and have a one of
their fabulous coffees, either inside or at a sidewalk
table, before continuing your San Telmo tour. For those
needing a break from work, Pride café offers
an executive menu and of course WiFi so you won’t
be missed from the office. Don’t forget to try
their highly-recommended cakes and sandwiches, or catch
one of their live shows.
• 2- Amerika (www.ameri-k.com.ar)
At 1040 Gascón St.. It is the 90´s gay cathedral's heir, Bunker. Once Bunker closed a few years ago, its owners set up Amerika. This is easily the biggest gay disco in Buenos Aires, regularly drawing 2.000 party-hungry punters, of increasingly mixed sexual orientation. It has 3 dancefloors, a major dance floor where electronic music is played and a small one on the first floor for Latin and music from the 80´s and 90´s. It is frequented either by gay (that might not be that gay) and straight people (that might not be that straight). It has a dark room that shows that sexuality is simply a point of view: everything goes. Opens at 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (on Fri and Sat, free drinks).
• 3- Glam (www.glambsas.com.ar)
At 3046 Cabrera St. Opens from Thursdays to Saturdays. It has three bar areas and one dance-floor where they play mostly poppy-electronic music. It is a small spot that gets truly packed on Saturdays but hey! Don´t let this hold you from coming: this can even be a plus as two passageways connect the dance area with the bar and the boys stand alongside, so it is the perfect cruising area where you might find Mr Right…or at least a chance to score! Admission varies. The jams after 1am but really cranks up at 2am on Saturdays. The overnight choice is the play room upstairs…oh my…I mean really…
• 4- Bulnes Class (www.bulnesclass.com.ar)
At Bulnes St. 1250. Fridays and Saturdays after 11:30pm. It is one of the trendiest pubs at the moment. Frequented mostly by gay men. This spot has everything a pub in Europe would have: nice decor, great music and after 1am, a wide selection of drinks and great opportunities for picking up as it gets packed with gorgeous men. The left side is for the tourists, on the right, the locals. So go to the right…
• 5- Search (www.searchgaybar.com.ar)
At 1007 Azcuénaga St.(basement). It is a very small pub but holds very good shows on stage. So if you feel like relaxing and enjoying a good performance this is a great option. Open from 11pm daily.
Sweet and cuddly, Sugar and spice, Giant manly drag queens and muscly strippers. The gals will make you laugh while the men stir other emotions… The nightly drag shows are among the best around. And once you are spiced up, dance away to a fine mix of Latino pop, Electronica, cheese and house music spun by changing menu of DJ´s.
• 6- Sitges (www.sitgesonline.com.ar)
At 4119 Córdoba Ave. This pub first opened its doors in the early 90's and it is still one of the leading places to go. Open from 10.30pm Wednesdays to Sundays. Frequented by gays and lesbians. A few years ago, this bar used to have telephones so you could talk to somebody on another table. Now the phones are gone, but the place is still great for cruising, listening to a good combination of electronic and latin music and hanging around. Shows are held here too and if you manage to get that witty gay humour in Spanish…a plus. It is one of the only crowded places to hit on Wednesdays. Young and not so young mix it up at this pre-disco club. Head to Glam from there.
• 7- Contramano (www.contramano.com)
At 1082 Rodriguez Pena. Open from midnight Wed-Sat and from 9pm on Sundays. Remember the 80´s? Well this is a living proof that the gay pickup hustler bar theme never really dies. The hot young hustler there will do anything for you or for any “visa daddy” a nice mix of hot leather-daddies there too, keep your feet on the ground, or not….
• 8- Flux (www.fluxbar.com.ar)
Place for close friends or new acquaintances in the center of Buenos Aires. With a modern eclectic style, this bar is open every evening, providing great music, delicious cocktails, and quality service. The Flux Happy Hour lasts until 10pm.
At Marcelo T. Alvear 980, Flux bar offers the perfect meeting on Happy Hour or “after office” as its known here, this place has a nice atmosphere with good music and great conversation zones, This tinny Microcentro bar is popular early and late with handsome bartenders serving good mixed drinks with shinny smiles, enough said.
• 9- Angels (www.discoangels.com.ar)
Viamonte 2168. between Junin and Uriburu. AR$15 cover charge, knock back the complimentary drink and start exploring the dark room for a little game called “where is the Chorizo?” Then catch your breath on one of the 2 dance floors that pump out solid techno, house too. This new disco bar is heating up very nicely and the lines get long early.
• 10- The Sub (www.thesub.com.ar)
At 543 Cordoba Ave. (Basement). It is relatively new and it is right in downtown area. As every club in the city, it starts to get busy after 2 am. Only open on Saturdays. It is a small place but with good music and handy from every downtown hotel. It includes hard pumping sweaty house music, a techno room, and even a hip hop and funk in room two.
• 11- KM Zero (ex Titanic)
At 2516 Santa Fe Av. (near Pueyrredon Av.) Opens Wednesdays-Saturdays. It is a small but nice basement pub aimed mostly at gay male crowds from their twenties to their fifties. On Wednesday, it opens as Codigo Search with a drag and stripper show. On Fridays and Saturdays it offers dinner and show. Reservations: 4822 7530
SAUNAS & DARK ROOMS
• 1- Buenos Aires a full
Viamonte st 1770 - Open from noon-3am. Mon-Thurs: 24h on Fri-Sun. Admin AR$35. No Credit Cards. Biggest crowd after work in Buenos Aires during the week and after 2am on the week ends. This place draws a highly younger crowd than others but it generally has good cross sections of all.
• 2- Zoom (www.zoombuenosaires.com)
Uriburu st. 1018. Admin AR$12. 24hours daily. This convenient located next to one of the biggest gyms in town (Caribbean). This sex club offers every nook and cranny you can dream of, plus it draws a good mix. Bring your own condoms and favourite lubes, none provided there.
• 3- Tom´s (www.buenosairestoms.com)
Viamonte st. 638 (Basement). Open noon to 3am Mon-Thurs. 24 hours Fri-Sun. Something for everyone (well perhaps not for your aunt Mabel) at this underground sex club. Its central location offers it the most of traffic with hot business men in suits and ties looking for friendly encounters or simply taking a break from work during the week, bring your own condoms and lube. You will need a lot.
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